Add Skill (Meta Skill)

Create new Claude Code skills by fetching the latest official documentation and generating properly structured skill files.

Workflow

Step 1: Fetch Latest Documentation

Always fetch official docs first to ensure compliance with current spec:

WebFetch: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
Prompt: Extract skill file format, required fields, naming rules, and best practices

If WebFetch fails due to length, use WebSearch:

WebSearch: "Claude Code skills SKILL.md format site:code.claude.com"

Step 2: Gather Requirements

Ask user (use AskUserQuestion tool):

1. Name: What should this skill be called? (lowercase, hyphens only)
2. Purpose: What does it do? (1-2 sentences)
3. Trigger: When should Claude use it? (keywords, scenarios)
4. Complexity: Does it need scripts, or just instructions?

Step 3: Create Skill Structure

~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md           # Required: Main instructions
├── scripts/           # Optional: Executable code
└── references/        # Optional: Detailed documentation

Step 4: Generate SKILL.md

Use this template:

---
name: {skill-name}
description: {What it does}. Use when {trigger conditions}.
---

# {Skill Title}

{Brief overview - what this skill helps accomplish}

## When to Use

- {Scenario 1}
- {Scenario 2}

## Instructions

{Step-by-step guidance for Claude to follow}

## Examples

**Input:** {example user request}
**Output:** {expected Claude behavior}

Step 5: Validate

Before creating, verify:

• Name: 1-64 chars, lowercase letters/numbers/hyphens only
• Name: No leading/trailing -, no consecutive --
• Description: States WHAT + WHEN clearly
• SKILL.md: Under 500 lines (put details in references/)
• Directory name matches name field exactly

Step 6: Create Files

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}
# Write SKILL.md using Write tool

Step 7: Verify

ls -la ~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}/
cat ~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md

Test with: claude --debug to check for loading errors.

Naming Rules

Rule	Valid	Invalid
Lowercase only	my-skill	My-Skill
Hyphens OK	test-runner	test_runner
Numbers OK	v2-helper	-
No leading/trailing hyphen	skill	-skill-
No consecutive hyphens	my-skill	my--skill
1-64 characters	a to 64 chars	empty or 65+

Best Practices

1. Description is key: Claude uses it to decide when to invoke the skill
2. Progressive disclosure: Keep SKILL.md light, put reference docs in references/
3. Always include examples: Shows expected input/output
4. Scripts must be referenced: Mention them explicitly in SKILL.md
5. Test immediately: Use claude /your-skill to verify

Quick Mode

For rapid creation, user can provide all info at once:

/add-skill name=my-skill purpose="Does X" trigger="when user asks for Y"

Parse and generate without interactive prompts.

Resources

• Official docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
• Anthropic skills repo: https://github.com/anthropics/skills