> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/instructkr/claude-code/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Skills > Define and run reusable workflow instructions that Claude can invoke as slash commands or discover automatically when working in a codebase. Skills are Markdown files containing instructions that Claude Code loads as reusable workflows. You invoke them with a `/skill-name` slash command, or Claude can invoke them automatically via the `SkillTool`. Skills ship with Claude Code, can be defined per-project, and can be created globally for personal use. ## How skills are loaded At startup, Claude Code scans the following directories for skills and merges them into the active command set: | Source | Directory | Scope | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | | Managed (enterprise) | `/.claude/skills/` | Highest priority | | User (global) | `~/.claude/skills/` | User-wide | | Project | `.claude/skills/` (project root and parents up to home) | Per-project | | Additional dirs (`--add-dir`) | `/.claude/skills/` | Explicit paths | | Legacy commands | `.claude/commands/` | Deprecated format | | Bundled | Compiled into the binary | Always available | Skills from deeper directories take precedence over those from parent directories. Symlinks are resolved before deduplication, so the same file accessed via different paths is only loaded once. Skills are also discovered dynamically during a session as Claude reads or edits files. If a `.claude/skills/` directory exists in a subdirectory, its skills become available once Claude touches a file in that subtree. *** ## Skill file format Each skill lives in its own directory containing a `SKILL.md` file: ``` .claude/skills/ └── my-workflow/ └── SKILL.md ``` ### SKILL.md frontmatter Skills use YAML frontmatter to define metadata: ```markdown theme={null} --- description: Run the full test suite and fix any failures allowed-tools: Bash, FileEdit, FileRead argument-hint: when_to_use: Use when you want to verify correctness after a change model: claude-sonnet-4-5 user-invocable: true --- Run `npm test` with the given filter (if provided). If any tests fail, read the relevant source files and fix the failures. Then run the tests again to confirm they pass. Arguments: $ARGUMENTS ``` #### Frontmatter fields | Field | Type | Description | | ---------------- | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `description` | string | Short description shown in `/skills` listing | | `allowed-tools` | string | Comma-separated list of tools the skill may use | | `argument-hint` | string | Hint shown when invoking the skill (e.g. ``) | | `when_to_use` | string | Natural-language hint for when Claude should invoke this skill | | `model` | string | Override the model used for this skill invocation | | `user-invocable` | boolean | Whether the skill appears as a `/command` (default: `true`) | | `arguments` | string or array | Named argument placeholders (e.g. `[file, branch]`) | | `effort` | string or int | Effort level hint: `low`, `medium`, `high`, or an integer | | `context` | `fork` | Run skill in a forked context (separate conversation thread) | | `agent` | string | Route invocation to a specific named agent | | `paths` | string | Gitignore-style path patterns — skill only activates for matching files | | `hooks` | object | Hooks configuration scoped to this skill | #### Template variables Inside the skill body, you can use: * `$ARGUMENTS` — the raw argument string passed by the user * `${arg-name}` — named argument from the `arguments` frontmatter field * `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}` — absolute path to the skill's own directory (useful for referencing bundled scripts) * `${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}` — current session ID #### Inline shell commands Prefix a line with `!` to run a shell command when the skill is loaded (not during invocation): ```markdown theme={null} --- description: Show current branch info --- Current git status: !`git status --short` !`git log --oneline -5` ``` Inline shell commands (`!`) are not executed in skills loaded from MCP servers, as remote skill content is untrusted. *** ## Built-in bundled skills Several skills ship with Claude Code and are always available: | Skill | Description | | ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | `/commit` | Create a conventional git commit from staged changes | | `/review` | Perform a code review on recent changes | | `/verify` | Run tests and typechecks to verify correctness | | `/simplify` | Simplify complex code while preserving behavior | | `/debug` | Diagnose and fix a reported bug | | `/remember` | Save information to persistent memory | | `/stuck` | Get unstuck — reflect on the current state and suggest next steps | | `/loop` | Iteratively run a command until it succeeds | | `/skillify` | Convert a CLAUDE.md instruction into a reusable skill | | `/batch` | Run multiple tasks in parallel using sub-agents | Run `/skills` to see the full list of available skills in your current session. *** ## The `/skills` slash command Run `/skills` to open the interactive skills browser. From there you can: * List all loaded skills with their descriptions * Filter skills by source (user, project, bundled, MCP) * Invoke a skill directly You can also invoke any skill directly as a slash command: ``` /my-workflow optional-arguments here ``` *** ## How Claude invokes skills via SkillTool The `SkillTool` allows Claude to invoke skills programmatically, without the user explicitly typing a slash command. When Claude is deciding which tools to use, it can call `SkillTool` with a skill name and arguments. This is how skills declared with `when_to_use` are automatically selected — Claude reads the hint and decides whether the skill applies to the current task. In coordinator mode, workers can also invoke skills, so you can delegate skill invocations (e.g. `/commit`, `/verify`) to worker agents rather than running them in the coordinator context. *** ## Conditional skills (path-filtered) A skill with a `paths` frontmatter key only becomes active when Claude operates on files matching those patterns: ```markdown theme={null} --- description: Apply React component best practices paths: src/components/**/*.tsx --- When editing React components, ensure they follow our conventions... ``` The `paths` field uses gitignore-style matching relative to the project root. Conditional skills are stored in memory at load time and activated the first time Claude reads or writes a matching file. *** ## Creating a custom skill Inside your project, create a directory under `.claude/skills/`: ```bash theme={null} mkdir -p .claude/skills/deploy-staging ``` Create `.claude/skills/deploy-staging/SKILL.md`: ```markdown theme={null} --- description: Deploy the current branch to the staging environment allowed-tools: Bash argument-hint: when_to_use: Use when the user asks to deploy to staging or test the build --- Deploy the current branch to staging. 1. Run `npm run build` and verify it succeeds. 2. Run `npm run deploy:staging` (or `npm run deploy:$ARGUMENTS` if an environment name was provided). 3. Report the staging URL from the command output. ``` Start (or restart) a Claude Code session in the project directory and run: ``` /skills ``` Your `deploy-staging` skill should appear in the list. ``` /deploy-staging production ``` Claude will execute the skill with `production` as `$ARGUMENTS`. *** ## Related pages Package and distribute skills as plugins. Configure skill loading behavior and enterprise policies. Learn how SkillTool and AgentTool work together. Run shell commands before and after skill invocations.