# Creating Skills

Use when creating new Claude Code skills or improving existing ones - ensures skills...

- Repository: https://github.com/AgentWorkforce/relay (1088 stars)
- Category: AI and agents
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add AgentWorkforce/relay --skill creating-skills -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add AgentWorkforce/relay --skill creating-skills -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add AgentWorkforce/relay --skill creating-skills -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add AgentWorkforce/relay --skill creating-skills -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use when creating new Claude Code skills or improving existing ones - ensures skills are discoverable, scannable, and effective through proper structure, CSO optimization, and real examples

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Creating Skills

## Overview

**Skills are reference guides for proven techniques, patterns, or tools.** Write them to help future Claude instances quickly find and apply effective approaches.

Skills must be **discoverable** (Claude can find them), **scannable** (quick to evaluate), and **actionable** (clear examples).

**Core principle**: Default assumption is Claude is already very smart. Only add context Claude doesn't already have.

## When to Use

**Create a skill when:**

- Technique wasn't intuitively obvious
- Pattern applies broadly across projects
- You'd reference this again
- Others would benefit

**Don't create for:**

- One-off solutions specific to single project
- Standard practices well-documented elsewhere
- Project conventions (put those in `.claude/CLAUDE.md`)

## Required Structure

### Frontmatter (YAML)

```yaml
---
name: skill-name-with-hyphens
description: Use when [triggers/symptoms] - [what it does and how it helps]
tags: relevant-tags
---
```

**Rules:**

- Only `name` and `description` fields supported (max 1024 chars total)
- Name: letters, numbers, hyphens only (max 64 chars). Use gerund form (verb + -ing)
- Avoid reserved words: "anthropic", "claude" in names
- Description: Third person, starts with "Use when..." (max 1024 chars)
- Include BOTH triggering conditions AND what skill does
- Match specificity to task complexity (degrees of freedom)

### Document Structure

```markdown
# Skill Name

## Overview

Core principle in 1-2 sentences. What is this?

## When to Use

- Bullet list with symptoms and use cases
- When NOT to use

## Quick Reference

Table or bullets for common operations

## Implementation

Inline code for simple patterns
Link to separate file for heavy reference (100+ lines)

## Common Mistakes

What goes wrong + how to fix

## Real-World Impact (optional)

Concrete results from using this technique
```

## Degrees of Freedom

**Match specificity to task complexity:**

The rest: https://github.com/AgentWorkforce/relay/blob/HEAD/.claude/skills/creating-skills-skill/SKILL.md