Building Skills for Claude — Complete Guide

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4.4 SKILL.md Template

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The Official SKILL.md Template

Your starting point for every new Skill

Use this structure as a starting point for every new Skill. It covers all the essential sections in the right order.

Complete Template

SKILL.md Template

---
name: your-skill
description: [What it does + When to use + Capabilities]
---

# Your Skill Name

## Instructions

### Step 1: [First major step]
Clear explanation of what happens.
Expected output: [describe what success looks like]

### Step 2: [Second major step]
...

## Examples

### Example 1: [Common scenario]
User says: "Set up a new marketing campaign"
Actions:
1. Load existing campaigns via MCP
2. Create new campaign with given parameters
Result: Campaign created with confirmation link

## Common Issues
### [Error type]
If you see "[error message]":
1. [Fix step 1]
2. [Fix step 2]

Three Levels in Action

YAML Says WHEN

The frontmatter tells Claude when to activate — matching triggers and descriptions.

Body Says WHAT

The instructions tell Claude what to do — step-by-step workflow and rules.

Linked Files Say HOW

Referenced files provide detailed how-to knowledge — API docs, templates, examples.

Template Tip

Start with this template and remove sections you do not need. A minimal Skill with just frontmatter and 3 clear steps is better than a bloated one with unused sections.

Section Summary

Great instructions are specific, structured, and defensive. The clearer the instructions, the more reliable the Skill. Use this template as your foundation and customize from there.