A Claude Code skill is a reusable set of instructions, workflow steps, reference material, and best practices. For a project-level skill, put those instructions in .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md. Claude can select the skill when the task matches its description, or you can invoke it explicitly with /<skill-name>.
That mechanism can make frontend work more consistent, but it does not guarantee a correct visual result. The headline claim that a skill fixed an app’s UI does not identify the app, the defect, the skill, the code change, or the verification performed. Treat the story as an example of a workflow, not proof that any skill will automatically repair your interface.
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What a Claude Code skill actually is
A skill packages instructions that Claude Code can reuse across tasks. Instead of rewriting the same design rules, debugging sequence, or project conventions in every prompt, you place them in a named skill. The file can describe the goal, the order of operations, constraints, reference information, and the checks Claude should perform.
The documented project location is .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. The directory name becomes the skill name used for direct invocation. A skill is therefore part of the repository’s working instructions: it travels with the project, can be reviewed with other code, and can be updated when the team’s frontend conventions change.
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Skills are not compiled UI components, visual themes, or test suites. They are instruction files. Claude still has to inspect your application, edit the relevant files, and run whatever checks your project supports. The quality of the result depends on the specificity of the instructions, the context Claude can access, and the verification you perform afterward.
How Claude decides when to use one
Direct slash invocation
When you want an explicit, repeatable workflow, invoke the skill by its slash name, such as /ui-polish. This makes your choice visible: the current task should use that skill, even if the wording of your request is short or ambiguous. Direct invocation is useful for a known sequence such as a responsive-layout audit, a component styling pass, or a release checklist.
Context-based activation
Claude may select a skill when the task and the skill’s description appear relevant. A clear name and description improve discoverability. Context-based activation is convenient for routine work, but it is less explicit than a slash command. If a task is high-risk or the workflow must be followed every time, call the skill directly and state the acceptance criteria in your prompt as well.
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Automatic selection is not a promise that the skill will run for every related request. Keep the description concrete enough to distinguish the skill from unrelated instructions, and use direct invocation when you need certainty about which workflow is active.
Project skills and plugin skills are different delivery methods
| Aspect | Project skill | Plugin-provided skill |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Instructions stored in your repository under .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. |
A skill shipped by an enabled Claude Code plugin. |
| Scope | Designed for one codebase’s conventions, architecture, and workflow. | Distributed as part of a reusable plugin for broader use. |
| Maintenance | Reviewed and changed with the project’s files and team practices. | Updated by the plugin maintainer when the plugin changes. |
| Activation | Available by matching task context or by its slash name. | Available when the relevant plugin is enabled, then subject to the plugin’s skill behavior. |
| Quality implication | Neither method is inherently better; the instructions and verification determine usefulness. | Neither method is inherently better; the instructions and verification determine usefulness. |
Anthropic’s plugin reference lists frontend-design as an official plugin skill intended for creating polished UI components. That is a documented example for frontend work; it is not evidence that this particular skill was used in the headline story. Use it only when it is available in your Claude Code setup, and check the current documentation because plugin catalogs and behavior can change.
Create a project skill for a frontend task
1. Choose a repeatable, bounded job
Start with a task that has a clear trigger and a measurable finish. “Make the app look better” is too broad. Better scopes include:
- Audit a page at narrow, medium, and wide viewports and correct overflow.
- Bring a group of existing buttons, fields, and cards into one component style without changing their behavior.
- Check a new screen against the project’s spacing, typography, color, and accessibility rules.
- Trace a visual regression from the changed component to its layout container and propose the smallest safe fix.
Write down constraints before creating the file. Specify the framework, the styling system, files that are in scope, files that must not be changed, supported browsers or devices if known, and the checks that define success. A skill can preserve these decisions, but it cannot infer requirements that you never state.
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2. Create the documented directory and file
From the repository root, create a directory whose name describes the workflow, then add SKILL.md. For example:
mkdir -p .claude/skills/ui-polish
touch .claude/skills/ui-polish/SKILL.mdThe important part is the path, not the shell command. The project skill belongs at .claude/skills/ui-polish/SKILL.md; placing it in an arbitrary documentation folder will not give Claude the documented skill behavior.
3. Add a clear name and description
The official example shows a skill directory containing SKILL.md with frontmatter that includes a name and description. It also shows optional-looking fields such as an argument hint and allowed tools. Keep the core metadata unambiguous, and add optional fields only when your Claude Code version and workflow support them.
---
name: ui-polish
description: Audit and improve an existing frontend screen for responsive layout, visual consistency, and accessibility without changing product behavior.
---The description should say what the skill does and when it applies. Avoid a vague label such as “frontend helper.” A useful description gives Claude enough context to recognize a matching task and gives teammates enough information to decide whether to invoke it.
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Use imperative, ordered steps. Tell Claude what to inspect first, what evidence to collect, which changes are allowed, and how to report uncertainty. A practical starter file might look like this:
---
name: ui-polish
description: Audit and improve an existing frontend screen for responsive layout, visual consistency, and accessibility without changing product behavior.
---
# Workflow
1. Identify the route or component named by the user and read its surrounding layout, styles, and data flow.
2. State the observed UI problem before editing. Separate visual symptoms from functional behavior.
3. Check the screen at the viewport sizes supplied by the user. If none are supplied, ask for them or label any assumptions.
4. Reuse existing tokens, components, and breakpoints before introducing new values.
5. Make the smallest coherent change that addresses the stated problem.
6. Check keyboard focus, text wrapping, contrast, overflow, and touch target size where relevant.
7. Run the project’s available lint, type, and test commands when they are applicable.
8. Report the files changed, the reason for each change, checks run, and anything that remains unverified.This example is a template, not a claim that every project uses those exact checks. Replace the workflow with your application’s real commands and conventions. If a visual check requires a browser, emulator, or design reference, say so explicitly and require Claude to distinguish an observed result from an assumption.
5. Invoke it on a real task
Start Claude Code in the repository that contains the skill, describe the screen and defect, and call the skill when you want an explicit run:
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/ui-polishFollow the invocation with concrete context: the route or component, the user-visible symptom, the viewport or device where it appears, recent changes, and what must remain unchanged. For example, you might say that a dashboard card row overflows at a specific narrow width, that the data behavior must not change, and that the project’s existing spacing tokens should be used.
If you omit important context, Claude may spend its effort discovering facts that you already know or make an assumption that produces a plausible but incorrect fix. A skill improves repeatability; it does not replace a precise bug report.
A reliable frontend workflow around the skill
Define the before state
Record the symptom in observable terms. “The page feels off” is not enough to evaluate a change. Note which element is affected, the route, the viewport or device, the browser if relevant, and whether the issue is visual, functional, or both. Capture a screenshot or reproduction steps when your team normally uses them, but do not treat a screenshot as proof of the cause.
Inspect before editing
Ask Claude to read the target component and its layout parents, style files, tokens, and related responsive rules. Many apparent component defects originate in a parent container, an inherited style, or a breakpoint. The skill should require an explanation of the observed cause or, when the cause is uncertain, a list of hypotheses with the evidence for each.
Constrain the change
State what is in scope and what is not. A UI polish pass should not silently rewrite data fetching, navigation, authentication, or unrelated screens. Tell Claude to prefer existing components and design tokens, preserve semantics, and avoid adding a new dependency unless you approve it.
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Code inspection alone cannot establish that a visual issue is fixed. Run the application using the project’s normal development or preview process and inspect the affected route at the relevant sizes. Check the interaction states that matter: focus, hover, pressed, disabled, loading, empty, and error states where the component supports them. If you cannot run the app, say that the visual result is unverified rather than implying success.
Run appropriate automated checks
Use the repository’s existing lint, type-check, unit-test, integration-test, or build commands when they cover the changed files. A passing type check does not prove a layout is correct, and a screenshot that looks right does not prove keyboard navigation or runtime behavior. Report exactly which checks ran and which did not.
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Record the after state
Keep a short change record containing the original symptom, files changed, the key implementation decision, the viewport or device used, and the checks performed. This makes the skill easier to improve and prevents a future reader from confusing an intended workflow with a verified outcome.
Using the official frontend-design example responsibly
Anthropic’s official plugin material lists frontend-design for creating polished UI components. It is a useful reference point when you want a skill focused on component creation, visual hierarchy, and interface details. Availability depends on the plugins enabled in your environment, and the catalog can change.
Do not describe that skill as the one that repaired the app in the headline unless the author of the story confirms it. The documented listing establishes its intended use, not a particular result, code change, or success rate. You still need to provide the component’s requirements, project constraints, and acceptance checks.
A project-specific skill can complement a general frontend skill by adding your repository’s tokens, component locations, naming rules, accessibility expectations, and test commands. Keep overlapping instructions consistent. If two skills prescribe different styling systems or conflicting file scopes, invoke the one that owns the task and resolve the conflict in your project documentation.
Legacy command files and compatibility
Anthropic’s command-development guidance recommends .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for new skills. It also notes that the legacy .claude/commands/ Markdown format remains loaded compatibly. That means an existing command file may continue to work while you migrate, but new work should use the documented skills path unless your project has a reason to retain the older layout.
When migrating, preserve the original behavior first, then improve the description and workflow. Test the slash name, check that the project still discovers the file, and remove duplicate instructions only after you know which file is active. Do not assume that a legacy command and a new skill with the same name will combine cleanly; avoid ambiguous duplicates.
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Common failure modes and fixes
The skill is not discovered
- Confirm the file is exactly
.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.mdrelative to the repository root. - Check that the directory name and slash invocation match, including capitalization.
- Make the description specific enough to match the intended task.
- Restart or reload the Claude Code session if your environment does not notice a newly created file immediately.
Claude runs the workflow but edits the wrong area
Limit the scope in the prompt and in the skill itself. Name the route, component, and allowed directories. Require an inspection report before edits so you can stop when the proposed target is incorrect.
The result looks better at one size but breaks elsewhere
Require checks at every viewport named in the task, plus the project’s important breakpoints. Ask Claude to inspect text wrapping, intrinsic sizing, overflow, and parent constraints rather than adding a one-off width or margin. Record the exact sizes used; “responsive” without those conditions is not a reproducible claim.
The skill makes broad, risky changes
Add a smallest-change rule, an explicit list of out-of-scope files, and a requirement to explain dependency additions. Ask for a diff review before accepting edits. A reusable workflow should reduce accidental scope, not encourage a redesign whenever a local fix is needed.
The visual claim cannot be verified
Separate code-level evidence from runtime evidence. If the app was not run, say so. If only one viewport was checked, name it. If no automated tests cover the component, do not imply that a passing build validates the UI. Honest reporting makes the skill more trustworthy and tells the next developer what remains to check.
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The phrase “a Claude Code skill fixed my app’s UI” describes a personal outcome, but without the author’s account it leaves critical facts open: which application was involved, what broke, which skill ran, what code changed, and whether the result was tested across the relevant states and viewports. Official documentation cannot fill in those details.
The defensible lesson is narrower and more useful: a well-scoped skill can give Claude a repeatable frontend workflow. It can tell Claude where to look, which project conventions to follow, and how to report checks. Whether the interface is actually fixed depends on the app, the instructions, the available context, and your verification. Present any before-and-after result with those conditions attached.
When to use a skill instead of a one-off prompt
| Situation | Best fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A one-time, unusual visual experiment | One-off prompt | There is little reusable process to preserve. |
| The same responsive audit recurs across screens | Project skill | The inspection order and acceptance checks can be standardized. |
| A team-wide component-creation workflow | Project skill plus an available frontend plugin skill, if their instructions are compatible | Repository rules can be combined with broader component guidance. |
| A high-risk change with strict approval gates | Direct invocation with explicit checks | The user’s choice and required verification remain visible. |
Use a skill when the repeated instructions are valuable enough to maintain. Keep the file concise enough that the workflow is understandable, and update it when your framework, component library, test commands, or accessibility standards change.
A practical checklist
- Is the task narrow enough to describe in one sentence?
- Does the skill live at
.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md? - Do the name and description explain when the skill applies?
- Does the workflow tell Claude what to inspect before editing?
- Are framework, styling, scope, and behavior constraints explicit?
- Does it require checks at the relevant viewport and interaction states?
- Does it distinguish observed results from assumptions?
- Will the report list files changed and checks actually run?
- Are you invoking the skill directly when the workflow must be followed?
Following this checklist gives you a reusable instruction layer without mistaking it for an automatic UI repair system. The skill supplies structure; the application context and verification supply the evidence.
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