✦ Step-by-Step Tutorial
How to Create Skills for Claude
No coding required. Learn how to teach Claude your personal preferences and workflows so it always knows exactly how you like things done.
What is a Claude skill?
Every time you start a new chat with Claude, it doesn’t remember anything from your previous conversations. So if you always want Claude to write emails in a certain tone, or always format documents a certain way, you’d have to explain that from scratch — every single time.
A skill solves this. It’s a simple text file where you write down your instructions once, and Claude reads it automatically before starting your task. Think of it like a cheat sheet you hand to a new assistant so they instantly know how you work.
A good analogy: the recipe card
Imagine hiring a new chef every day. Without a recipe card, you’d have to explain your secret sauce from memory each time. With a recipe card, they read it and get it right immediately — every time.
Once a skill is set up, you never have to repeat yourself again. Claude will know your preferences, your format, your quality bar — automatically.
Before you start
You need exactly two things:
A plain text editor
On Windows, open Notepad. On Mac, open TextEdit (make sure it’s set to plain text mode: Format → Make Plain Text). That’s all the software you need.
A task you want Claude to do consistently
Think of something you ask Claude regularly — writing a certain type of document, summarising things a certain way, always using a specific format. That’s your skill idea.
Skills are just text files with a
.md file extension (called “Markdown”). You don’t need to know what Markdown is — you’ll just be writing normal sentences and following a simple structure.
Step 1: Pick your task
Start by deciding what one task you’d like Claude to handle perfectly, every time. The best skills are focused — they do one thing really well rather than trying to do everything.
Good skill ideas for beginners
Here are some ideas to spark inspiration:
- Write weekly team update emails in your preferred style
- Summarise meeting notes into a clean bullet-point format
- Turn rough ideas into a polished LinkedIn post
- Always create Word documents with a specific layout
- Translate customer feedback into a structured report
- Write job descriptions with your company’s standard sections
For your first skill, pick something you’ve asked Claude to do at least 3–4 times. That repetition is a sign it’s worth turning into a skill.
For this tutorial, we’ll build a skill that writes professional weekly status update emails — a great example because it’s something most people do regularly and always want to look consistent.
Step 2: Create your skill file
A skill lives in a folder, and inside that folder there must be a file called SKILL.md. Let’s create both.
Create a new folder
On your computer, create a new folder somewhere easy to find — like your Desktop. Name it something short and descriptive, like weekly-update. Use a hyphen instead of spaces.
Open your text editor
Open Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac). Make sure TextEdit is in plain text mode: click Format in the menu bar → Make Plain Text.
Save it in the right place with the right name
When you save the file, navigate to the folder you just created. Name the file exactly SKILL.md — capital letters, and make sure the extension is .md not .txt. On Windows, you may need to put the filename in quotes ("SKILL.md") to prevent it from adding .txt automatically.
The file must be named exactly
SKILL.md — not skill.md, not SKILL.txt. Claude looks for this exact filename.
Step 3: Write the top section
Every skill file starts with a short block of information at the very top. This is how Claude knows what the skill is called and — most importantly — when to use it.
This section must start and end with three dashes (---). Think of it as a label on the outside of a folder, before you open it up and read what’s inside.
--- name: weekly-update description: Writes a professional weekly status update email. Use this skill whenever someone asks for a weekly update, status email, team update, progress summary, or any email that covers what was done this week. Even if they don't say "skill", use this whenever a weekly update is needed. ---
Breaking it down
name: A short, simple label for your skill. Use lowercase letters and hyphens instead of spaces. This is just for organisation.
description: This is the most important part. It tells Claude when to use the skill. Be specific and include several different ways someone might ask for this task. Claude has a natural tendency to not use skills unless you make it very clear — so the more specific you are here, the better.
“Writes a weekly email.”
“Writes a professional weekly status update email. Use whenever someone asks for a weekly update, status email, team summary, or progress recap — even if they don’t mention email.”
Sounds odd, but it works. Include phrases like “Use this skill whenever…” and “Even if they don’t say X, still use this when Y.” It helps Claude recognise when your skill is needed.
Step 4: Write the instructions
After the top section (below the second ---), you write the actual instructions for Claude. This is where you explain exactly what you want and how you want it done.
Write it like you’re explaining the task to a smart new colleague. No special language needed — just clear, plain English. Here’s a complete example for our weekly update skill:
--- name: weekly-update description: Writes a professional weekly status update email. Use this skill whenever someone asks for a weekly update, status email, team update, progress summary, or any email covering what was done this week. Even if they don't say "skill", use this whenever a weekly update is needed. --- # Weekly Update Email Skill ## What this skill does Writes a clear, professional weekly status update email based on what the user tells you they worked on this week. ## Before writing If the user hasn't told you what they worked on, ask them these questions first: - What were your main accomplishments this week? - Are there any blockers or challenges to mention? - What are your priorities for next week? ## Email format Always structure the email like this: Subject: Weekly Update – [Name] – [Date] Hi [team/manager name], Here's my update for this week. **This week:** - [Accomplishment 1] - [Accomplishment 2] - [Accomplishment 3] **Blockers / challenges:** - [Any issues, or write "None this week"] **Next week's focus:** - [Priority 1] - [Priority 2] Best, [Name] ## Tone Keep it professional but conversational. No corporate buzzwords. Be concise — the whole email should be easy to read in under two minutes.
Tips for writing good instructions
Use headings to organise sections
Start headings with one or two # symbols. One # is a big heading, two ## is a smaller sub-heading. This helps Claude understand the structure of your instructions.
Tell Claude what to ask for if info is missing
If your skill needs certain information from the user (like “what did you work on this week?”), tell Claude explicitly to ask for it rather than making things up.
Include a real example of the output
If you can show Claude what the finished result should look like — even a rough example — it will follow it much more reliably than if you only describe it in words.
Describe the tone you want
Words like “professional but friendly”, “concise”, “avoid jargon” or “warm and encouraging” make a big difference to how Claude writes. Don’t skip this.
Step 5: Test your skill
Once your skill file is ready, it’s time to upload it to Claude and see how it performs. Here’s how to do that:
Open Claude and start a new conversation
Go to claude.ai and start a fresh chat. Look for the option to upload files or add a skill to your conversation.
Upload your SKILL.md file
Attach the file to Claude. Once it’s uploaded, Claude will read it and have access to your instructions for that session.
Ask Claude to do the task
Try a realistic request — something a real person would actually type. For example: “Can you write my weekly update? I fixed the login bug, had our quarterly review, and onboarded two new users.”
Check the result
Did Claude follow your format? Did it match the tone you specified? Did it ask for missing information instead of guessing? Note anything that doesn’t look right.
Test your skill with at least 2–3 different requests. Try a detailed one, a vague one, and one that’s missing information. This shows you how Claude handles edge cases.
Step 6: Improve your skill
Your first version probably won’t be perfect — and that’s completely normal. Skill-building is an iterative process. Each time you test it, you’ll spot something to improve.
Common problems and fixes
🔸 Claude didn’t use the skill at all
This usually means your description is too vague. Go back and add more trigger phrases — the specific words and phrases someone might use to ask for this task. Make the description longer and more explicit.
🔸 Claude followed some instructions but not others
Break your instructions into clearer numbered steps. If Claude keeps missing a particular step, move it higher up in the file — Claude pays more attention to things near the top.
🔸 The output format isn’t quite right
Include a real example in your instructions. Write out exactly what the finished result should look like, as if you’re showing Claude a template. Example outputs are much more powerful than descriptions alone.
🔸 Claude keeps making things up when it doesn’t have enough information
Add a clear instruction like: “If the user hasn’t told you [X], always ask for it before proceeding. Never make assumptions.”
If you find yourself correcting Claude for the same thing twice during testing, that correction belongs in your skill file. Every repeated fix is a skill improvement waiting to happen.
Helpful tips
Keep it focused
A skill that does one thing perfectly is better than a skill that tries to do ten things inconsistently. If you find yourself writing a very long file, consider splitting it into two separate skills for two different tasks.
Save old versions
Before making changes, duplicate your SKILL.md file and rename it something like SKILL-v1.md. This way, if a change makes things worse, you can always go back to what worked.
Write instructions like you’re talking to a new colleague
Don’t overthink the language. Just imagine you’re explaining the task to a smart person who’s new to your company and needs to understand your standards. Clear, natural sentences work better than trying to write in a special “AI language.”
Add examples whenever possible
Showing is always more powerful than telling. If you can paste in an example of exactly what good output looks like, Claude will follow it much more reliably.
Build a library over time
As you create more skills, you’ll build up a personal library of “how I like things done.” Over time this becomes incredibly valuable — a collection of your best practices that you can use and share with others.
Pick one repetitive task, open a text file, and write your first skill today. It doesn’t have to be perfect — you’ll improve it as you go. The hardest part is just starting.
Have a skill you’ve built that you’re proud of, or a question about getting started? Get in touch — we’d love to hear from you.