Claude Skills Tutorial Quick Start Guide
Learn how to create and use Claude Skills from scratch, extending AI capabilities
🚀 Quick Start
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
📦 Installation Methods
Claude Code
Install via plugin marketplace, supports custom and project-level Skills
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
Claude.ai
Upload ZIP files directly on the web version, simple and fast
- • Settings → Features → Enable Skills
- • Click "Upload Skill"
📁 Skill Structure
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md (required)
├── reference.md (optional)
├── examples.md (optional)
├── scripts/
│ └── helper.py (optional)
└── templates/
└── template.txt (optional)
SKILL.md File Format
---yaml
name: your-skill-name
description: ...
---
# Skill instructions
Key Requirements
- • name: lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens
- • description: clear usage scenario
- • Support for additional resources and scripts
⭐ Best Practices
Keep Focused
One Skill solves one problem, multiple small Skills are better than one large Skill
Clear Description
Include specific trigger words in descriptions to help Claude determine when to use
🔗 Learning Resources
Start Creating Your First Skill!
Now that you understand the basics of Claude Skills, you can start creating your own skills.