Skills / Skill authoring / skill-creator
skill-creator
Anthropic's own skill for writing skills, with tests and benchmarks built in.
What skill-creator does
skill-creator is the skill Anthropic uses to make skills. Tell Claude what you want a new skill to do and it captures your intent, asks the questions that matter, writes the SKILL.md, and then proves the skill works by running test prompts with and without it.
It goes further than a template. It grades the runs, shows results in a viewer, iterates on your feedback, can run blind comparisons between versions, and optimises the description field, which is what decides whether the skill triggers at all. It also packages the finished skill for upload.
Use it when
- You keep giving Claude the same instructions and want to turn them into a skill.
- An existing skill triggers too rarely or too often.
- You want evidence that a skill improves results, not just a feeling.
Skip it when
- The task is a one-off; a normal prompt is enough.
How it works
- Capture intent: what the skill should do and roughly how.
- Interview and research, then write the SKILL.md using progressive disclosure: a short main file, with details in reference files loaded only when needed.
- Write test cases, run each one with the skill and without it, and draft grading assertions while they run.
- Grade, aggregate timing and token data, and open a viewer to review the results.
- Improve the skill from your feedback, and optimise the description with generated trigger queries.
How to install skill-creator
Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install example-skills@anthropic-agent-skillsskill-creator is part of the example-skills plugin.
Claude.ai
Already available on paid plans. Turn skills on in settings.
Codex
$skill-creatorCodex has its own built-in skill creator; type $skill-creator in Codex.
Prompts to try
- Create a skill that turns my meeting notes into a weekly status email
- Turn the way I review pull requests into a skill
- My pdf-summary skill rarely triggers. Optimise its description.
Tips and gotchas
- Give it real examples of the task. Test prompts built from real work catch more problems.
- Keep the main SKILL.md short; move long references into separate files that load on demand.
- Run the description optimisation step; most skills that "don't work" are skills that never trigger.
FAQ
Is skill-creator free?
Yes. It is in Anthropic's public skills repository under the Apache 2.0 license, and it is built into Claude.ai on paid plans.
Can I use skills made with it in Codex?
Usually yes. Skills follow the open Agent Skills format, which Codex also reads; check any Claude-specific frontmatter fields.
Do I need to code?
No. You describe the task in plain language; scripts are optional.
Related skills
frontend-design
Anthropic's design brief for Claude: distinct, intentional, not templated.
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install example-skills@anthropic-agent-skillsSuperpowers
Makes your agent ask what you want, plan it, test first, and review its own work.
/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-officialgrill-me
A relentless interview that turns a loose idea into decisions you can defend.
claude plugin install mattpocock-skills@claude-plugins-officialThis page summarises the project's own SKILL.md and README, checked on 2026-10-16. Star count from GitHub on 2026-10-16. Commands change between releases, so check the repository if one fails. Written by Skillary; not affiliated with Anthropic. See how we review skills.