// AI Tools

How to Build a Claude Skill (Step-by-Step, With Templates)

How to build a Claude Skill in 4 steps: name the folder, write the frontmatter, write the instructions, upload it. Includes 2 ready-to-use skill templates for marketers.

To build a Claude Skill: create a folder with a `SKILL.md` file, write a short frontmatter block (a `name` and a `description`), write your instructions as a plain markdown checklist below it, then upload the folder in Claude.ai under Settings → Capabilities and Customize → Skills. The description field is the part that decides whether Claude ever actually uses it — a vague description means the skill just never fires.

You don't need to be a coder for this. If you can write a numbered list, you can build one — a Claude Skill is closer to filling out a form than writing code.

What Is a Claude Skill?

Think of it like becoming a regular at your coffee shop. The first few times, you spell out your whole order. After that, the barista sees you walk in and just starts making "the usual" — you don't say a word.

A Claude Skill is you telling Claude your "usual" once — how you like your content calendar formatted, how you want ad copy structured, whatever it is — and after that, Claude just makes the usual. No more re-explaining it every single Monday.

It's not a new AI model and it's not a plugin. It's literally a folder with instructions in it that Claude knows to reach for at the right moment.

What's Inside a Claude Skill Folder

A skill is a folder. At minimum, it needs one file. Fully loaded, it looks like this:

your-skill/ ├── SKILL.md ← required. the instructions live here ├── scripts/ ← optional — code Claude can actually run ├── references/ ← optional — extra docs, only pulled in if needed └── assets/ ← optional — templates, examples, brand fonts, whatever

Most skills only need the SKILL.md file. The other folders exist for when things get more complex — a skill that needs to run a script to resize images, or one that references a 10-page brand guideline you don't want cluttering the main instructions.

How to Build a Claude Skill: 4 Steps

1. Name the Folder

Lowercase, dashes instead of spaces. content-calendar, not Content Calendar or ContentCalendar. The folder name has to match the skill's name field in the next step — Claude uses this internally to find it, so keep it consistent.

2. Write the Frontmatter

Every SKILL.md starts with a small metadata block at the top:

--- name: content-calendar description: Builds a week's IG/TikTok/FB post plan from this week's chosen topics. Use when planning next week's 3 content pieces. ---

The description is doing the real work here. Claude doesn't read your mind — it scans the descriptions of every skill you've got and decides which one (if any) fits what you just asked for. A vague description means your skill just never fires.

Too vague: "Helps with marketing stuff" — Claude has no idea when to reach for this over anything else.
Specific enough: "Builds a week's IG/TikTok/FB post plan from this week's chosen topics. Use when planning next week's 3 content pieces." — Claude knows exactly when to use it.

Good rule of thumb: your description should answer "what does this do" and "when should you use it," in plain language — like briefing a new hire on when to pull this exact template off the shelf.

3. Write the Instructions

Below the frontmatter, write the steps in plain markdown, one clear action per line. This isn't a place for a beautifully-worded essay — it's a checklist Claude follows.

--- name: content-calendar description: Builds a week's IG/TikTok/FB post plan from this week's chosen topics. Use when planning next week's 3 content pieces. --- ## Steps 1. Ask for this week's 3 topics if not already given. 2. For each topic, draft: hook line, caption, 3-5 hashtags. 3. Lay it out as a table: Day | Platform | Topic | Caption | Hashtags. 4. Suggest a Mon/Wed/Fri posting spread unless told otherwise.

If a step needs a longer reference — a full brand voice doc, a big list of past-post data — don't cram it into SKILL.md. Drop it in a references/ folder and point to it instead. Claude only pulls in that extra file when it actually needs it, which keeps things fast.

4. Upload It

On claude.ai:

Settings → Capabilities — make sure "Code execution and file creation" is turned ON. Skills won't work without it.
Customize → Skills — click the + → Create skill.
Either write your instructions directly in the box, or zip your skill folder (must contain SKILL.md) and upload it.
Toggle the skill ON once it's uploaded.

Start a new chat, ask for the thing your skill covers, and Claude should pick it up automatically. If it doesn't, 9 times out of 10 it's the description being too vague.

2 Claude Skill Templates You Can Copy Right Now

1. A weekly content calendar builder:

2. A brand-voice checker — so Claude stops handing you copy that sounds like a corporate LinkedIn post:

--- name: voice-check description: Rewrites marketing copy to match a bubbly, knowledgeable, non-corporate brand voice. Use whenever reviewing or rewriting a caption, hook, or ad line. --- ## Steps 1. Flag any corporate jargon, empty hype words ("game-changer," "mind-blowing"), or wishy-washy hedging. 2. Rewrite in casual language with contractions — like texting a friend who's genuinely excited, not a brand account. 3. Keep every claim specific enough that someone could actually act on it — no vague "AI is amazing" filler. 4. Show the before/after side by side so the edit is easy to check.

Swap the voice description in #2 for your own brand's tone and it'll work for any account, not just this one.

The #1 Reason a Claude Skill Doesn't Fire

It's always the description. If you build a skill and Claude just never uses it, 95% of the time the description is too generic. Go back, make it painfully specific about *when* to use it, and it'll start firing.

Quick Summary

1.Create a folder containing one required file: SKILL.md.
2.Write a frontmatter block with a name and a description.
3.The description decides whether Claude ever uses the skill — vague ones never fire.
4.Write the instructions below it as a plain markdown checklist, not prose.
5.Move long references (a brand doc, a big dataset) into a references/ folder instead of cramming SKILL.md.
6.Upload via Settings → Capabilities (turn on code execution), then Customize → Skills.
7.If a skill never fires, the description is almost always the fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to code to build a Claude Skill?

No. A SKILL.md file is plain markdown — frontmatter plus a numbered list of steps. If you can write instructions in a doc, you can build a skill.

Why isn't my Claude Skill being used?

Almost always the description field. Claude picks which skill to use by scanning descriptions, so a vague one never gets matched. Rewrite it to state exactly what the skill does and when to use it.

Where do I upload a Claude Skill?

On claude.ai, go to Settings then Capabilities and turn on "Code execution and file creation," then go to Customize then Skills, then + then Create skill. You can paste instructions directly or upload a zipped folder containing SKILL.md.

What's the difference between a Claude Skill and just typing instructions into a chat?

A skill is saved once and reused automatically every time it's relevant, so you don't retype the same instructions in every new chat. Claude also only loads it when the description matches what you're asking for.

Do I need the scripts, references, and assets folders?

No, they're optional. Most skills only need SKILL.md. Add the others only if your skill needs to run code, reference a long document, or use template files.

// stay updated

Get workflows like this in your inbox

New UGC techniques, AI tools, and creative workflows — straight to your inbox.

// next step

Ready to scale this?

I help creators and brands build end-to-end UGC workflows that drive sales. From workflow automation to content strategy, let's create a system that works.

Work with me →