What are Claude Skills?
Reusable instructions that teach Claude your workflow
⏱ Est. ~7 min
01 · Read
You've been using Claude Code to build projects. But every new conversation, you have to re-explain your preferences — code style, commit message format, testing approach, project conventions.
What if Claude could permanently remember your workflow rules?
That's Claude Skills. A Skill is a reusable instruction file that tells Claude exactly how you want it to work. Write the rules once, and Claude follows them in every conversation — automatically.
No more repeating yourself. No more inconsistent output. Just Claude, working the way you want.
💡 Picture thisThink of a skill like training a new coworker. Instead of explaining team conventions every morning, you write them into the team handbook. A Skill is Claude's handbook — permanent, reusable, updatable any time.
Key points
- Every new Claude Code conversation starts from scratch — no memory of past preferences
- A Skill is a reusable instruction file that Claude loads automatically
- Once written, a skill applies to every conversation in that project
- Skills turn your unspoken rules into permanent, shareable instructions
02 · Read
A Claude Skill is just a folder with a SKILL.md file inside. That's it.
SKILL.md contains instructions written in natural language, with optional YAML metadata at the top. You can also include reference files — like a style guide or database schema — to give Claude extra context.
Skills live in specific folders Claude looks for: - Project skills go in .claude/skills/ — only loaded in that project - User skills go in ~/.claude/skills/ — loaded in every project on your machine
When a skill is active, Claude reads its instructions and follows them as if you typed them into the conversation yourself.
Key points
- Skill = a folder containing a SKILL.md file
- SKILL.md has two parts: YAML frontmatter (metadata) + markdown body (instructions)
- Optional: reference files in the same folder provide extra context
- Project skills: .claude/skills/ — User skills: ~/.claude/skills/
03 · Code example
Here's what a minimal skill looks like on disk — just one folder, one file.
Folder structure
.claude/skills/my-skill/
└── SKILL.md
SKILL.md contents
---
name: My First Skill
description: A simple example skill
---
When working on this project, always use TypeScript strict mode.
Prefer functional components over class components.
Use camelCase for variables and PascalCase for components.
The --- lines mark the YAML frontmatter — the skill's metadata. Everything below the closing --- is the instruction body — the natural-language rules Claude follows when this skill is active.
04 · Quiz
Think about what happens at the start of every new Claude Code conversation. What's the main problem Claude Skills solve?
- You have to repeat your preferences every new conversation
- Claude Code runs too slowly
- Claude Code can't read files without skills
- Claude Code doesn't support TypeScript
05 · Fill in the blank
The main file in every skill folder is called _____.md
06 · Read
Claude Code looks for skills in specific places. When you type /skill in a conversation, Claude lists all available skills for you to activate.
But skills can also load automatically based on where they live: - Project skills go in .claude/skills/ inside your repo — perfect for team conventions every project developer should follow - User skills go in ~/.claude/skills/ in your home directory — perfect for personal preferences that follow you across all projects
Project skills are great for things like "our APIs use kebab-case URLs" or "we use Conventional Commits." User skills are great for things like "explain things" or "always suggest tests."
Key points
- The /skill command lists and activates available skills
- Project skills (.claude/skills/) are shared with the team via git
- User skills (~/.claude/skills/) are personal and apply across all projects
- Project skills = team conventions; user skills = personal preferences
07 · Quiz
Your team has a rule that all API routes use kebab-case URLs. You want every developer to follow it automatically when using Claude Code. Where should this skill go?
- ~/.claude/skills/ to apply to all your projects
- .claude/skills/ inside the project repo
- A text file on the desktop
- A comment in the source code
08 · Fill in the blank
Skills that apply to every project on your machine (personal preferences) are stored in ~/._____/skills/
Other lessons in this chapter
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※ This is an independent Traditional Chinese teaching project — not an official Anthropic product. Claude™ is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC.