Tool
Claude (claude.ai, desktop app, Claude Code)
Price
Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise
Time
5 min
Level
Beginner

You keep hearing about "skills" with no explanation. This tutorial answers three questions: what a skill is, where to turn it on, and which ones to enable first. If you are new to Claude, start with our article what is AI, ChatGPT, Claude and Claude Code.

What is a Claude skill?

Claude is very good in general, but it does not know how you work. A skill is a playbook you hand over, like a recipe: the steps to follow, the rules to respect, and sometimes small programs that produce a clean file. Technically, it is a folder that holds at least one instruction file, called SKILL.md, with a name and a description.

The difference with a plain prompt: you have nothing to paste. When your request matches an enabled skill, Claude loads it on its own. Ask for "a PowerPoint deck on our results" and the PowerPoint skill takes over.

How to enable skills on claude.ai

  1. Turn on code executionGo to Settings > Capabilities and turn on Code execution and file creation. Without this setting, no skill works.
  2. Open the skills listGo to Customize > Skills.
  3. Turn on the ones you needEach skill has a toggle. Switch it on and you are done: Claude will use it when it helps.

On Team and Enterprise plans, code execution and skills are managed at the organization level, in Organization settings > Plugins & skills, Policy tab. They are on by default on Team; on Enterprise, the account owner has to enable them. Each member then switches on their skills in Customize > Skills.

The 5 skills to enable first

The first four come from Anthropic and produce documents. The fifth lets you build your own skills.

  1. Excel: spreadsheets that calculateBuild a sheet from scratch, clean up a messy file, add formulas, charts or colors. You get a real .xlsx file to download.
    Prompt to copy
    Create an Excel cash-flow tracker for 12 months:
income, fixed costs, variable costs and running balance.
Use dollars and color negative months in red.
  2. Word: documents you can sendWrite a formatted document (headings, tables, page numbers, letterhead), rework an existing one or pull content out of it. You get a .docx file.
    Prompt to copy
    Turn my notes below into Word meeting minutes: date, attendees,
decisions, and a table of action items with an owner and a due date.
[paste your notes]
  3. PowerPoint: a deck in one requestCreate a presentation, edit or summarize an existing file, add speaker notes. You get a .pptx file.
    Prompt to copy
    Make a 6-slide PowerPoint deck introducing my business to a new client:
who we are, what we do, three example services, our process, pricing,
contact. Clean style, one idea per slide.
  4. PDF: everything PDFExtract text or tables from a PDF, merge or split files, fill in a form, make a scanned document searchable.
    Prompt to copy
    Here are three supplier invoices as PDFs. Put the date, supplier,
amount before tax and total of each one in a table, then merge
the three PDFs into one file, oldest first.
  5. Skill Creator: build your own skillsAn official Anthropic skill, released under the Apache 2.0 license in the anthropics/skills repository. It walks you through turning a task you repeat (how you write a quote, a follow-up, a post) into a reusable skill.
    Prompt to copy
    Help me create a skill for my quote follow-up emails:
polite but direct, mention the quote number and amount,
one single question at the end. Ask me whatever you need.

The first four need no install: Anthropic provides them to all users and Claude uses them as soon as code execution is on. Skill Creator is one of Anthropic's example skills. According to the official repository, these examples are available on paid plans, and Anthropic's help center says example skills can be enabled in Customize > Skills on Free, Pro and Max. If it does not show up in your list, contact Claude support.

How to install a Claude skill from GitHub

A skill is shared as a folder. To add it to your account, compress it into a ZIP file: the skill folder must sit at the root of the ZIP and carry the same name as the skill.

  1. Get the folderOn GitHub, click Code > Download ZIP, unzip it, and keep only the skill folder, the one that holds the SKILL.md file.
  2. Zip itCompress that folder on its own: my-skill.zip must contain the my-skill folder, not its files loose.
  3. Upload it to ClaudeIn Customize > Skills, click +, then Create skill, then Upload a skill, and pick the ZIP.
  4. Turn it onThe skill appears in the list: switch its toggle on.

Colleagues can't see the skills you add until you share them (on Team and Enterprise, admins only see their names and sharing status). To write your own by hand: the name is limited to 64 characters and the description to 200, according to Anthropic's documentation.

What about Claude Code?

If you use Claude Code with the same Claude account (version 2.1.273 or later), your claude.ai skills show up on their own: type /skills and they are listed under claude.ai sync. This sync does not work if you sign in with an API key or through a cloud provider such as Amazon Bedrock. The official repository also gives these commands to install its skills straight into Claude Code:

Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
/plugin install example-skills@anthropic-agent-skills

To go further with Claude Code, see our tutorial on lesser-known Claude Code commands, or a concrete skill in action: create an SVG logo with a skill.

Be careful. A skill can contain programs that Claude runs. Anthropic recommends installing skills only from trusted sources and reading their files before you enable them, especially scripts and any instruction that connects to the internet. The Anthropic skills shown here come from its official repository. For the full checklist, see our tutorial on installing a skill safely.

Frequently asked questions

Are Claude skills free?

Yes. According to Anthropic's help center, skills are available on the Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, as long as code execution is turned on in the settings.

Do I need to call a skill for it to work?

No. Once enabled, Claude uses it on its own when your request calls for it. Asking for a PowerPoint deck is enough to trigger the PowerPoint skill.

Where do I enable skills in Claude?

First turn on Code execution and file creation in Settings, Capabilities, then switch on each skill in Customize, Skills. On team plans, skills are managed in the organization settings. They are on by default on Team, and the owner has to enable them on Enterprise.

How do I install a downloaded skill?

Zip the skill folder, with the folder at the root, then in Customize, Skills, click +, Create skill, Upload a skill. Then switch it on in the list.

Is installing a skill risky?

A skill can contain code. Only install skills from trusted sources and read their files before enabling them, especially scripts and internet connections.

Sources checked on October 19, 2026

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