Skills Guide

Add Skill

VerifiedSafe

Guides the creation of a new skill for a Claude Code plugin by generating a SKILL.md file with frontmatter and instructions. Use when a user wants to extend a plugin's capabilities, prompting for required information like skill name, description, and behavior.

Download and use
Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
6/2/2026
Claude Code
#skill-creation#plugin-development#claude-code#automation

Recommended for

Backend developerClaude CodeCode reviewFrontend developerFullstack developerRefactoring

Automated summary

Adds a new skill to a Claude Code plugin by following a structured process to create a SKILL.md file.

Strengths

  • Clear step-by-step guide for creating a skill
  • Includes best practices for descriptions and structure
  • Allows customization via frontmatter fields

Limitations

  • Only works within an existing plugin directory structure
  • Requires basic familiarity with the Claude Code plugin system
  • May need manual directory creation if not in the correct folder
When to use it

When creating a new skill for a Claude Code plugin.

When not to use it

When editing an existing skill or working with other coding assistants that don't support this plugin format.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score85/100

This skill only creates a new skill file in a plugin directory by gathering user input and writing a markdown file. It does not execute any commands, access external resources, or handle sensitive data, posing no security threat.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Create metadata extraction skill
Add a new skill to my Claude Code plugin that extracts metadata from code files (like author, license, dependencies) and outputs a summary.
Add unit test generation skill
Create a skill called 'generate-tests' that automatically writes unit tests for the current Python file.
Fix typos skill
Add a skill to my plugin named 'fix-typos' that scans all markdown files in the project and corrects common spelling errors.

name: add-skill description: Add a new skill to an existing Claude Code plugin. Use when user wants to create a skill. user-invocable: true

Add Skill

You are adding a new skill to a Claude Code plugin. Follow these steps:

1. Gather Information

Ask the user for:

  • Plugin path (which plugin to add to, or current directory)
  • Skill name (lowercase, e.g., my-skill)
  • Description (when should Claude use this skill?)
  • User-invocable (show in / menu? default: true)
  • What should it do? (the actual instructions)

2. Create Skill Directory

<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>/
└── SKILL.md

3. Generate SKILL.md

Use this format:

---
name: <skill-name>
description: <description>. Use when <trigger condition>.
user-invocable: <true|false>
---

# <Skill Name>

<Instructions for Claude on how to execute this skill>

## Steps

1. <Step 1>
2. <Step 2>
3. ...

## Guidelines

- <Guideline 1>
- <Guideline 2>

4. Frontmatter Reference

Available frontmatter fields:

  • name (required): Skill identifier
  • description (required): When Claude should use this skill
  • user-invocable: Show in / menu (default: true)
  • disable-model-invocation: Block auto-invocation (default: false)
  • allowed-tools: Restrict which tools the skill can use

5. Best Practices

  • Description matters: Claude uses it to decide when to invoke
  • Be specific: Include trigger conditions ("Use when...")
  • Structure instructions: Use numbered steps, headers, examples
  • Keep it focused: One skill = one capability

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/add-skill-mm8o51nl/download' --output '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/add-skill' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl' '.claude/skills/add-skill'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl'

openskills read 'add-skill-mm8o51nl'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/add-skill-mm8o51nl/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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