How does Claude know when to use a skill?

Claude uses the description in the SKILL.md frontmatter to discover skills. An effective description includes what the skill does, when to use it, and specific trigger words.

Where should I store my custom skills?

Store personal skills in ~/.claude/skills/ and project-specific skills in a .claude/skills/ directory within your project's root folder.

What are the naming requirements for skills?

Skill names must be lowercase, use only letters, numbers, or hyphens, be 64 characters or less, and must match their directory name.

Can I limit the tools a skill is allowed to use?

Yes, you can use the 'allowed-tools' field in the SKILL.md frontmatter to restrict Claude to a specific set of tools, such as Read-only or Grep-only operations.

What is a Claude Code Skill?

A Claude Code Skill is a specialized capability that enhances Claude's behavior during specific tasks by providing domain-specific guidance, patterns, and instructions.

Skill Writer for Claude Code

Name: Skill Writer for Claude Code
Author: Activer007

byActiver007

Developer Tools

Guides users through creating, structuring, and validating custom Agent Skills to enhance Claude Code's capabilities.

About

This skill provides a standardized framework for authoring custom Agent Skills for Claude Code, ensuring they are discoverable and effective. It assists developers in defining precise skill scopes, generating valid SKILL.md templates with correct YAML frontmatter, and implementing best practices for directory structure. By focusing on high-quality descriptions and progressive disclosure patterns, it helps users transform manual workflows into reliable, automated AI capabilities for both personal and team environments.

Key Features

Standardized SKILL.md template generation with YAML frontmatter validation
Guidance on personal vs. project-level skill deployment strategies
0 GitHub stars
Description optimization using the What + When + Trigger formula
Support for multi-file skills using reference and example files
Validation checklist for skill naming, directory structure, and metadata

Use Cases

Standardizing team-wide coding conventions through shared project skills
Troubleshooting and debugging skill discovery or activation issues
Transforming a complex, multi-step prompt into a reusable Agent Skill

About

Key Features

Standardized SKILL.md template generation with YAML frontmatter validation
Guidance on personal vs. project-level skill deployment strategies
0 GitHub stars
Description optimization using the What + When + Trigger formula
Support for multi-file skills using reference and example files
Validation checklist for skill naming, directory structure, and metadata

Use Cases

Standardizing team-wide coding conventions through shared project skills
Troubleshooting and debugging skill discovery or activation issues
Transforming a complex, multi-step prompt into a reusable Agent Skill