Create Skill

VerifiedSafe

Interactive wizard for creating new Claude Code skills from templates. It guides you through naming conventions, type selection, file generation, and installation, with validation and reference examples for different skill categories.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
606/2/2026
Claude Code
#skill-creation#template#scaffolding#cli#interactive-wizard

Recommended for

Our review

Guides users through creating new Claude Code skills from a template using an interactive wizard.

Strengths

  • Provides step-by-step guidance for skill creation
  • Automatically populates metadata and installs the skill
  • Supports multiple skill type templates with reference examples
  • Validates skill name and checks for duplicates

Limitations

  • Only works for creating skills within the Claude Code skills directory structure
  • Requires existing skill templates and scripts in the repository
  • Does not generate actual skill logic beyond the template skeleton
When to use it

Use when you need to quickly scaffold a new Claude Code skill with proper structure and metadata.

When not to use it

Do not use for skills outside the Claude Code ecosystem or when you need to create a skill with complex custom logic not covered by templates.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score92/100

The skill is a development wizard that uses local shell commands (ls, cp, scripts) within a controlled skills repository. No destructive, exfiltrating, or obfuscated actions are present. It only copies templates, runs metadata checks, and installs skills locally.

No concerns found

Examples

Create a new skill interactively
/create-skill
Create a skill with a specific name
/create-skill cloudflare-analytics

Create Skill

Interactive wizard for creating new Claude Code skills from templates.


Command Usage

/create-skill [skill-name]

  • With name: /create-skill cloudflare-analytics
  • Without name: /create-skill (interactive mode)

Your Task

Guide the user through creating a new skill with proper structure, then install it for testing.

Step 1: Gather Information

If skill name not provided as argument, show the interactive prompt:

═══════════════════════════════════════════════
   CREATE NEW SKILL
═══════════════════════════════════════════════

I'll help you create a new skill from the template.

What's the skill name?
(lowercase-hyphen-case, e.g., "tanstack-router" or "cloudflare-queues")

Your answer:

Name validation:

  • Lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens only
  • Must start with a letter
  • Max 40 characters
  • No underscores or spaces

If invalid:

⚠️  Skill name should be lowercase-hyphen-case.

Examples:
✅ tanstack-query
✅ cloudflare-r2
✅ react-hook-form

❌ TanstackQuery (no capitals)
❌ tanstack_query (no underscores)
❌ tanstack query (no spaces)

Try again:

Step 2: Check if Exists

ls skills/<skill-name>/ 2>/dev/null

If exists:

❌ Skill "<skill-name>" already exists at skills/<skill-name>/

Options:
1. Choose a different name
2. Delete existing and start fresh
3. Edit the existing skill instead

Your choice (1-3):

Step 3: Ask Skill Type

What type of skill is this?

1. Cloudflare  - Workers, D1, R2, KV, AI, etc.
2. AI/ML       - OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, AI SDK
3. Frontend    - React, UI libraries, styling
4. Auth        - Authentication providers
5. Database    - ORMs, data stores
6. Tooling     - CLI tools, build systems, MCPs
7. Generic     - Standard template (no customization)

Your choice [1-7]:

Step 4: Create Skill Directory

# Copy template
cp -r /home/wsladmin/dev/claude-skills/templates/skill-skeleton/ /home/wsladmin/dev/claude-skills/skills/<skill-name>/

# Verify creation
ls -la /home/wsladmin/dev/claude-skills/skills/<skill-name>/

Step 5: Auto-populate Fields

In SKILL.md, replace:

  • name: → the skill name provided
  • Last Updated → today's date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Verified date → today's date
  • Status → Beta

In README.md, replace:

  • Title → skill name as Title Case
  • Last Updated → today's date
  • Status → Beta

Step 6: Apply Type-Specific Guidance

Based on skill type choice, mention the reference example:

| Type | Reference Skill | Key Reminder | |------|-----------------|--------------| | Cloudflare | skills/cloudflare-d1/ | Check cloudflare-docs MCP, prerequisite: cloudflare-worker-base | | AI/ML | skills/ai-sdk-core/ | Verify model names are current, add rate limiting | | Frontend | skills/tailwind-v4-shadcn/ | Component patterns, TypeScript types | | Auth | skills/clerk-auth/ | Security considerations, token handling | | Database | skills/drizzle-orm-d1/ | Schema patterns, migration workflow | | Tooling | skills/fastmcp/ | CLI usage patterns, integration examples | | Generic | templates/skill-skeleton/ | Standard template |

Step 7: Run Metadata Check

./scripts/check-metadata.sh <skill-name>

Report any issues found.

Step 8: Install the Skill

./scripts/install-skill.sh <skill-name>

Output: Show Summary

After successful creation, display:

═══════════════════════════════════════════════
   ✅ SKILL CREATED: <skill-name>
═══════════════════════════════════════════════

Type: [Selected type]
Reference: skills/[reference-skill]/

Created files:
  skills/<skill-name>/
  ├── SKILL.md              ← Main documentation (fill TODOs)
  ├── README.md             ← Auto-trigger keywords
  ├── scripts/              ← Helper scripts (optional)
  ├── references/           ← Reference docs (optional)
  └── assets/               ← Templates/images (optional)

Installed to: ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/

═══════════════════════════════════════════════
   NEXT STEPS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════

1. Fill in SKILL.md TODOs:
   • Description with "Use when" scenarios (250-350 chars)
   • Quick Start guide
   • Critical rules (Always Do / Never Do)
   • Known issues with sources (GitHub links)
   • Package versions with verification date

2. Fill in README.md TODOs:
   • Auto-trigger keywords (primary, secondary, error-based)
   • Token efficiency metrics
   • When to use / don't use

3. Add resources (optional):
   • scripts/ - Automation scripts
   • references/ - Docs Claude can load
   • assets/ - Templates, images

4. Test discovery:
   Ask Claude Code: "Help me with <skill topic>"
   Claude should discover and offer to use the skill.

5. Verify with checklist:
   See ONE_PAGE_CHECKLIST.md

6. Commit when ready:
   git add skills/<skill-name>
   git commit -m "Add <skill-name> skill"

═══════════════════════════════════════════════

Would you like me to open SKILL.md to start filling in the TODOs?

Error Handling

If template directory missing:

❌ Template not found at templates/skill-skeleton/

This repo may not be set up correctly.
Run: ls templates/

If install script fails:

⚠️  Skill created but install failed.

Manual install:
ln -s $(pwd)/skills/<skill-name> ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>

Or fix the issue and run:
./scripts/install-skill.sh <skill-name>

If metadata check fails:

⚠️  Metadata issues found - fix before committing.

Common issues:
• Missing name: field
• Description too short/long
• Invalid YAML frontmatter

Example Session

User: /create-skill

Claude:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════
   CREATE NEW SKILL
═══════════════════════════════════════════════

What's the skill name?
(lowercase-hyphen-case, e.g., "tanstack-router")

User: tanstack-router

Claude:
What type of skill is this?

1. Cloudflare  2. AI/ML  3. Frontend  4. Auth  5. Database  6. Tooling  7. Generic

User: 3

Claude: Creating skill "tanstack-router"...

[Creates directory, pre-fills files, installs]

═══════════════════════════════════════════════
   ✅ SKILL CREATED: tanstack-router
═══════════════════════════════════════════════

Type: Frontend
Reference: skills/tailwind-v4-shadcn/

[Shows file structure and next steps]

Would you like me to open SKILL.md to start filling in the TODOs?

Important Notes

  • Skills are symlinked to ~/.claude/skills/ for Claude Code to discover
  • Fill ALL [TODO] markers in SKILL.md before committing
  • Description: 250-350 characters with "Use when:" scenarios
  • Include keywords IN the description text
  • ONLY valid frontmatter fields: name, description, allowed-tools
  • Do NOT use license: or metadata: in frontmatter
  • Test with check-metadata.sh before committing

Quick Reference

| Item | Location | |------|----------| | Template | templates/skill-skeleton/ | | Skills | skills/ | | Install script | scripts/install-skill.sh | | Metadata check | scripts/check-metadata.sh | | Checklist | ONE_PAGE_CHECKLIST.md | | Standards | planning/claude-code-skill-standards.md |


Version: 1.1.0 Last Updated: 2025-12-04

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