Quick Start Guide
Learn how to create and use Claude Skills from scratch, extending AI capabilities
01
Skills are folders containing instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude dynamically loads to improve performance on specialized tasks.
# Create your first Skill mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/my-skill echo "name: my-skill" > my-skill/SKILL.md
02
Install via plugin marketplace, supports custom and project-level Skills
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
Upload ZIP files directly on the web version, simple and fast
03
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md (required)
├── reference.md (optional)
├── examples.md (optional)
├── scripts/
│ └── helper.py (optional)
└── templates/
└── template.txt (optional)---yaml name: your-skill-name description: ... --- # Skill instructions
04
One Skill solves one problem, multiple small Skills are better than one large Skill
Include specific trigger words in descriptions to help Claude determine when to use
05
Now that you understand the basics of Claude Skills, you can start creating your own skills.