creating-skill

# Creating Skills Create portable, reusable expertise that extends Claude's capabilities across contexts. ## When to Create Skills Skills are appropriate when: - Capability needed across multiple projects/conversations - Procedural knowledge that applies broadly (not project-specific) - Instructions should activate automatically on trigger patterns - Want portable expertise that loads progressively on-demand Not appropriate when: - Context is project-specific (use Project instructions instead) - One-off task (use standalone prompt instead) - See **crafting-instructions** skill for detailed decision framework ## Skill Structure Every skill is a directory containing: - `SKILL.md` (required): Frontmatter + imperative instructions - `scripts/` (optional): Executable code for deterministic operations - `references/` (optional): Detailed docs loaded on-demand - `assets/` (optional): Templates/files used in output Create this structure directly: ```bash mkdir -p skill-name/{scripts,references,assets} ``` Delete unused directories before packaging. ## Naming Convention Use gerund form (verb + -ing): - ✅ `processing-pdfs`, `analyzing-data`, `creating-reports` - ❌ `pdf-helper`, `data-tool`, `report-maker` Requirements: - Lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens only - Max 64 characters - No reserved words (anthropic, claude) ## Frontmatter Requirements ```yaml --- name: skill-name description: What it does. Use when [trigger patterns]. --- ``` **name:** Follow naming conventio...