What are Claude skills?

Claude skills are reusable folders that tell Claude how to carry out a particular task. A skill needs a SKILL.md file with instructions; it can also include references, examples, or scripts. Claude Code loads a relevant skill when it is needed, and you can invoke one directly by name.

Think of a skill as a repeatable way to do a job, such as reviewing a page or writing an Obsidian note. It does not give Claude access to a service by itself. For that, you may need a tool or an MCP connection. Anthropic explains the distinction in its Claude Code feature guide.

What is inside a skill?

my-skill/
  SKILL.md
  references/   (optional)
  scripts/      (optional)

SKILL.md says when to use the skill and what to do. Supporting files are loaded when needed. The same package can be simple instructions or a larger workflow that executes code. Our build-a-skill guide shows these patterns in packages we inspected; Anthropic's skills documentation defines the current Claude Code format.

Skills, MCP, commands, and plugins

A skill can teach Claude how to use an MCP tool. They solve different parts of the same task. For example, a vault skill can describe Obsidian formatting while a separate connection gives access to a live vault. Some packages combine several layers: our GSD Core test found skills, commands, agents, and hooks in one installer.

Where do Claude Code skills go?

Project skills live in .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md in a repository; personal skills live under ~/.claude/skills/ on your machine. Plugins have their own skill directories. Skills enabled in Claude's account interface can also sync into signed-in Claude Code sessions. Check Anthropic's location guide if you use Cowork or cloud sessions, because local personal skills do not automatically travel with them.

How do I install and use one?

Choose the package for a specific job, inspect its source and dependencies, and follow its documented installation method. In our tests, many community packages used the third-party skills CLI:

npx skills add owner/repo -a claude-code -y

Then give Claude a small real task and inspect the output. A successful install only proves the files landed: our video-shotcraft record shows failures that appeared later, during rendering. For a package and its exact tested command, browse our tested Claude skills directory.

Quick answers

Are Claude skills free?

Anthropic says the Skills feature is available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans when the required capability is enabled. A particular third-party package, model use, external API, or runtime can still have its own cost. Check that package before installing. See Anthropic's availability guide.

Why is my installed skill not running?

Check that Claude can see the skill in the current project or account, then describe the task in terms the skill covers or invoke it directly. If it starts but fails, check the skill's tool, desktop app, and runtime requirements. Our activation guide walks through those checks.

Which skill should I try first?

Start from the result you want, not the star count. Our task-based picks compare tested packages and say what each one has not proved. Once you choose, use the Claude Code best practices checklist to validate it in your own environment.