# SKILLs!

#### What are Claude Skills?

Skills address a fundamental need: **repeatable, user-invoked workflows with consistent output formats**.

Here's the recommended folder structure for organizing a skill:

```
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md           # Main instructions (required)
├── template.md        # Template for Claude to fill in
├── examples/
│   └── sample.md      # Example output showing expected format
└── scripts/
    └── validate.sh    # Script Claude can execute
```

#### The Problem Skills Solve

Without skills, you'd repeatedly type complex instructions every time you need a specific task done:

```
"Review this code for bugs, security issues, and logic errors.
Focus on correctness, not style. Format the output with severity levels.
Include file references and suggested fixes..."
```

With skills, you simply type `/code-reviewer` — turning multi-paragraph instructions into a single command.

<details>

<summary><strong>When to Use Each (Skill vs Agent )</strong></summary>

**Use a Skill when:**

* You want to invoke the same workflow repeatedly
* You need consistent, structured output
* The task is user-initiated (you decide when)
* Examples: `/code-reviewer`, `/changelog`, `/techdebt`

**Use an Agent when:**

* Claude should autonomously decide when to act
* Work can be parallelized or delegated
* Tasks require exploration before action
* Examples: `code-quality-auditor`, `Explore`, `Plan`

Practical Example

**Skill** (`/code-reviewer`): You invoke it when *you* want a code review, it follows a defined protocol and outputs a structured report.

**Agent** (`code-quality-auditor`): Claude *automatically* spawns it after writing significant code — it decides when the context warrants review.

Think of it as:

* **Skills** = Tools you wield
* **Agents** = Assistants Claude delegates to

</details>

#### How to create a Skills?

Exercise Prompt: Copy and paste this prompt to Claude to create a learning skill:

```
Create a skill called "explain-code" that helps developers understand unfamiliar code.

Requirements:
1. Create the skill in `.claude/skills/explain-code/SKILL.md`
2. The skill should:
   - Accept a file path or code block as input
   - Explain what the code does in plain English
   - Identify the programming patterns used
   - List any dependencies or imports
   - Highlight potential gotchas or tricky parts
   - Suggest related documentation to read

3. Output format should be structured with these sections:
   - Summary (2-3 sentences)
   - Step-by-Step Breakdown
   - Patterns Used
   - Dependencies
   - Watch Out For (gotchas)
   - Learn More (documentation links)

4. Include a Gotchas section in the skill itself for common issues

Make sure the skill follows the standard SKILL.md frontmatter format with name 
and description.
```

After Creating the Skill: Test your new skill by running:

```
/explain-code src/app.js
```

Or for any code file in your project:

```
/explain-code path/to/any/file.py
```

{% hint style="info" %}
Liist of SKILLs for all agents: <https://skills.sh/>
{% endhint %}

***

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<figure><img src="/files/iYdS5HsfBYQDIiG5DPSt" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://sumontas-organization.gitbook.io/claude-code-handbook-sumonta056/basics/interactive-blocks/skills.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.