{
  "id": 10348720,
  "title": "How to Create Claude Skills: Build, Install and Test Your First Skill",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/how-to-create-claude-skills-build-install-and-test-your-first-skill",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-28T03:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/rss_holmes/how-to-create-claude-skills-build-install-and-test-your-first-skill-29e6"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Creating Claude Skills involves several steps to build, install, and test a skill. Begin by creating a dedicated folder for the skill, using the skill's name as the folder name. Inside this folder, create a file named SKILL.md, which contains crucial metadata and instructions in YAML frontmatter and Markdown, respectively.\n\nThe YAML frontmatter should include the skill's name (limited to 64 characters) and a concise description (max 200 characters). This description informs Claude when to load the skill, so write it in terms of situations that should trigger the skill, not as a slogan.\n\nFollowing the frontmatter, provide instructions in Markdown, specifying when to use the skill, the standards it applies, and the expected output format. For longer reference materials, create separate files within the same folder and link to them from SKILL.md, allowing Claude to load them only when needed.\n\nFor steps that require deterministic results, add corresponding scripts in a subfolder named \"scripts\". To install the skill, the method varies depending on the Claude platform. For Claude.ai and the desktop app, zip the skill folder (with the folder itself as the root of the zip) and upload it, then enable it under Customize > Skills. With Claude Code, no upload is required; simply save the folder as .claude/skills/code-review/ within the repository for a project skill or ~/.claude/skills/code-review/ for a personal skill accessible across all projects.\n\nTo test the skill, ask a question that matches the skill's description and verify that Claude reports it as loaded. In Claude Code, invoke the skill directly using the designated command. Conduct the test in a fresh session with the skill disabled to compare outputs. If the skill doesn't perform as expected, review and refine the instructions accordingly.\n\nThe guide provides example steps to build a \"Code Review Skill\" that enforces team standards during code reviews. The skill checks language-specific standards, common anti-patterns, and produces a structured review with summary, critical issues, improvements, positive notes, and priority. Follow the step-by-step creation process for manual setup in Claude.ai, or simply save the folder structure and name as specified for Claude Code installation.",
  "summary": "Here is how to create Claude Skills, from the first SKILL.md to installing the skill in Claude.ai or Claude Code and testing that it triggers. In Part 1 of this series - “An Intro to Claude Skills and How It’s Different” - we covered the fundamentals: What Claude Skills are and how progressive disclosure works The critical differences between Skills, Projects, MCP, and Custom Instructions A…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Developers can now extend Claude's capabilities with custom skills, enabling them to tailor the AI to specific tasks and workflows by providing detailed instructions and metadata.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}