A Claude Code skill is a reusable folder of instructions and optional supporting files—not a special product or a guarantee that Claude will always respond in a particular way. Anthropic’s official documentation explains the general skill system, but it does not identify a specific canonical “ELI5” skill or verify what one contains. The steps below cover Claude Code skills generally; check the repository and SKILL.md for any particular ELI5 skill before relying on its behavior.
What is a Claude Code skill?
A skill is a directory organized around a required SKILL.md file. It can also include optional scripts, reference documents, and assets. The SKILL.md file uses YAML frontmatter with required name and description fields; the description should say what the skill does and when it is useful. Anthropic’s Agent Skills overview describes the general format and behavior.
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Think of the folder as a small reusable work brief: the description labels the job, the instructions explain how to do it, and optional files supply tools or reference material. That is an analogy, not a promise of deterministic execution. Claude Code can discover a skill and use it when relevant, and a user can also invoke it by its slash-command name. Discovery does not mean every matching request will trigger it.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesIs there a verified “ELI5” skill?
Anthropic’s official overview describes the general skill system but does not name a canonical ELI5 skill or confirm the contents of a particular implementation. “ELI5” may be a label chosen by an individual skill’s author; it is not enough to establish what that skill does, who maintains it, or how it behaves.
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To evaluate a specific ELI5 skill, inspect its own repository or download page and current SKILL.md. Check its author or maintainer, update date, supported Claude Code version, installation instructions, bundled scripts and dependencies, and any instructions that connect to external services. Do not infer features or safety from the name alone.
How to install and start Claude Code
Anthropic’s Claude Code setup guide is the source of truth for current prerequisites, installers, and authentication options. Its requirements and availability can change, so check that page before installing. At the time represented by that documentation, listed requirements included macOS 10.15 or later, Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 10 or later, or Windows using WSL or Git for Windows; at least 4 GB of RAM; Node.js 18 or later; an internet connection; and an Anthropic-supported location.
- Choose an installation method. The guide listed
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeas the standard npm installation command and advised against usingsudo npm install -g. It also described other installation options; treat any option marked alpha as prerelease rather than a stable recommendation. - Open the project directory. Navigate to the repository or project where you want to work, then run
claude. - Authenticate. Complete one of the supported sign-in or platform-configuration routes shown in the current guide. The documented choices included Anthropic Console, Claude Pro or Max, and enterprise platforms such as Amazon Bedrock or Google Vertex AI; availability and billing conditions may vary.
How to add a custom skill
Anthropic documents two filesystem locations for custom skills: a personal location that applies across your work and a project location for a specific repository. Create a skill directory in one of these locations, then add a SKILL.md file with the required frontmatter. Follow the current format and naming guidance for details.
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| Scope | Directory | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | ~/.claude/skills/ |
You want the skill available across your own projects. |
| Project | .claude/skills/ |
The skill is specific to a repository or should be maintained with that project. |
A minimal file structure looks like this; replace the example values with a name and description that accurately describe your skill:
my-skill/
└── SKILL.md---
name: my-skill
description: Explain what this skill does and when Claude should use it.
---
Instructions for carrying out the task.Optional scripts, references, or assets can sit alongside SKILL.md when the workflow needs them. Add only the supporting material the skill actually requires, and review it before use.
How to use a skill
Once the skill is in a documented location, ask Claude Code to perform a task that fits its description. You can also invoke it directly using its slash-command name. The skill’s description helps Claude determine relevance, but automatic discovery is not a guarantee that it will activate on every related request.
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Skills enabled in Claude settings may sync into Claude Code when you use the same Claude account. Anthropic’s Help Center guidance states that this behavior has version and eligibility conditions: API-key sign-in and cloud-provider use are excluded. Check the current article for the minimum Claude Code version and other limits, then use /skills in Claude Code to check available skills.
When should you use a skill?
A skill is useful when a task recurs and benefits from the same instructions, checklist, references, or supporting tools. It lets you reuse a procedure instead of pasting the whole procedure into each request. Decide based on the work’s scope, repeatability, and trust requirements:
- Use a skill for a recurring procedure. Examples include a consistent review checklist or a repeated transformation with a defined expected output.
- Prefer broader project guidance for standing context. If instructions should apply broadly across work in a repository rather than only to a particular kind of task, consider whether project-level instructions are a better fit.
- Account for maintenance and trust. Know who authored the skill, what code or external references it uses, and who will review changes. A skill that depends on unmaintained scripts or external material may need more oversight than a short instruction-only workflow.
What to check before using an unfamiliar skill
A skill can contain instructions and code, so treat it like other third-party software and content. Anthropic warns about risks including prompt injection and data exfiltration; that warning does not mean every skill is malicious, but it makes inspection worthwhile. Before enabling one, review its SKILL.md, dependencies, scripts, and any instructions to retrieve data from or send data to external services. Install skills only from sources you trust, and avoid running code whose purpose or destination you cannot verify.
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