What are the three levels of content in a skill?

Skills use Level 1 Metadata for startup, Level 2 Instructions for active tasks, and Level 3 Resources for deep-dive scripts, ensuring optimal token usage.

What is a Claude Code Skill?

A specialized capability that enhances Claude's behavior by providing domain-specific guidance, implementation patterns, and executable scripts within a plugin.

How does this guide handle script paths?

It provides a specific pattern for relative path resolution to ensure bash scripts work correctly when loaded from a plugin cache rather than a local repository.

Why is the SKILL.md file required?

SKILL.md serves as the primary definition file, containing the mandatory YAML metadata Claude needs to load the skill and the instructions it follows when triggered.

Skill Addition Guide

Name: Skill Addition Guide
Author: powdream

bypowdream

Productivity & Workflow

Provides standardized instructions and templates for adding new domain-specific skills to existing Claude Code plugins.

About

The add-skill guide is an essential utility for developers working within the Claude Code ecosystem, offering a structured framework for extending plugin capabilities. It streamlines the creation of new skills by detailing necessary file structures, YAML metadata requirements, and script path resolution techniques. By following this guide, developers ensure their custom skills are properly indexed, memory-efficient across three levels of content, and fully compatible with plugin marketplace standards.

Key Features

Standardized SKILL.md template generation
Script path resolution patterns for cached plugins
YAML frontmatter validation rules
0 GitHub stars
Step-by-step directory structure guidance
Metadata and token usage optimization strategies

Use Cases

Extending an existing Claude Code plugin with custom domain knowledge
Onboarding contributors to a shared plugin marketplace
Scaling developer workflows with reusable script-based skills

About

Key Features

Standardized SKILL.md template generation
Script path resolution patterns for cached plugins
YAML frontmatter validation rules
0 GitHub stars
Step-by-step directory structure guidance
Metadata and token usage optimization strategies

Use Cases

Extending an existing Claude Code plugin with custom domain knowledge
Onboarding contributors to a shared plugin marketplace
Scaling developer workflows with reusable script-based skills