# Claude Skills Plugin Meta-skill for creating effective Agent Skills with best practices, structure guidelines, and progressive disclosure principles. ## What's Included The **claude-skills** skill provides comprehensive guidance for building high-quality Agent Skills that work efficiently with Claude Code and Claude.ai. ### claude-skills (Skill Creator) A comprehensive guide covering: - **Progressive disclosure** - Three-layer architecture (metadata → instructions → resources) - **Trigger optimization** - Writing descriptions that activate at the right time - **Token efficiency** - Strategic file splitting and on-demand loading - **Development workflow** - Iterative approach to skill creation - **Security considerations** - Best practices for safe skill creation and usage **Includes:** - `SKILL.md` - Complete best practices guide - `examples.md` - Working examples across different domains - `templates.md` - Ready-to-use templates for common skill types - `checklist.md` - Quality assurance checklist - `README.md` - Skill-specific overview ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when: - Creating a new Agent Skill from scratch - Improving or refactoring an existing skill - Debugging why a skill isn't triggering correctly - Understanding skill architecture and design patterns - Optimizing skill structure for token efficiency ## Installation ### For Claude Code Install from marketplace: ```bash /plugin install claude-skills@claude-skills-marketplace ``` Or install from local directory: ```bash /plugin install /path/to/Skills/claude-skills-plugin@local ``` ### For Claude.ai 1. Zip this plugin directory 2. Go to Settings > Capabilities > Upload skill 3. Upload the zip file 4. Enable the plugin ## Usage Once installed, the skill activates automatically when you work on skill-related tasks: ``` "Help me create a skill for Python testing" "Why isn't my skill triggering?" "How do I optimize my skill for token usage?" "Review my skill structure" ``` ## Key Concepts ### Progressive Disclosure Skills use a three-layer architecture: **Layer 1: Metadata (Always Loaded)** - YAML frontmatter with `name` and `description` - ~100 tokens per skill - Used for trigger detection **Layer 2: Instructions (Triggered)** - Main SKILL.md content - Procedural guidance and workflows - Loaded when skill is relevant **Layer 3: Resources (On-Demand)** - Additional files, scripts, reference materials - Loaded only when explicitly needed - Maximizes token efficiency ### Writing Effective Descriptions The description field determines when your skill triggers: **Good Descriptions:** ```yaml description: Create and analyze Excel spreadsheets with formulas, formatting, and pivot tables. Use when working with .xlsx files, data analysis, or generating reports. ``` **Poor Descriptions:** ```yaml description: Helps with coding tasks ``` ### Skill Structure Every skill MUST have: ```yaml --- name: Your Skill Name (max 64 chars) description: Clear description with use cases (max 1024 chars) --- # Skill content ``` ## What You'll Learn ### From SKILL.md - When to use progressive disclosure - How to write effective descriptions - Structuring content for scannability - Token optimization techniques - Development workflow best practices - Security considerations ### From examples.md - Python testing with pytest - REST API integration patterns - Technical documentation writing - Real-world skill structures ### From templates.md - Code framework skill template - Workflow/process skill template - Reference/lookup skill template - Tool/utility skill template ### From checklist.md - Metadata requirements - Content quality checks - Trigger testing scenarios - Security review items ## Quick Start ### Creating Your First Skill 1. Ask Claude: "Help me create a skill for [your topic]" 2. Claude will guide you through: - Choosing the right template - Writing an effective description - Structuring content efficiently - Adding concrete examples ### Improving an Existing Skill 1. Ask Claude: "Review my skill at [path]" 2. Claude will analyze: - Trigger accuracy - Structure optimization - Content clarity - Best practices alignment ## Best Practices Summary **DO:** - Keep SKILL.md focused and concise - Use clear, scannable hierarchies - Include concrete, working examples - Reference additional files explicitly - Start simple, expand based on need **DON'T:** - Create vague descriptions - Add unnecessary complexity upfront - Hardcode sensitive data - Skip testing trigger scenarios ## Development Workflow 1. **Start with Evaluation** - Work with Claude on tasks, identify patterns 2. **Iterate Collaboratively** - Let Claude help structure the skill 3. **Test Triggering** - Verify activation with target scenarios 4. **Start Simple** - Begin minimal, expand based on actual needs ## Skills Checklist Before finalizing a skill: - [ ] Name ≤ 64 characters - [ ] Description ≤ 1024 characters and specific - [ ] Description includes trigger scenarios - [ ] SKILL.md has valid YAML frontmatter - [ ] "When to Use This Skill" section present - [ ] At least one concrete example included - [ ] No sensitive information hardcoded - [ ] File references are accurate - [ ] Tested triggering with target scenarios - [ ] Tested NOT triggering with unrelated scenarios ## Common Patterns ### Code Development Skills ```yaml --- name: [Framework] Development Guide description: Build [framework] applications following [patterns]. Use when building [type] with [requirements]. --- ``` ### Workflow Skills ```yaml --- name: [Task] Workflow description: Execute [task] following [methodology]. Use when [scenario]. --- ``` ### Reference Skills ```yaml --- name: [Topic] Reference description: Quick reference for [domain]. Use when looking up [specific aspects]. --- ``` ## Resources - [Official Documentation](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/overview) - [Engineering Blog](https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/equipping-agents-for-the-real-world-with-agent-skills) - [Using Skills Guide](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12512180-using-skills-in-claude) ## Version History ### 1.0.0 (Initial Release) - Complete best practices guide (SKILL.md) - Working examples across domains (examples.md) - Ready-to-use templates (templates.md) - Quality assurance checklist (checklist.md) ## Contributing Found an issue or have improvements? See the main marketplace [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md). ## License See main marketplace repository for license information. --- **Remember**: The best skills emerge from real usage patterns. Start simple, iterate based on actual needs, and prioritize clarity over comprehensiveness.