Creating Skills¶

How to create custom skills that extend the toolkit with domain knowledge and workflows.

What is a skill?¶

A skill is a markdown file (SKILL.md) that provides context-sensitive instructions to Claude. Skills activate automatically when the work being done matches their domain.

Quick start¶

The fastest way to create a skill is to use the built-in skill creator:

/skill-creator

This walks you through creating a well-structured skill interactively.

Manual creation¶

1. Create the directory¶

mkdir -p plugins/core-standards/skills/my-skill

2. Create SKILL.md¶

---
name: my-skill
description: Use when [specific situation]. Provides [specific guidance].
---

# My Skill Title

## When to Use

Describe when this skill should activate.

## Guidelines

The actual instructions for Claude when this skill is active.

## Examples

Concrete examples of the skill in action.

3. Add to the manifest¶

Add a line to the plugin's skill-symlinks.manifest:

my-skill -> skills/my-skill

4. Install¶

./scripts/setup.sh --full

Skill anatomy¶

Frontmatter (required)¶

---
name: my-skill          # Unique identifier
description: Use when...  # When this skill activates
---

The name becomes the command (/my-skill). The description helps Claude decide when to apply the skill.

Body¶

The markdown body contains the actual instructions. Structure it with clear sections:

When to Use — activation criteria
Guidelines — the rules and patterns to follow
Examples — concrete demonstrations
Anti-patterns — what to avoid

Best practices¶

Be specific in the description — vague descriptions lead to wrong activation
Focus on one domain — don't create a skill that does everything
Include examples — Claude follows examples better than abstract rules
Test activation — verify the skill activates when expected
Keep it concise — skills that are too long get summarized, losing detail