What is a Skill?
A Skill is a structured recipe that guides Claude Code to execute complex tasks in a reproducible way. In practice, it's a Markdown file that defines a workflow, rules, and steps to follow.
The three types of Skills
Built-in Skills
Provided by the community and tools, these Skills are available right away. They cover the most common workflows: TDD, code review, planning, etc. Use them with the syntax /tdd-guide, /code-reviewer, /planner.
Custom Skills
Created by you in the ~/.claude/skills/ folder. They're available across all your projects and reflect your personal preferences.
Project Skills
Defined in the CLAUDE.md file or the .claude/ folder of your project. Shared with the entire team via Git.
How to use a Skill
Explicit invocation
Prefix the Skill name with / in your prompt:
# Invoke a Skill directly> /tdd-guide Implement an email validation function# Claude will then:# 1. Load the "tdd-guide" Skill instructions# 2. Write the tests first (RED)# 3. Implement the minimum to pass the tests (GREEN)# 4. Refactor if needed (IMPROVE)
Automatic activation
Some Skills activate automatically based on context. Instructions in your CLAUDE.md file are applied systematically every session.
Top recommended Skills
| Skill | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TDD Guide | Dev | Rigorous Test-Driven Development workflow |
| Frontend Design | Design | Modern, accessible UI components |
| Code Reviewer | Quality | Automated code review |
| Plan | Process | Structured implementation plan |
| E2E Testing | Testing | End-to-end tests with Playwright |
| Security Review | Security | Systematic security analysis |
Create your first Skill
# 1. Create the Skills foldermkdir -p ~/.claude/skills# 2. Create the Skill filetouch ~/.claude/skills/react-component.md# 3. Write the instructions (see the full guide)# 4. Test your Skill# > /react-component Create an Avatar component
Next steps
Refine your communication with Claude Code through the advanced prompting guide, or explore AI trends that will shape the future.