What Are Claude Skills?
Skills are organized folders of instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude loads dynamically to perform specific tasks better. Think of them as custom onboarding materials that package expertise.
Packaging Expertise
Claude Skills (officially called Agent Skills) are modular, filesystem-based capabilities that extend Claude's functionality. Unlike regular prompts, Skills are:
Reusable
Create once, use automatically across conversations
Composable
Multiple skills stack together; Claude identifies which are needed
Portable
Same format works across Claude.ai, Claude Code, and API
Efficient
Only loads what's needed via progressive disclosure
Why Skills Matter
Composable
Skills stack together. Claude automatically identifies which skills are needed and coordinates their use for complex tasks.
Portable
Skills use the same format everywhere. Build once, use across Claude.ai, Claude Code, Claude Agent SDK, and the API.
Efficient
Progressive disclosure loads only what's needed. ~100 tokens for discovery, under 5k when activated.
Powerful
Skills can include executable code for tasks where traditional programming is more reliable than token generation.
How Skills Work
Skills use a three-tier loading architecture that enables unlimited context without overwhelming Claude's context window:
Metadata (Always Loaded)
Name and description loaded at startup. ~100 tokens per skill. Claude knows what's available.
Instructions (When Triggered)
Full SKILL.md content loaded when task matches. Under 5k tokens. Procedural guidance.
Resources & Code (As Needed)
Additional files and scripts accessed only when referenced. Code executes and returns output only.
Who Uses Claude Skills
Enterprise Organizations
Centralized skill management, brand guidelines, compliance workflows, org-wide distribution
Developers
Build custom skills, access via Claude Code and API, programmatic skill management
Individual Professionals
Personal productivity with document skills, custom workflows, recurring task automation
Cross-Platform Users
Open standard (Dec 2025) means skills work on ChatGPT, Cursor, and other platforms
Skills in Action
Document Generation
Create branded PowerPoint presentations, Excel reports with formulas, Word documents, and fill PDF forms programmatically.
Enterprise Workflows
Internal communication templates, Jira/Trello task creation, brand guideline enforcement with Figma and Canva integrations.
Developer Operations
Code review against organizational standards, MCP server generation, web application testing workflows, API documentation.
Personal Productivity
Custom data analysis pipelines, recurring report generation, task automation with personal preferences and styles.
Pre-Built Skills
Anthropic provides official skills for common document tasks:
Partner-built skills from Atlassian, Canva, Notion, Figma, Cloudflare, Stripe, and Zapier are also available.
Browse all SkillsSkills vs MCP Servers
Claude Skills
Teach Claude how to do things. Skills extend capabilities through instructions and scripts that Claude loads when needed. They package expertise, workflows, and best practices.
MCP Servers
Connect Claude to things. MCP servers are standalone protocol implementations that connect Claude to external tools, services, and data sources like databases, APIs, and file systems.
They work together: Use MCP servers to connect to data sources, and Skills to teach Claude how to work with that data effectively.
Ready to explore pre-built Skills?