Here's how Claude himself explained it, and I think he really captures the essence of it: Claude Skills solve a common problem: normally, when you want an LLM to do something specific, you have to prompt it each time. Or maybe you set up custom instructions in a project, but then you can only use those instructions when you're in that project. Otherwise, you're back to copying and pasting the same prompt over and over. Skills change this completely. Think of it like Neo's "I know kung fu" moment in The Matrix. Just like they uploaded kung fu directly into Neo's brain and he could instantly use it, you're uploading specialized knowledge into Claude that it can apply automatically whenever needed. When you create a Skill, you're building a knowledge package with instructions, best practices, examples, and specific guidance for a task. You download it, upload it back into Claude's Skills section, and you're done. From that point forward, whenever you mention anything relevant to that Skill (or even just start a task it applies to), Claude automatically uses that knowledge. It's like giving Claude a reference guide it checks before starting work. The beauty is the "anywhere, anytime, automatically" part. You don't have to keep uploading prompts. You don't have to be in a specific project. It takes the concept of custom instructions and makes it universal across every single conversation you have. Skills just work in the background whenever they're relevant, no manual triggering needed. It's Claude's "I know kung fu" moment. Answer from hesasorcererthatone on reddit.com
Claude
code.claude.com › docs › en › skills
Agent Skills - Claude Code Docs
It should include both what the Skill does and when Claude should use it. See the best practices guide for complete authoring guidance including validation rules. ... my-skill/ ├── SKILL.md (required) ├── reference.md (optional documentation) ├── examples.md (optional examples) ├── scripts/ │ └── helper.py (optional utility) └── templates/ └── template.txt (optional template)
Claude
claude.com › blog › skills
Introducing Agent Skills | Claude
October 16, 2025 - Claude can now use Skills to improve how it performs specific tasks. Skills are folders that include instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude can load when needed. Claude will only access a skill when it's relevant to the task at hand.
What are Claude Skills really?
Here's how Claude himself explained it, and I think he really captures the essence of it: Claude Skills solve a common problem: normally, when you want an LLM to do something specific, you have to prompt it each time. Or maybe you set up custom instructions in a project, but then you can only use those instructions when you're in that project. Otherwise, you're back to copying and pasting the same prompt over and over. Skills change this completely. Think of it like Neo's "I know kung fu" moment in The Matrix. Just like they uploaded kung fu directly into Neo's brain and he could instantly use it, you're uploading specialized knowledge into Claude that it can apply automatically whenever needed. When you create a Skill, you're building a knowledge package with instructions, best practices, examples, and specific guidance for a task. You download it, upload it back into Claude's Skills section, and you're done. From that point forward, whenever you mention anything relevant to that Skill (or even just start a task it applies to), Claude automatically uses that knowledge. It's like giving Claude a reference guide it checks before starting work. The beauty is the "anywhere, anytime, automatically" part. You don't have to keep uploading prompts. You don't have to be in a specific project. It takes the concept of custom instructions and makes it universal across every single conversation you have. Skills just work in the background whenever they're relevant, no manual triggering needed. It's Claude's "I know kung fu" moment. More on reddit.com
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October 19, 2025I built claude skills hub – a place to search, browse, and try all Claude Skills in one place
Please use a Claude Skill to make that site responsive. More on reddit.com
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October 24, 2025I tested 30+ community Claude Skills for a week. Here’s what actually works (complete list + GitHub links)
NotModeratorBot: All posts about AI must include the term "game-changing". Your post satisfies this requirement and is therefore suitable for r/ClaudeAI . More on reddit.com
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October 30, 2025Claude Code is a Beast – Tips from 6 Months of Hardcore Use
Are we still on Reddit or is this Wikipedia 🤓 More on reddit.com
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October 31, 2025Videos
16:02
Mastering Claude Code Skills (This Changes EVERYTHING) - YouTube
27:21
Claude Code Skills Will Dominate 2026: Build Your AI Agent Army ...
23:32
Claude Skills Explained in 23 Minutes - YouTube
07:04
Shipmas Day 15: Claude Code Skills Will Dominate 2026 - YouTube
09:28
Claude Code Skills: What Problem Do They Solve? - YouTube
13:48
Claude Skills: Glimpse of Continual Learning? - YouTube
GitHub
github.com › anthropics › skills
GitHub - anthropics/skills: Public repository for Agent Skills
4 days ago - Each skill is self-contained in its own folder with a SKILL.md file containing the instructions and metadata that Claude uses. Browse through these skills to get inspiration for your own skills or to understand different patterns and approaches. Many skills in this repo are open source (Apache 2.0). We've also included the document creation & editing skills that power Claude's document capabilities under the hood in the skills/docx, skills/pdf, skills/pptx, and skills/xlsx subfolders.
Starred by 26.2K users
Forked by 2.4K users
Languages Python 83.9% | JavaScript 9.4% | HTML 4.3% | Shell 2.4%
Medium
medium.com › realworld-ai-use-cases › the-complete-guide-to-claude-codes-newest-feature-skills-04bdfc26f365
The complete guide to Claude Code’s newest feature “skills” | by Chris Dunlop | Realworld AI Use Cases | Medium
October 21, 2025 - The complete guide to Claude Code’s newest feature “skills” Claude Code released a new feature called Skills. Not a Medium member? Keep reading for free by clicking here. There is a blog post …
Anthropic
anthropic.com › engineering › equipping-agents-for-the-real-world-with-agent-skills
Equipping agents for the real world with Agent Skills
October 16, 2025 - Structure for scale: When the SKILL.md file becomes unwieldy, split its content into separate files and reference them. If certain contexts are mutually exclusive or rarely used together, keeping the paths separate will reduce the token usage. Finally, code can serve as both executable tools and as documentation. It should be clear whether Claude should run scripts directly or read them into context as reference.
Substack
lennysnewsletter.com › p › claude-skills-explained
Claude Skills explained: How to create reusable AI workflows
October 22, 2025 - I break down exactly what Claude Skills are, how to build them from scratch, and how to use them inside Claude Code and Cursor to automate recurring AI tasks like generating PRDs, writing changelog summaries, and turning demo notes into follow-up emails. ... • Equipping agents for the real world with Agent Skills: https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/equipping-agents-for-the-real-world-with-agent-skills · • Anthropic Skills Documentation: https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Mintlify
anthropic.mintlify.app › en › docs › agents-and-tools › agent-skills › overview
Agent Skills - Claude Docs
pdf-skill/ ├── SKILL.md (main instructions) ├── FORMS.md (form-filling guide) ├── REFERENCE.md (detailed API reference) └── scripts/ └── fill_form.py (utility script) Instructions: Additional markdown files (FORMS.md, REFERENCE.md) containing specialized guidance and workflows Code: Executable scripts (fill_form.py, validate.py) that Claude runs via bash; scripts provide deterministic operations without consuming context Resources: Reference materials like database schemas, API documentation, templates, or examples Claude accesses these files only when referenced.
Lee Hanchung
leehanchung.github.io › blogs › 2025 › 10 › 26 › claude-skills-deep-dive
Claude Agent Skills: A First Principles Deep Dive
October 26, 2025 - Bundled resources let you provide detailed documentation, automation scripts, and templates without bloating the main prompt. Claude loads them only when needed using progressive disclosure.
Claude Docs
platform.claude.com › docs › en › agents-and-tools › agent-skills › overview
Agent Skills - Claude Docs
Progressive disclosure ensures only relevant content occupies the context window at any given time. Skills run in a code execution environment where Claude has filesystem access, bash commands, and code execution capabilities.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/claudeai › what are claude skills really?
r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: What are Claude Skills really?
October 19, 2025 -
I've heard Skills might be the next big thing that changes the ai game. But I just can't get my head around them. My use case is mainly Claude Web with projects that help me build resources for work.
How is a Skill different from custom instructions? How is a Skill different from projects?
You could make an email Skill to write like you, but you could also make a project that does the same.
Or I have this project that is instructed "If A, find X google drive document, if B, find Y. Heres the links" - Could Skills replace this part of the prompt which could help with tokens?
Please explain like I'm 10 🙏🏼
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Here's how Claude himself explained it, and I think he really captures the essence of it: Claude Skills solve a common problem: normally, when you want an LLM to do something specific, you have to prompt it each time. Or maybe you set up custom instructions in a project, but then you can only use those instructions when you're in that project. Otherwise, you're back to copying and pasting the same prompt over and over. Skills change this completely. Think of it like Neo's "I know kung fu" moment in The Matrix. Just like they uploaded kung fu directly into Neo's brain and he could instantly use it, you're uploading specialized knowledge into Claude that it can apply automatically whenever needed. When you create a Skill, you're building a knowledge package with instructions, best practices, examples, and specific guidance for a task. You download it, upload it back into Claude's Skills section, and you're done. From that point forward, whenever you mention anything relevant to that Skill (or even just start a task it applies to), Claude automatically uses that knowledge. It's like giving Claude a reference guide it checks before starting work. The beauty is the "anywhere, anytime, automatically" part. You don't have to keep uploading prompts. You don't have to be in a specific project. It takes the concept of custom instructions and makes it universal across every single conversation you have. Skills just work in the background whenever they're relevant, no manual triggering needed. It's Claude's "I know kung fu" moment.
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It's a structured document that you can only use on Claude. To me, as a non-coder no-computer background type, they wrote Skills like it's a new computer language for a markdown file. I'm super excited to see Big Tech adopt and formalize structured documents as System Prompts. Google has something called Google Playbooks. I've been writing about System Prompt Notebooks (SPNs) for months - https://www.reddit.com/r/LinguisticsPrograming/s/uLv5p8eq5f I personally use structured Google Docs ( with tabs) and English. Basically all you need is clear titles and headers for the LLM to parse. Of course, the better you are with words and articulating instructions, the better the experience. I upload the SPN at the beginning of a chat and prompt the LLM to use @[file name] as a system prompt and to use as a first source of reference. For there, my prompts can be start and basic. What you're really building is an external memory file for the LLM. A project rulebook, employees handbook, Claude Skills, Google Playbooks or System Prompt Notebooks - all they are, are structured documents with instructions, rules, etc. Where Google and Claude will fall short is they are developing platform specific tools. My SPNs are not platform specific and can be used with any LLM that accepts uploads. So, if you've been doing to the same, you are ahead of they power curve.
Hugging Face
huggingface.co › blog › sionic-ai › claude-code-skills-training
How We Use Claude Code Skills to Run 1,000+ ML Experiments a Day
2 weeks ago - Verified on gemma-3-12b-it.", "author": { "name": "Hojin Yang" }, "skills": "./skills", "repository": "https://github.com/sionic-ai/sionic-research-skills" } A teammate or your manager could review it. Sometimes they add context or catch something that needs more detail, then merge. From that point forward, anyone asking Claude about a related topic like RoPE embeddings, Retrieval model training, grooking tasks, gets this knowledge automatically. The reason this works better than documentation is timing.
Anthropic
anthropic.com › learn › build-with-claude
Anthropic Academy: Claude API Development Guide
Get started with Claude Code with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code · View the Anthropic Cookbook for code snippets and guides for common workflows · Quickly get started with building applications by using the Anthropic Quickstarts repo · Review the full API documentation for all features and products
CometAPI
cometapi.com › how-to-create-and-use-claudes-skills
How to Create and Use Claude Skills? Detailed Guide of 3 methods！ - CometAPI - All AI Models in One API
October 21, 2025 - The Skill’s instructions, templates, and code guide Claude’s outputs. The system includes built-in skills for common tasks, such as: Document generation; Report creation; PowerPoint presentation; Excel formula calculation.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/claudeai › i built claude skills hub – a place to search, browse, and try all claude skills in one place
r/ClaudeAI on Reddit: I built claude skills hub – a place to search, browse, and try all Claude Skills in one place
October 24, 2025 -
I’ve been deep down the Claude Skills rabbit hole since launch.
Every day new GitHub repos pop up — CSV analyzers, doc generators, AI design assistants —, which is crazy, but there wasn’t an easy way to search or test them all in one spot.
So I built claude skills hub
It’s a lightweight directory that aggregates everything happening around Claude Skills — both official and community-made.
What you can do there
Search and filter Skills by category or tag (powered by MiniSearch)
Download ready-to-use ZIPs
Try Skills live in a Sandbox — it calls Claude’s API using pre-uploaded skill_ids so you can see results instantly(development in progress)
Submit your own Skill(development in progress)
My goal wasn’t to “launch a startup” — I just wanted a clean, fast search layer for the Claude Skills ecosystem, so anyone curious can explore what’s being built.
Currently, I've already add all 15 official skills, and some skills from
BehiSecc’s Collection: https://github.com/BehiSecc/awesome-claude-skills
and
travisvn’s Collection: https://github.com/travisvn/awesome-claude-skills
and I'll continually update to add more skills.
Roadmap:
browse and search functionality done
download zip done
submit github link/custom skills done
try skills in sandbox in progress
Let me know what you think, and what functions you wish me to add.
Update
Oct 24th:
Skill submission is online😎
Based on request I also add a feedback feature
email list, please join and get updates
Sid Bharath
siddharthbharath.com › home › blog › claude skills tutorial: give your ai superpowers
Claude Skills Tutorial: Give your AI Superpowers - Sid Bharath
October 28, 2025 - The next time you ask Claude to do that thing, it reaches for this document, reads the instructions, and does the thing. You never need to explain yourself twice. In this article, I’ll go over everything Claude Skills related, how it works, where to use it, and even how to build one yourself. A Skill is essentially a self-contained “plugin” (also called an Agent Skill) packaged as a folder containing custom instructions, optional code scripts, and resource files that Claude can load when performing specialized tasks.
Medium
medium.com › @kazunori279 › supercharge-adk-development-with-claude-code-skills-d192481cbe72
Supercharge ADK Development with Claude Code Skills | by Kaz Sato | Oct, 2025 | Medium
October 19, 2025 - your-workspace/ adk-python/ # Clone ... skills/ google-adk/ SKILL.md · This structure allows Claude to easily reference both the ADK source code and documentation when working on your project....
Apidog
apidog.com › blog › claude-skills
How to Create and Use Skills in Claude and Claude Code
October 17, 2025 - Discover Claude Skills—modular tools enhancing AI for workflows like reporting and coding. This guide covers setup, benefits, step-by-step creation, and a JavaScript documentation example across Claude.ai and terminal—ideal for Pro users seeking efficiency.