create-skill

name	create-skill
description	Generate a new custom skill from natural language description. Use when: "create skill", "new skill", "make a skill", "add command", "custom workflow", "skill template", "generate skill"
argument-hint	<skill name and description>
user-invocable	true

/create-skill - Skill Generator

$ARGUMENTS

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Purpose

Generate a new Claude Code skill (slash command) from a natural language description. Creates properly structured SKILL.md with frontmatter, behavior rules, and output format.

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Behavior

When /create-skill is triggered:

Step 1: Parse Input

Extract from user's description:

• Skill name: lowercase, hyphenated (e.g., api-test, changelog)
• Purpose: what the skill does
• Trigger terms: when should it activate

If input is vague, ask:

1. What should this skill do?
2. Does it modify code or only analyze/report?
3. What sub-commands should it have?

Step 2: Determine Skill Type

Type	Characteristics	disable-model-invocation
Analysis	Read-only, generates reports	true
Generator	Creates new files/code	true
Interactive	Asks questions, explores options	false
Automation	Runs scripts, orchestrates agents	true

Step 3: Generate SKILL.md

Create .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md with this structure:

---
name: {skill-name}
description: >
  {One-line purpose}.
  Use when: {comma-separated trigger terms}
argument-hint: "{expected arguments}"
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: {true|false}
---

# /{skill-name} - {Title}

$ARGUMENTS

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## Purpose

{What this skill does and why it exists.}

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## Sub-commands

{If applicable}

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## Behavior

When `/{skill-name}` is triggered:

### 1. {First Step}
{Description}

### 2. {Second Step}
{Description}

### 3. {Third Step}
{Description}

---

## Output Format

{Expected output template}

---

## Examples

{Usage examples}

---

## Key Principles

- {Principle 1}
- {Principle 2}
- {Principle 3}

Step 4: Validate

Check generated skill:

• Name is lowercase, hyphenated, max 30 chars
• Description fits in 250 chars (budget limit)
• Has clear trigger terms in description
• $ARGUMENTS placeholder is present
• No unsupported frontmatter fields
• Output format is defined

Step 5: Report

Skill created: .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

Test it:
  /{name} {example args}

To customize:
  Edit .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

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Supported Frontmatter Fields

Only use these (others are ignored by Claude Code):

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Skill identifier
description	Yes	What it does + trigger terms (max 250 chars)
user-invocable	Yes	Must be true for slash commands
argument-hint	No	Shows in slash menu
disable-model-invocation	No	Prevent auto-triggering
compatibility	No	Platform compatibility notes
license	No	License info
metadata	No	Additional metadata

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Examples

/create-skill changelog generator that creates CHANGELOG.md from git history
/create-skill api-test automated API endpoint testing with curl
/create-skill docs-gen generate documentation from code comments
/create-skill perf-check performance analysis with lighthouse scores
/create-skill i18n extract translatable strings and manage translations

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Key Principles

• Convention over configuration — sensible defaults, customize later
• Budget-aware — descriptions under 250 chars
• Consistent structure — all skills follow same template
• Test immediately — user should try the skill right after creation