Building Skills

Creates new Claude Code skills with proper structure and best practices.

Quick Reference

• Best Practices: @best-practices.md (start here!)
• Full Documentation: @reference.md
• Examples: @examples.md
• Templates: @template.md

Workflow

1. Gather Requirements

   • What does the skill do?
   • When should it be invoked? (for description)
   • Name using gerund form: verb-ing-noun (e.g., processing-pdfs)
   • Personal (~/.claude/skills/) or project (.claude/skills/)?
   • What tools are needed?

2. Create Structure

   mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/processing-pdfs  # or .claude/skills/
   

3. Generate SKILL.md

   • YAML frontmatter: name and description (required)
   • Clear, concise instructions
   • Reference supporting files with @filename.md

4. Add Supporting Files (optional)

   • Templates, reference docs, scripts

5. Test

   • Ask "What skills are available?"
   • Test with trigger phrases

SKILL.md Format

---
name: processing-pdfs
description: Processes PDF files when user wants to extract, convert, or analyze PDF documents
---

# Processing PDFs

Instructions here. Reference @other-files.md as needed.

Key Best Practices

• Name: Use gerund form (verb + -ing): processing-pdfs, generating-components
• Description: Third person, focus on WHEN to use (triggers auto-invocation)
• Instructions: Clear, actionable, with examples
• Be concise: Challenge each line - does Claude really need this?
• Reference external docs: Use @filename.md for detailed info

See @best-practices.md for complete guidelines.