| name | make-skill |
| description | Guide for creating valid Claude Code skills. Use when user asks how to create a skill, make a skill, or needs help with skill structure. |
Claude Code Skill Creation Guide
This skill documents how to create valid Claude Code skills.
CRITICAL: Placement Requirements
Skills MUST be in a .claude/skills/ folder - Claude Code only scans these locations:
- Global skills:
~/.claude/skills/your-skill-name/SKILL.md
- Project-local skills:
<project-root>/.claude/skills/your-skill-name/SKILL.md
Skills placed anywhere else will NOT be discovered.
CRITICAL: Naming Requirements
- File MUST be named exactly
SKILL.md (case-sensitive - not skill.md or SKILL.MD)
- Folder names MUST use kebab-case (e.g.,
notion-project-setup)
- No spaces, underscores, or capital letters in folder names
Required Structure
your-skill-name/ # kebab-case folder name
├── SKILL.md # REQUIRED - exact filename
├── scripts/ # Optional - executable code
├── references/ # Optional - documentation
└── assets/ # Optional - templates, examples
YAML Frontmatter (Required)
Every SKILL.md must start with YAML frontmatter:
---
name: your-skill-name
description: When Claude should invoke this skill
---
The description field is critical - Claude uses it to decide when to automatically invoke the skill.
Key Configuration Options
Add these to frontmatter as needed:
user-invocable: false - Only Claude can invoke automatically (user cannot use /command)disable-model-invocation: true - Only user can invoke via /command (Claude cannot auto-invoke)context: fork - Run with specific agent type
Best Practices
- Keep skills focused - One workflow per skill
- Write clear descriptions - Specific trigger conditions help Claude invoke appropriately
- Include examples - In SKILL.md body or assets/ folder
- Test incrementally - Verify skill is discovered before adding complexity
- All docs in skill folder - No separate README.md, put everything in SKILL.md or subfolders
Example: Minimal Skill
---
name: my-task
description: Use when user asks to perform my-task or mentions my-task workflow
---
# My Task Skill
Instructions for Claude when this skill is invoked...
## Steps
1. First do X
2. Then do Y
3. Finally do Z
Example: User-Only Skill
---
name: deploy
description: Deploy the application to production
disable-model-invocation: true
---
User invokes with /deploy - Claude cannot auto-invoke.
Verification Checklist
