# Skill Creator

> Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends Claude's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.

- Skill: `majiayu000/skill-creator-108` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/skill-creator-108`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/skill-creator-108/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector CAUTION)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: Complete terms in LICENSE.txt
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/skill-creator-108

---


# Skill Creator

This skill provides guidance for creating effective skills.

## 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 intended to be loaded into context as needed
    └── assets/           - Files used in output (templates, icons, fonts, etc.)
```

#### SKILL.md (required)

**Metadata Quality:** The `name` and `description` in YAML frontmatter determine when
Claude will use the skill. Be specific about what the skill does and when to use it. Use
the third-person (e.g. "This skill should be used when..." instead of "Use this skill
when...").

#### Bundled Resources (optional)

##### Scripts (`scripts/`)

Executable code (Python/Bash/etc.) for tasks that require deterministic reliability or
are repeatedly rewritten.

- **When to include**: When the same code is being rewritten repeatedly or deterministic
  reliability is needed
- **Example**: `scripts/rotate_pdf.py` for PDF rotation tasks
- **Benefits**: Token efficient, deterministic, may be executed without loading into
  context
- **Note**: Scripts may still need to be read by Claude for patching or
  environment-specific adjustments

##### References (`references/`)

Documentation and reference material intended to be loaded as needed into context to
inform Claude's process and thinking.

- **When to include**: For documentation that Claude should reference while working
- **Examples**: `references/finance.md` for financial schemas, `references/mnda.md` for
  company NDA template, `references/policies.md` for company policies,
  `references/api_docs.md` for API specifications
- **Use cases**: Database schemas, API documentation, domain knowledge, company
  policies, detailed workflow guides
- **Benefits**: Keeps SKILL.md lean, loaded only when Claude determines it's needed
- **Best practice**: If files are large (>10k words), include grep search patterns in
  SKILL.md
- **Avoid duplication**: Information should live in either SKILL.md or references files,
  not both. Prefer references files for detailed information unless it's truly core to
  the skill—this keeps SKILL.md lean while making information discoverable without
  hogging the context window. Keep only essential procedural instructions and workflow
  guidance in SKILL.md; move detailed reference material, schemas, and examples to
  references files.

##### Assets (`assets/`)

Files not intended to be loaded into context, but rather used within the output Claude
produces.

- **When to include**: When the skill needs files that will be used in the final output
- **Examples**: `assets/logo.png` for brand assets, `assets/slides.pptx` for PowerPoint
  templates, `assets/frontend-template/` for HTML/React boilerplate, `assets/font.ttf`
  for typography
- **Use cases**: Templates, images, icons, boilerplate code, fonts, sample documents
  that get copied or modified
- **Benefits**: Separates output resources from documentation, enables Claude to use
  files without loading them into context

### Progressive Disclosure Design Principle

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

To create a skill, follow the "Skill Creation Process" in order, skipping steps only if
there is a clear reason why they are not applicable.

### Step 1: Understanding the Skill with Concrete Examples

Skip this step only when the skill's usage patterns are already clearly understood. It
remains valuable even when working with an existing skill.

To create an effective skill, clearly understand concrete examples of how the skill will
be used. This understanding can come from either direct user examples or generated
examples that are validated with user feedback.

For example, when building an image-editor skill, relevant questions include:

- "What functionality should the image-editor skill support? Editing, rotating, anything
  else?"
- "Can you give some examples of how this skill would be used?"
- "I can imagine users asking for things like 'Remove the red-eye from this image' or
  'Rotate this image'. Are there other ways you imagine this skill being used?"
- "What would a user say that should trigger this skill?"

To avoid overwhelming users, avoid asking too many questions in a single message. Start
with the most important questions and follow up as needed for better effectiveness.

Conclude this step when there is a clear sense of the functionality the skill should
support.

### Step 2: Planning the Reusable Skill Contents

To turn concrete examples into an effective skill, 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 executing
   these workflows repeatedly

Example: When building a `pdf-editor` skill to handle queries like "Help me rotate this
PDF," the analysis shows:

1. Rotating a PDF requires re-writing the same code each time
2. A `scripts/rotate_pdf.py` script would be helpful to store in the skill

Example: When designing a `frontend-webapp-builder` skill for queries like "Build me a
todo app" or "Build me a dashboard to track my steps," the analysis shows:

1. Writing a frontend webapp requires the same boilerplate HTML/React each time
2. An `assets/hello-world/` template containing the boilerplate HTML/React project files
   would be helpful to store in the skill

Example: When building a `big-query` skill to handle queries like "How many users have
logged in today?" the analysis shows:

1. Querying BigQuery requires re-discovering the table schemas and relationships each
   time
2. A `references/schema.md` file documenting the table schemas would be helpful to store
   in the skill

To establish the skill's contents, analyze each concrete example to create a list of the
reusable resources to include: scripts, references, and assets.

### Step 3: Initializing the Skill

At this point, it is time to actually create the skill.

Skip this step only if the skill being developed already exists, and iteration or
packaging is needed. In this case, continue to the next step.

When creating a new skill from scratch, always run the `init_skill.py` script. The
script conveniently generates a new template skill directory that automatically includes
everything a skill requires, making the skill creation process much more efficient and
reliable.

Usage:

```bash
scripts/init_skill.py <skill-name> --path <output-directory>
```

The script:

- Creates the skill directory at the specified path
- Generates a SKILL.md template with proper frontmatter and TODO placeholders
- Creates example resource directories: `scripts/`, `references/`, and `assets/`
- Adds example files in each directory that can be customized or deleted

After initialization, customize or remove the generated SKILL.md and example files as
needed.

### Step 4: Edit the Skill

When editing the (newly-generated or existing) skill, remember that the skill is being
created for another instance of Claude to use. Focus on including information that would
be beneficial and non-obvious to Claude. Consider what procedural knowledge,
domain-specific details, or reusable assets would help another Claude instance execute
these tasks more effectively.

#### Start with Reusable Skill Contents

To begin implementation, start with the reusable resources identified above: `scripts/`,
`references/`, and `assets/` files. Note that this step may require user input. For
example, when implementing a `brand-guidelines` skill, the user may need to provide
brand assets or templates to store in `assets/`, or documentation to store in
`references/`.

Also, delete any example files and directories not needed for the skill. The
initialization script creates example files in `scripts/`, `references/`, and `assets/`
to demonstrate structure, but most skills won't need all of them.

#### Update SKILL.md

**Writing Style:** Write the entire skill using **imperative/infinitive form**
(verb-first instructions), not second person. Use objective, instructional language
(e.g., "To accomplish X, do Y" rather than "You should do X" or "If you need to do X").
This maintains consistency and clarity for AI consumption.

To complete SKILL.md, answer the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of the skill, in a few sentences?
2. When should the skill be used?
3. In practice, how should Claude use the skill? All reusable skill contents developed
   above should be referenced so that Claude knows how to use them.

### Step 5: Packaging a Skill

Once the skill is ready, it should be packaged into a distributable zip file that gets
shared with the user. The packaging process automatically validates the skill first to
ensure it meets all requirements:

```bash
scripts/package_skill.py <path/to/skill-folder>
```

Optional output directory specification:

```bash
scripts/package_skill.py <path/to/skill-folder> ./dist
```

The packaging script will:

1. **Validate** the skill automatically, checking:
   - YAML frontmatter format and required fields
   - Skill naming conventions and directory structure
   - Description completeness and quality
   - File organization and resource references

2. **Package** the skill if validation passes, creating a zip file named after the skill
   (e.g., `my-skill.zip`) that includes all files and maintains the proper directory
   structure for distribution.

If validation fails, the script will report the errors and exit without creating a
package. Fix any validation errors and run the packaging command again.

### Step 6: Iterate

After testing the skill, users may request improvements. Often this happens right after
using the skill, with fresh context of how the skill performed.

**Iteration workflow:**

1. Use the skill on real tasks
2. Notice struggles or inefficiencies
3. Identify how SKILL.md or bundled resources should be updated
4. Implement changes and test again