creating-skills

# Creating Skills

Guide for creating Claude Code skills following Anthropic's official best practices.

## Quick Start

```bash
# 1. Create skill directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/references

# 2. Create SKILL.md with frontmatter
cat > ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md << 'EOF'
---
name: <skill-name>
description: <what it does>. Use when <trigger phrases>. <key capabilities>.
---

# <Skill Title>

<One-line description>

## Quick Start
<Minimal steps to use the skill>

## Core Workflow
<Step-by-step instructions>

## Important Rules
<Critical constraints and requirements>
EOF

# 3. Add helper scripts if value-add
# 4. Add reference files for detailed docs
```

## SKILL.md Structure

### Frontmatter (REQUIRED)

```yaml
---
name: skill-name          # lowercase, hyphens, no spaces
description: <desc>       # CRITICAL for discovery (max 1024 chars)
---
```

### Frontmatter (OPTIONAL - New in v2.1.0)

```yaml
---
name: skill-name
description: <desc>
context: fork             # Run in forked context (protects main context)
agent: general-purpose    # Execute as specific agent type
---
```

| Field | Purpose | Use Case |
|-------|---------|----------|
| `context: fork` | Run skill in isolated forked context | Large content processing (PDF, images) that could bloat main context |
| `agent` | Specify agent type for execution | `general-purpose`, `Explore`, `Plan` etc. |

### Description Formula

```
<What it does>. Use when <trigger phrases>. <Key capabilities>.
```

**Example:**
```
Creates GitHub Pull Requests with automated validation. Use when user wants
to create PR, open pull request, or merge feature. Validates tasks, runs
tests, generates Conventional Commits format.
```

**Trigger phrases to include:**
- Action verbs: "create", "handle", "manage", "process"
- User intent: "wants to", "needs to", "asks for"
- Keywords users would say: "PR", "pull request", "review comments"

### Body Sections (ORDER MATTERS)

1. **Title** - `# Skill Name`
2. **O