Create Skill

Create a new skill with proper structure and conventions.

Usage

/create-skill [name]

• name (optional): Skill identifier. If omitted, will prompt interactively.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

When to Create a Skill

Create a skill when:

• Domain-specific knowledge that Claude doesn't inherently have
• Multi-step workflows that benefit from procedural guidance
• Automated commands that should run in isolated context
• Patterns used repeatedly across conversations

Don't create a skill when:

• Cross-cutting convention (naming, utilities) → add to CLAUDE.md Code Rules
• One-off task → just do it
• Information Claude already knows well → unnecessary context bloat

Decision tree:

Is this domain-specific knowledge?
├─ No → Does it affect multiple domains?
│       ├─ Yes → CLAUDE.md Code Rules
│       └─ No → Probably don't need anything
└─ Yes → Create a skill
         ├─ Reference material for a domain? → Knowledge skill
         ├─ Conventions and processes? → Workflow skill
         └─ Automated multi-step task? → Command skill

Skill Types

Type	Characteristics	Examples
Knowledge	Domain expertise, reference-heavy, may have review workflow	api, component, aria, docs
Workflow	Conventions, processes, templates	git, rfc
Command	Procedural steps, forked context, restricted tools	commit-pr, gh-issue, review-branch

Quick Reference

Frontmatter (required):

name: skill-name
description: >-
  What it does. Use when X. Triggers: "phrase1", "phrase2".

Frontmatter (optional):

context: fork                       # Isolated sub-agent context
allowed-tools: Tool1, Tool2         # Restrict available tools
agent: plan                         # Plan mode (no edits)
disable-model-invocation: true      # Prevent model calls

Structure options:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md              # Always required
├── references/           # Detailed content (load on demand)
├── templates/            # Output templates
└── review/               # Review workflow (if applicable)

Reference Material

Topic	Load
Core principles (conciseness, progressive disclosure)	references/principles.md
Full structure and frontmatter schema	references/structure.md
Complete examples of each skill type	references/patterns.md

Your Tasks

Step 1: Validate Need

Before creating, verify this should be a skill:

1. Check if similar skill exists: ls .claude/skills/
2. Check if pattern belongs in CLAUDE.md instead
3. If skill name provided, check for conflicts with existing skills

If the pattern is cross-cutting (affects all domains), suggest adding to CLAUDE.md Code Rules instead.

Step 2: Gather Requirements

Ask the user (use question tool):

1. Skill type: Knowledge, Workflow, or Command?
2. Purpose: What problem does this skill solve?
3. Triggers: What phrases should activate this skill?
4. Scope: What topics/tasks does it cover?
5. Review capability: Does it need a review workflow?
6. Templates: Does it need output templates?

Step 3: Plan Structure

Based on requirements, determine:

• Skill name (kebab-case)
• Which directories needed (references/, templates/, review/)
• Reference file names and purposes

Step 4: Create Skill

1. Create skill directory:

   mkdir -p .claude/skills/<skill-name>
   

2. Create SKILL.md with:

   • Proper frontmatter (name, description, optional fields based on type)
   • Section headers with guidance comments
   • Reference table (if using references/)
   • Related Skills section

3. Create subdirectories if needed:

   mkdir -p .claude/skills/<skill-name>/references
   mkdir -p .claude/skills/<skill-name>/templates
   mkdir -p .claude/skills/<skill-name>/review
   

4. Create placeholder reference files with:

   • Clear purpose header
   • Section structure
   • TODO markers for content

Step 5: Update README

Add the new skill to .claude/skills/README.md:

1. Add to "Quick Reference" table (if it's a workflow)
2. Add to "Skills" table with purpose and review status

Step 6: Report

Output:

• Created file structure
• Next steps (fill in content, test triggers)
• Reminder to load principles.md when writing content

What NOT to Include

Skills should only contain what Claude needs to do the job:

• No README.md, INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md, CHANGELOG.md
• No setup and testing procedures
• No user-facing documentation about the skill
• No duplicate information (lives in SKILL.md OR references, not both)

After Creating

Checklist:

• Fill in SKILL.md content
• Write reference files (if any)
• Test trigger phrases work
• Verify skill loads correctly
• Update README.md tables