skill-creator

Skill Creator

Create new Claude Code skills following the official format and best practices.

Quick Reference

• Structure Guide - Directory format and file organization
• Naming Rules - Skill naming requirements
• Description Guide - Writing effective descriptions
• Templates - Process, knowledge, and tool skill templates
• Examples - Complete skill creation walkthroughs
• Validation - Commands to validate new skills

When to Use

• Creating a new reusable knowledge module
• Adding specialized guidance for specific tasks
• Building domain-specific expertise into Claude Code
• Need to ensure proper skill format and structure

Required SKILL.md Format

Every skill requires a SKILL.md file with two parts:

1. YAML frontmatter (metadata between --- markers on line 1)
2. Markdown instructions (guidance for Claude)

---
name: skill-name
description: Brief description of what this skill does and when to use it
---

# Skill Title

## Instructions
Step-by-step guidance for Claude...

YAML Frontmatter Fields

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens only (max 64 chars). Must match directory name.
description	Yes	What the skill does and when to use it (max 1024 chars). Claude uses this to match requests.
allowed-tools	No	Tools Claude can use without permission
model	No	Specific model to use
context	No	Set to fork for isolated sub-agent context

File Structure

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md              # Required - overview and navigation
├── reference.md          # Detailed docs - loaded when needed
├── examples.md           # Usage examples - loaded when needed
└── scripts/
    └── helper.sh         # Utility script - executed, not loaded

Best Practices

• Keep SKILL.md under 250 lines - Use progressive disclosure
• Write specific descriptions - Include trigger terms users would naturally use
• Link supporting files - From SKILL.md using markdown links
• Validate structure - Check YAML syntax and file organization

See naming.md for naming conventions and templates.md for ready-to-use templates.