Skill Creator

Skill Creator

This skill provides guidance for creating effective skills.

When to Use

• Creating a new skill from scratch
• Updating an existing skill
• Organizing skill structure (scripts, references, assets)
• Packaging skills for distribution
• Reviewing skill quality

Workflow

Step 1: Understand Requirements

Gather examples of how the skill will be used.

Step 2: Plan Contents

Identify scripts, references, and assets needed.

Step 3: Initialize Structure

Run init_skill.py to create directory structure.

Step 4: Edit SKILL.md

Define purpose, triggers, and workflow.

Step 5: Package

Run package_skill.py to validate and zip.

Step 6: Iterate

Test and improve based on real usage.

About Skills

Skills are modular, self-contained packages that extend Claude's capabilities by providing specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools. Think of them as "onboarding guides" for specific domains or tasks—they transform Claude from a general-purpose agent into a specialized agent equipped with procedural knowledge that no model can fully possess.

What Skills Provide

1. Specialized workflows - Multi-step procedures for specific domains
2. Tool integrations - Instructions for working with specific file formats or APIs
3. Domain expertise - Company-specific knowledge, schemas, business logic
4. Bundled resources - Scripts, references, and assets for complex and repetitive tasks

Anatomy of a Skill

Every skill consists of a required SKILL.md file and optional bundled resources:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required)
│   ├── YAML frontmatter metadata (required)
│   │   ├── name: (required)
│   │   └── description: (required)
│   └── Markdown instructions (required)
└── Bundled Resources (optional)
    ├── scripts/          - Executable code (Python/Bash/etc.)
    ├── references/       - Documentation to load into context as needed
    └── assets/           - Files used in output (templates, icons, fonts, etc.)

Progressive Disclosure Design

Skills use a three-level loading system to manage context efficiently:

1. Metadata (name + description) - Always in context (~100 words)
2. SKILL.md body - When skill triggers (<5k words)
3. Bundled resources - As needed by Claude (Unlimited*)

*Unlimited because scripts can be executed without reading into context window.

Skill Creation Process

Step 1: Understand the Skill with Examples

To create an effective skill, clearly understand concrete examples of how the skill will be used.

Questions to ask:

• "What functionality should this skill support?"
• "Can you give examples of how this skill would be used?"
• "What would a user say that should trigger this skill?"

Step 2: Plan the Reusable Skill Contents

Analyze each example by:

1. Considering how to execute on the example from scratch
2. Identifying what scripts, references, and assets would be helpful

When to use scripts/: When the same code is being rewritten repeatedly or deterministic reliability is needed.

When to use references/: For documentation that Claude should reference while working (schemas, API docs, policies).

When to use assets/: For files used in output (templates, images, boilerplate code).

Step 3: Initialize the Skill

Run the initialization script to create the skill structure:

python .claude/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py <skill-name> --path <output-directory>

Step 4: Edit the Skill

Writing Style: Use imperative/infinitive form (verb-first instructions), not second person.

Answer these questions in SKILL.md:

1. What is the purpose of the skill, in a few sentences?
2. When should the skill be used?
3. How should Claude use the skill? (Reference all bundled resources)

Step 5: Package the Skill

python .claude/skills/skill-creator/scripts/package_skill.py <path/to/skill-folder>

Step 6: Iterate

After testing, improve based on real usage:

1. Use the skill on real tasks
2. Notice struggles or inefficiencies
3. Update SKILL.md or bundled resources
4. Test again

Best Practices

• Keep SKILL.md under 5k words; move detailed content to references/
• Include grep patterns for large reference files (>10k words)
• Delete unused example directories created by init script
• Avoid information duplication between SKILL.md and references
• Use descriptive metadata - it determines when Claude uses the skill