Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs
by Anthropic (Claude Code Docs)
Create, invoke, and share custom Skills right inside Claude Code.
Overview
This Claude Code documentation explains how to extend Claude with skills by creating a SKILL.md file that Claude adds to its toolkit and uses when relevant, or that you invoke directly with /skill-name. It notes that custom commands have been merged into skills — a file at .claude/commands/deploy.md and a skill at .claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md both create /deploy and work the same way, with skills adding optional features like a directory for supporting files, frontmatter to control whether you or Claude invokes them, subagent execution, and dynamic context injection. Claude Code skills follow the agentskills.io open standard and can be scoped personally (~/.claude/skills/) or per project (.claude/skills/), and shared through Claude Code Plugins. The docs advise creating a skill when you keep pasting the same instructions or when a section of CLAUDE.md has grown into a procedure, since a skill's body loads only when used.
At a Glance
- Topic
- Skills
- Level
- Intermediate
- Format
- Documentation
- Cost
- Free
- Duration
- ~15 min read
- Provider
- Anthropic (Claude Code Docs)
- Hands-on
- Yes — code/exercises
- Certificate
- None
What You’ll Learn
- ✓How to create a custom Skill as a SKILL.md file in Claude Code
- ✓Personal (~/.claude/skills/) vs. project (.claude/skills/) skill scope
- ✓How custom commands and skills unified into one /skill-name mechanism
- ✓Controlling whether you or Claude invokes a skill, and running skills in a subagent
- ✓Sharing skills across a team via Claude Code Plugins
Highlights
- •Explains the commands-to-skills merge and migration
- •Covers Claude-Code-specific extensions beyond the open standard
- •Practical guidance on when to convert CLAUDE.md content into a skill
Who It’s For
Best For
- ✓Claude Code power users automating repeatable procedures
- ✓Teams distributing shared skills across a repo
Prerequisites
- •Claude Code installed and configured
- •Basic understanding of SKILL.md frontmatter
FAQ
What is Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs?
The Claude Code documentation for building custom Skills: creating SKILL.md files, personal vs. project scope, invocation control, and sharing via plugins. Best for developers who live in Claude Code and want reusable procedures.
Is Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs free?
Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs is free to access.
What level is Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs for?
Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs is aimed at a intermediate audience. Recommended background: Claude Code installed and configured, Basic understanding of SKILL.md frontmatter.
How long does Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs take?
Expect roughly ~15 min read. Most learners work through it at their own pace.
What will I learn from Extend Claude with skills — Claude Code Docs?
You'll learn: How to create a custom Skill as a SKILL.md file in Claude Code; Personal (~/.claude/skills/) vs. project (.claude/skills/) skill scope; How custom commands and skills unified into one /skill-name mechanism; Controlling whether you or Claude invokes a skill, and running skills in a subagent; Sharing skills across a team via Claude Code Plugins.