This skill should be used when the user asks to 'create a skill', 'build a skill', 'make a skill', 'new skill', 'write a skill', 'skill for X', or wants to package a workflow as a reusable Claude Code skill. Guides through use case definition, frontmatter, instructions, testing, and file structure. NOT for reviewing existing skills — use /skill-content-reviewer instead.
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'create a skill', 'build a skill', 'make a skill', 'new skill', 'write a skill', 'skill for X', or wants to package a workflow as a reusable Claude Code skill. Guides through use case definition, frontmatter, instructions, testing, and file structure. NOT for reviewing existing skills — use /skill-content-reviewer instead.
Skill Creator
Interactive guide for creating well-structured Claude Code skills. Walks through use case definition, frontmatter generation, instruction writing, reference organization, and validation.
This is a DESIGN + BUILD skill — first plan the skill, then generate the files.
---name:my-skill-namedescription:"This skill should be used when the user asks to '[trigger phrase 1]', '[trigger phrase 2]', or [broader description]. [What it does in one sentence]."---
Critical rules:
File MUST be named SKILL.md (case-insensitive per spec, but uppercase recommended)
Folder MUST be kebab-case
No claude or anthropic in skill name (reserved)
No XML angle brackets in frontmatter
Description MUST include both WHAT and WHEN
See references/description-examples.md for good/bad examples.
Step 4: Write Instructions
Structure the SKILL.md body using this template:
# Skill Name
Brief overview — what problem this solves.
---
## When to Use This Skill
Bullet list of trigger conditions.
## Workflow / Instructions### Step 1: [First Major Step]
Clear explanation with actionable details.
### Step 2: [Next Step]
Include validation/checks between steps.
## Examples
Example 1: [common scenario]
User says: "..."
Actions: ...
Result: ...
## Troubleshooting
Error: [Common error]
Cause: [Why]
Solution: [Fix]
## Constraints- Hard rules the skill must follow
Instruction quality checklist:
Specific and actionable (not "validate things properly")
Context-Aware Selection — decision trees choosing tools based on input
Domain Intelligence — embedded expertise (compliance, best practices, standards)
See references/patterns.md for detailed examples.
Troubleshooting
Skill not triggering:
Description missing trigger phrases — add specific user utterances
Description too vague — "helps with projects" won't match anything
Wrong folder — verify skill is in a .claude/skills/ or .github/skills/ directory Claude discovers
Description validation error (>1024 chars):
Move detail to SKILL.md body, keep description to WHAT + WHEN + triggers only
Cut redundant trigger phrases — keep 3-5 most distinctive ones
Skill not discovered:
Folder name doesn't match name field in frontmatter
SKILL.md missing or wrong case
Nested too deep — skills must be direct children of a skills/ directory
Skill loads but behaves wrong:
Instructions too vague — use specific verbs, not "validate properly"
Missing constraints — add hard rules for what the skill must/must not do
References not linked — Claude won't read files it doesn't know about
Anti-Patterns
Description too vague ("Helps with projects")
Description missing trigger phrases
Instructions too verbose — move detail to references
All content inline instead of progressive disclosure
Ambiguous language ("make sure to validate things properly")
Missing error handling
No examples
Constraints
MUST ask user for use cases before generating any files
MUST validate frontmatter against rules before writing
MUST use kebab-case for folder and name
MUST include trigger phrases in description
MUST place critical instructions at top of SKILL.md
If skill has hooks/agents, note integration points but don't generate those here — use separate tools
Step 8: Post-Creation Validation
After placing the skill, suggest running /skill-content-reviewer on it to validate structure, content quality, and triggering behavior.
Example: Complete Minimal Skill
my-formatter/
└── SKILL.md
---name:my-formatterversion:1.0.0description:"This skill should be used when the user asks to 'format output', 'pretty print', 'clean up formatting', or needs consistent output formatting. Applies project formatting standards to generated content."---
# My FormatterAppliesproject-specificformattingstandardstogeneratedoutput.## Workflow### Step 1: Detect Content TypeCheckifoutputiscode,markdown,JSON,orprose.### Step 2: Apply Rules-Code:runprojectlinterconfig-Markdown:enforceheadinghierarchy,linkstyle-JSON:2-spaceindent,sortedkeys-Prose:sentencecaseheadings,notrailingwhitespace### Step 3: ValidateConfirmformattingpassesprojectchecks.Ifnot,re-apply.## Constraints-Neverchangecontentmeaning—formattingonly-Preserveexistingvalidformattingchoices
