How to Create a Claude Skill

Share your expertise with the community by creating your own Claude skill. Skills are markdown files with instructions that extend Claude's capabilities for specific tasks.

Creation Process

Plan Your Skill

Identify the specific task or domain. What should Claude know or do differently when this skill is active?

Write the Markdown

Create a markdown file with clear instructions, examples, and guidelines for Claude to follow.

Test Locally

Install your skill locally and test it with various prompts. Iterate until Claude responds as expected.

Publish to GitHub

Create a public GitHub repository. Others can install your skill using your username and repo name.

Skill File Structure

A skill is a markdown file with specific sections. Here's the recommended structure:

# Skill Name

## Description
Brief description of what this skill does.

## Instructions
Detailed instructions for Claude to follow.
Be specific about patterns, conventions, and approaches.

## Examples
### Example 1: [Task Name]
```
Input: [example input]
Output: [expected output]
```

## Guidelines
- Guideline 1
- Guideline 2
- Guideline 3

Best Practices

Be Specific

Vague instructions lead to inconsistent results. Include concrete examples and explicit guidelines.

Focus on One Domain

A skill that does one thing well is better than one that tries to cover everything. Users can combine multiple skills.

Include Examples

Show Claude what good output looks like. Examples are often more effective than lengthy explanations.

Test Thoroughly

Test with different prompts and edge cases. Make sure the skill works reliably before publishing.

Skill Locations

Skills are stored in specific directories. The AI automatically discovers and loads skills from these locations:

~/.claude/skills/

Personal skills for Claude Code (available across all projects)

.claude/skills/

Project-specific skills for Claude Code (commit to share with your team)

~/.codex/skills/

Skills for OpenAI Codex CLI (same SKILL.md format)

Ready to Create?

Start by exploring existing skills for inspiration, then create your own to share with the community.

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