Skills Reference

Skills Recommendations

Skills are packaged expertise with workflows, reference materials, and best practices. Create them in .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Skills can be invoked by Claude automatically when relevant, or by users directly with /skill-name.

Some pre-built skills are available through official plugins (install via /plugin install).

Note: These are common patterns. Use web search to find skill ideas specific to the codebase's tools and frameworks.

Available from Official Plugins

Plugin Development (plugin-dev)

Git Workflows (commit-commands)

Frontend (frontend-design)

Value: Creates distinctive, high-quality UI instead of generic AI aesthetics.

Automation Rules (hookify)

Feature Development (feature-dev)

Quick Reference: Official Plugin Skills

Custom Project Skills

Create project-specific skills in .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.

Skill Structure

.claude/skills/
└── my-skill/
    ├── SKILL.md           # Main instructions (required)
    ├── template.yaml      # Template to apply
    ├── scripts/
    │   └── validate.sh    # Script to run
    └── examples/          # Reference examples

Frontmatter Reference

---
name: skill-name
description: What this skill does and when to use it
disable-model-invocation: true  # Only user can invoke (for side effects)
user-invocable: false           # Only Claude can invoke (for background knowledge)
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob # Restrict tool access
context: fork                   # Run in isolated subagent
agent: Explore                  # Which agent type when forked
---

Invocation Control

Custom Skill Examples

API Documentation with OpenAPI Template

Apply a YAML template to generate consistent API docs:

.claude/skills/api-doc/
├── SKILL.md
└── openapi-template.yaml

SKILL.md:

---
name: api-doc
description: Generate OpenAPI documentation for an endpoint. Use when documenting API routes.
---

Generate OpenAPI documentation for the endpoint at $ARGUMENTS.

Use the template in [openapi-template.yaml](openapi-template.yaml) as the structure.

1. Read the endpoint code
2. Extract path, method, parameters, request/response schemas
3. Fill in the template with actual values
4. Output the completed YAML

openapi-template.yaml:

paths:
  /{path}:
    {method}:
      summary: ""
      description: ""
      parameters: []
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema: {}
      responses:
        "200":
          description: ""
          content:
            application/json:
              schema: {}

Database Migration Generator with Script

Generate and validate migrations using a bundled script:

.claude/skills/create-migration/
├── SKILL.md
└── scripts/
    └── validate-migration.sh

SKILL.md:

---
name: create-migration
description: Create a database migration file
disable-model-invocation: true
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Bash
---

Create a migration for: $ARGUMENTS

1. Generate migration file in `migrations/` with timestamp prefix
2. Include up and down functions
3. Run validation: `bash ~/.claude/skills/create-migration/scripts/validate-migration.sh`
4. Report any issues found

scripts/validate-migration.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Validate migration syntax
npx prisma validate 2>&1 || echo "Validation failed"

Test Generator with Examples

Generate tests following project patterns:

.claude/skills/gen-test/
├── SKILL.md
└── examples/
    ├── unit-test.ts
    └── integration-test.ts

SKILL.md:

---
name: gen-test
description: Generate tests for a file following project conventions
disable-model-invocation: true
---

Generate tests for: $ARGUMENTS

Reference these examples for the expected patterns:
- Unit tests: [examples/unit-test.ts](examples/unit-test.ts)
- Integration tests: [examples/integration-test.ts](examples/integration-test.ts)

1. Analyze the source file
2. Identify functions/methods to test
3. Generate tests matching project conventions
4. Place in appropriate test directory

Component Generator with Template

Scaffold new components from a template:

.claude/skills/new-component/
├── SKILL.md
└── templates/
    ├── component.tsx.template
    ├── component.test.tsx.template
    └── component.stories.tsx.template

SKILL.md:

---
name: new-component
description: Scaffold a new React component with tests and stories
disable-model-invocation: true
---

Create component: $ARGUMENTS

Use templates in [templates/](templates/) directory:
1. Generate component from component.tsx.template
2. Generate tests from component.test.tsx.template
3. Generate Storybook story from component.stories.tsx.template

Replace {{ComponentName}} with the PascalCase name.
Replace {{component-name}} with the kebab-case name.

PR Review with Checklist

Review PRs against a project-specific checklist:

.claude/skills/pr-check/
├── SKILL.md
└── checklist.md

SKILL.md:

---
name: pr-check
description: Review PR against project checklist
disable-model-invocation: true
context: fork
---

## PR Context
- Diff: !`gh pr diff`
- Description: !`gh pr view`

Review against [checklist.md](checklist.md).

For each item, mark ✅ or ❌ with explanation.

checklist.md:

## PR Checklist

- [ ] Tests added for new functionality
- [ ] No console.log statements
- [ ] Error handling includes user-facing messages
- [ ] API changes are backwards compatible
- [ ] Database migrations are reversible

Release Notes Generator

Generate release notes from git history:

SKILL.md:

---
name: release-notes
description: Generate release notes from commits since last tag
disable-model-invocation: true
---

## Recent Changes
- Commits since last tag: !`git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline`
- Last tag: !`git describe --tags --abbrev=0`

Generate release notes:
1. Group commits by type (feat, fix, docs, etc.)
2. Write user-friendly descriptions
3. Highlight breaking changes
4. Format as markdown

Project Conventions (Claude-only)

Background knowledge Claude applies automatically:

SKILL.md:

---
name: project-conventions
description: Code style and patterns for this project. Apply when writing or reviewing code.
user-invocable: false
---

## Naming Conventions
- React components: PascalCase
- Utilities: camelCase
- Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
- Files: kebab-case

## Patterns
- Use `Result<T, E>` for fallible operations, not exceptions
- Prefer composition over inheritance
- All API responses use `{ data, error, meta }` shape

## Forbidden
- No `any` types
- No `console.log` in production code
- No synchronous file I/O

Environment Setup

Onboard new developers with setup script:

.claude/skills/setup-dev/
├── SKILL.md
└── scripts/
    └── check-prerequisites.sh

SKILL.md:

---
name: setup-dev
description: Set up development environment for new contributors
disable-model-invocation: true
---

Set up development environment:

1. Check prerequisites: `bash scripts/check-prerequisites.sh`
2. Install dependencies: `npm install`
3. Copy environment template: `cp .env.example .env`
4. Set up database: `npm run db:setup`
5. Verify setup: `npm test`

Report any issues encountered.

Argument Patterns

Arguments are appended as ARGUMENTS: <value> if $ARGUMENTS isn't in the skill.

Dynamic Context Injection

Use !command`` to inject live data before the skill runs:

## Current State
- Branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Status: !`git status --short`

The command output replaces the placeholder before Claude sees the skill content.