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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIn Claude.ai, a custom skill is a folder centered on SKILL.md. Put your instructions and any supporting files in that folder, ZIP it, then open Customize > Skills, choose + Create skill and Upload a skill, and select the ZIP. After it appears in your list, switch it on. Claude Code and the Claude API use the same general folder concept but have different installation and administration workflows.
Choose the Claude surface before you build anything
“Claude skills” refers to related capabilities on several products, not one universal installer. The right package and deployment path depend on where Claude will run and who should use the workflow.
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| Surface | Where the skill is installed | Typical audience | Administration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude.ai | Upload a ZIP from Customize > Skills | One person, or a Team/Enterprise workspace | Personal toggle; workspace sharing and provisioning are separate |
| Claude Code | Use Claude Code’s own skill-creation and management instructions | Developers working in a coding environment | Controlled by the Code setup rather than the Claude.ai menu |
| Claude API or Platform | Upload a skill directory to a workspace for agent use | Applications, agents and development teams | Workspace and platform administration |
The folder format is related across these surfaces, but you should not follow the Claude.ai click path for Claude Code or an API integration. Anthropic’s Agent Skills overview describes the cross-surface concept, while the Platform Skills documentation covers workspace and API handling.
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What a custom skill contains
A skill is a reusable set of instructions that helps Claude perform a defined workflow consistently. The required core artifact is a directory containing a file named exactly SKILL.md. That file combines identifying metadata with the instructions Claude should follow. Add reference documents, templates, examples or executable support files only when they improve the workflow.
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Anthropic’s official examples use a folder convention with YAML frontmatter followed by Markdown instructions. Review the current How to create custom skills guidance before publishing, because the authoring format and any required metadata are maintained there. The official Anthropic skills repository provides additional examples of the SKILL.md convention.
Start with one repeatable job
Do not begin by writing a general-purpose “do everything” prompt. Pick one workflow that recurs and has a recognizable beginning and end. Examples include turning meeting notes into a fixed report, applying a house style to release notes, or checking a document against a defined checklist.
Write down three decisions before creating files:
- Trigger: what kind of request should cause Claude to use the skill?
- Procedure: what ordered checks, transformations or decisions should Claude make?
- Output: what format, fields, tone or acceptance criteria should the result have?
A narrow description helps Claude select the skill for the right requests and avoid applying it to unrelated work. Include the intended inputs, the situations in which the skill should not be used, and a short example of a successful result when that clarifies the behavior.
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Recommended folder layout
Keep the main file at the top level of the skill folder. Supporting material can be organized in subfolders so the instructions remain readable.
project-status-skill/
SKILL.md
references/
status-definitions.md
risk-levels.md
templates/
weekly-update.md
scripts/
validate_status.pyThe names of supporting folders are up to you. Include only files the workflow actually needs; extra material makes maintenance and troubleshooting harder.
Write identifying metadata and instructions
The frontmatter identifies the skill, and the Markdown body explains how Claude should use it. A minimal illustrative pattern is:
---
name: project-status
description: Turn project notes into a concise weekly status report with risks and next steps.
---
# Project status workflow
1. Extract completed work, current work and blocked items.
2. Classify each risk using references/risk-levels.md.
3. Use templates/weekly-update.md for the final structure.
4. Mark missing information as “Not provided” rather than guessing.
5. Return the report with a short executive summary first.Use the exact metadata syntax and requirements in Anthropic’s current authoring instructions; the example above demonstrates the relationship between a name, a clear description and operational instructions, not a substitute for that documentation. Keep instructions concrete: specify ordering, required checks, fallback behavior, units, formatting and what to do when information is missing.
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Reference files are useful for stable definitions, policy excerpts, taxonomies and examples that would make SKILL.md unwieldy. Templates are appropriate when every output must follow a known structure. Anthropic also documents that advanced skills may include executable code files. If you include scripts, state in the instructions when they should be used, what inputs they accept and what output they produce. Treat every script and reference file as part of the skill’s maintainable package: remove obsolete material, keep names unambiguous and avoid embedding secrets.
Package the folder as a ZIP for Claude.ai
The Claude.ai upload flow expects a ZIP containing the skill folder. Compress the folder itself rather than scattering its contents at the archive root. When the archive is opened, the expected shape is:
project-status-skill.zip
project-status-skill/
SKILL.md
references/
templates/
scripts/Before uploading, open the ZIP locally and confirm that SKILL.md is present in the folder, the filename uses the exact capitalization, and all referenced files are included. If you revise the skill, create a new ZIP with the complete folder so an earlier archive cannot leave out a changed reference or template.
Upload and enable the skill in Claude.ai
- Sign in to Claude.ai and open Customize.
- Select Skills.
- Choose + Create skill.
- Select Upload a skill.
- Pick the ZIP containing your skill folder.
- Wait for the skill to appear in the skills list, then switch its toggle on when you want Claude to use it.
These labels and the ZIP requirement come from Anthropic’s Use skills in Claude help article. A skill can remain listed but disabled; turning it off is useful when you want to compare behavior with and without the workflow or temporarily suspend it while editing.
Test the behavior and refine the package
Use representative requests rather than a single contrived prompt. Include a normal case, an incomplete-input case and a case that resembles the workflow but should not trigger it. Check whether Claude recognizes the intended request, follows the steps in order, uses the supporting material correctly and produces the required format.
Refine the description when selection is wrong, and refine the procedural instructions when selection is right but execution is inconsistent. Make one meaningful change at a time so you can identify which instruction fixed or introduced a problem. Update examples when they no longer match the desired output. Anthropic’s creation guidance is the authoritative reference for current authoring and refinement practices.
Personal use, team sharing and organization controls
An uploaded skill is not automatically visible to colleagues. A personal upload remains personal unless you use the sharing or provisioning features available to your workspace. Team and Enterprise administrators should consult the separate sharing and organization-provisioning instructions rather than distributing a ZIP informally and assuming everyone has the same version.
Workspace policy can also remove the creation controls. If you cannot see Create skill or Upload a skill, an organization may have disabled user-created skills. In an Enterprise workspace with custom roles, your role may lack the Create skills capability. Contact the workspace administrator to confirm the policy and role assignment; reinstalling the ZIP will not restore a control that the organization has intentionally hidden.
Claude Code: use its own installation workflow
Claude Code supports skills, but its setup is not the Claude.ai settings path. Keep the same conceptual separation between a focused workflow, a SKILL.md file and optional supporting resources, then follow the current Claude Code documentation for where the directory belongs, how it is discovered and how it is enabled. Do not tell a Claude Code user to look for Customize > Skills unless that user is also configuring Claude.ai.
Code projects often need version control, review and predictable changes. Store the skill alongside the project or in the location prescribed by Claude Code, review edits like code, and document any scripts or external files the skill expects. The appropriate commands and directory locations can change independently of Claude.ai, so use the Code-specific instructions for those details.
Claude API and Platform: upload for agent use
The Claude Platform documentation describes creating a skill directory containing SKILL.md and supporting files, then uploading the package to a workspace for agent use. This is a developer and deployment workflow, not a consumer settings screen. Your application or managed agent must be configured according to the platform documentation, including workspace permissions and the way the agent is allowed to access the uploaded skill.
Use the managed-agent Skills documentation for directory and upload details, and the Agent Skills overview for the broader model. Keep platform packages under version control and establish who can update the workspace copy. A ZIP that works in Claude.ai is not, by itself, an API deployment procedure.
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Troubleshooting common installation problems
The Skills option is missing
First confirm that you are in Claude.ai and looking under Customize. If the controls are still absent, check whether your organization disabled user-created skills. Enterprise custom roles can also omit the Create skills capability. Ask an administrator to verify the workspace policy and your role before attempting another upload.
The upload is rejected or the skill does not appear
Open the ZIP and verify that it contains the complete skill folder, including a top-level SKILL.md. Check the filename’s capitalization, the frontmatter syntax and the presence of every file referenced by the instructions. Rebuild the archive from the corrected folder instead of adding files to an old ZIP. If the current Help Center specifies a packaging restriction or metadata requirement that differs from your file, follow that documentation.
The skill is listed but Claude does not use it
Confirm that its toggle is on. Then compare the request with the description: vague descriptions make it harder to distinguish the intended trigger from unrelated tasks. Try a request that explicitly contains the workflow’s input and expected outcome. If Claude selects the skill but misses steps, rewrite the instructions as an ordered procedure with explicit output requirements and a defined response to missing data.
Colleagues cannot see a skill you uploaded
Personal uploads are not automatically shared. Use the sharing or organization-provisioning route available to your Team or Enterprise workspace, and verify that colleagues have access to the resulting workspace skill. A copied ZIP may create separate personal versions rather than one centrally managed skill.
You are using the wrong documentation
A Claude.ai upload, a Claude Code skill and an API or managed-agent skill can share the SKILL.md idea while differing in discovery, permissions and deployment. Identify the surface first, then use its official instructions. Mixing menu labels, directory locations or workspace assumptions from another surface is a frequent cause of apparent installation failure.
Maintenance and safe operating practices
- Keep the scope narrow enough that the trigger is unambiguous.
- Record the intended output structure and update it when your process changes.
- Remove stale references and templates; outdated guidance can be followed as confidently as current guidance.
- Do not place passwords, API keys or other secrets in
SKILL.md, examples or reference files. - Review executable support files before distributing an advanced skill, and document when they are expected to run.
- Maintain a known-good ZIP or version-controlled directory so you can restore a previous revision.
- After each substantive edit, try representative normal, incomplete and out-of-scope requests.
A practical decision framework
Use Claude.ai when the workflow is for your own conversations or is managed through a Team or Enterprise workspace and you want the visual upload-and-toggle experience. Use Claude Code when the workflow belongs in a developer’s coding environment and should follow Code’s project and configuration model. Use the API or Platform route when an application or managed agent needs the skill in a workspace-controlled deployment.
Within any surface, choose the simplest package that can express the workflow. Instructions alone are easier to audit. Add references when Claude needs a stable body of definitions, templates when output structure must be consistent, and executable files only when computation or automation justifies their maintenance and review cost. Decide separately whether the skill is personal or shared, because uploading a file and provisioning a workspace capability are different administrative actions.
Final pre-upload checklist
- The workflow has one clear purpose, trigger and expected output.
- The folder contains a correctly named
SKILL.mdwith the required metadata and instructions. - Every supporting reference, template or script is necessary and referenced accurately.
- The ZIP opens to the complete skill folder rather than an incomplete collection of files.
- You are following the instructions for the correct Claude surface.
- In Claude.ai, you used Customize > Skills > + Create skill > Upload a skill and enabled the resulting toggle.
- You have tried representative requests and revised unclear descriptions or steps.
- You know whether the skill is personal or needs Team/Enterprise sharing or platform provisioning.
For the latest Claude.ai controls and sharing behavior, consult Anthropic’s Help Center article on using skills. For authoring details, use the custom-skills guide; for developer deployments, use the Platform Skills documentation.
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