What are Claude skills?
A Claude skill is a small package of instructions that gives Claude a specific job to do — and makes it do that job the same way every time.
When you talk to Claude normally, you explain what you want from scratch each time. A skill bundles the instructions, the examples, the workflow and the limits into one file. You install it once, then call it by name.
It’s the difference between explaining a recipe out loud every time you want soup, and clicking “soup” on a menu.
What’s inside a skill
Every skill is a folder built around one file called SKILL.md. That file has two parts.
The front matter — a name and a one-line description of when the skill should be used. This is the part Claude always has loaded, and it’s how Claude decides whether a skill is relevant to what you just asked.
The body — the actual instructions. Claude reads these only when the skill is triggered, which is why you can have many skills installed without them getting in each other’s way.
A well-built skill body covers four things:
- Instructions — what Claude should do, step by step
- Examples — what a good output looks like
- Workflow — what to ask you, and in what order
- Guardrails — what Claude should not do
A skill folder can also carry supporting files: reference documents, templates, scripts. Claude opens them when the instructions tell it to.
How a skill actually works
- You install the skill. Claude now knows its name and its one-line description.
- You ask for something. Claude checks whether any installed skill’s description matches what you’re trying to do.
- The skill loads. Its full instructions enter the conversation.
- Claude follows them. It asks you what the workflow says to ask, produces what the examples show, and stays inside the guardrails.
The part that surprises most people is step 2: you usually don’t have to invoke a skill manually. A skill with a clear description gets picked up on its own when the work matches. You can always name it explicitly if you want to be certain.
How to add a skill to Claude
In the Claude app (Mac, Windows or web). Go to Customize → Skills, click +, choose Create skill → Upload a skill, and upload the skill’s ZIP file. From then on the skill is available in any conversation.
One prerequisite: code execution has to be turned on. On Free, Pro and Max you’ll find it under Settings → Capabilities. On Team and Enterprise an owner enables both “Code execution and file creation” and “Skills” in the organisation settings.
In Claude Code. Skills live in a skills folder in your project or in your user configuration. Claude Code picks them up automatically, and a skill placed in the project folder travels with the repository — so your whole team gets it.
As part of a plugin. A plugin can bundle several skills together with commands and connectors, and installs them in one step.
Skills vs agents, MCP, commands and plugins
These five words get used interchangeably, and they shouldn’t be. Each solves a different problem.
| What it is | What it’s for | |
|---|---|---|
| Skill | Packaged instructions for one job | Making Claude do the same job consistently |
| Agent | A separate Claude working on its own task | Delegating work that runs in parallel or needs its own context |
| MCP | A connection to an outside tool or data source | Giving Claude access to something it couldn’t otherwise reach |
| Command | A shortcut you type to start something | Triggering a task quickly |
| Plugin | A bundle of the above | Distributing a whole workflow in one install |
Skills vs agents
A skill changes how Claude does something. An agent changes who does it.
A skill is a set of instructions loaded into the conversation you’re already in. An agent is a separate instance of Claude, with its own context, working on a task you hand off. You use a skill when you want consistent output; you use an agent when you want work done in parallel, or when a task is big enough that it needs its own workspace.
They combine: an agent can use skills.
Skills vs MCP
A skill is knowledge. MCP is access.
A skill tells Claude what to do and how. MCP — the Model Context Protocol — connects Claude to something outside itself: a database, a file store, an API, an application. A skill can tell Claude to use an MCP connection, but it can’t replace one, and a connection on its own doesn’t tell Claude what good work looks like.
If the problem is “Claude can’t reach my data”, you need MCP. If the problem is “Claude reaches it but does the job inconsistently”, you need a skill.
Skills vs commands
A command is a trigger. A skill is the substance.
Commands are shortcuts — you type one and something starts. A skill is the body of instructions that shapes the result. A command can invoke a skill, and a skill can be invoked without any command at all, simply because what you asked for matched its description.
Skills vs plugins
A plugin is a container. It can hold skills, commands and MCP connections together, so a whole way of working installs in one step instead of five.
If you’re building one thing, build a skill. If you’re distributing a set of things that belong together, wrap them in a plugin.
What skills are good at
Skills earn their place when work is repeatable and the output needs to hold a shape. A few real examples:
- A product listing builder. You give it a product; it returns a title, description, tags and pricing in the same structure every time — because the format is written into the skill, not into your memory.
- A document generator. Board papers, proposals, meeting minutes: the sections, the order and the tone are fixed, so what comes back needs editing for content, not for structure.
- A reviewer. A skill that checks work against a written standard — an accessibility checklist, a house style, a security baseline — and reports what fails and why.
The pattern is the same in all three: a job you do often, where the value is in doing it the same way rather than inventing the approach each time.
When it’s worth making one
Make a skill when all three are true:
- You do the task more than once
- The output has a shape worth keeping consistent
- There are things Claude should not do, that you’d otherwise have to say every time
If any of those is missing, a well-written prompt is enough.
What you need
Any Claude plan
Skills work on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise — you don’t need a paid subscription to run one. You do need code execution enabled, which is a single setting.
The Claude app or Claude Code
Mac, Windows, web, or the command line.
Your own work
Skills are built for real listings, briefs and drafts, not synthetic samples.
No coding
Installing a skill is dropping a file in. Writing one is writing instructions in plain language.
FAQ
What is a Claude skill?
A package of instructions that gives Claude a specific job and makes it do that job consistently. It’s built around a SKILL.md file containing the instructions, examples, workflow and guardrails.
How do Claude skills work?
Claude keeps every installed skill’s name and one-line description loaded. When what you ask matches a description, that skill’s full instructions load into the conversation and Claude follows them.
How do I install a Claude skill?
In the Claude app: Customize → Skills → + → Create skill → Upload a skill, then upload the ZIP. In Claude Code: place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/ or the project’s .claude/skills/. Either way it takes seconds; code execution must be enabled.
Do I need to invoke a skill manually?
Usually not. A skill with a clear description is picked up automatically when the work matches. You can name it explicitly if you want to be sure.
What’s the difference between a skill and an agent?
A skill changes how Claude does a job. An agent is a separate Claude doing its own task with its own context. Agents can use skills.
What’s the difference between a skill and MCP?
A skill is knowledge — what to do and how. MCP is access — a connection to data or tools outside Claude. They solve different problems and work together.
Can I write my own skill?
Yes. A skill is a markdown file with a name, a description and instructions in plain language. No programming required.
Do skills work on the free plan?
Yes. Skills are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. The only requirement is that code execution is enabled in your settings.
Try one
Start with a free skill.
The fastest way to understand what a skill does is to install one. Pick one of ten curated starter skills — we’ll send it to your inbox.