What Are Skills?

A skill is a named command (e.g., /commit, /review-pr, /deploy) that, when invoked, expands into a full prompt that tells Claude exactly what to do. Think of them as saved expert instructions.

For example, a /commit skill might tell Claude to:

1. Check git status
2. Review staged changes
3. Generate a descriptive commit message
4. Create the commit

Opening Skills Settings

1. Open Settings (Cmd+,)
2. Select "Skills" from the left sidebar
3. Choose scope: Global (all projects) or a specific Project

Viewing Skills

The Skills view is a read-only display of all discovered skills. Each skill shows:

• Skill name — The slash command name with / prefix (e.g., /commit)
• Description — What the skill does
• Model — Which Claude model it uses (if specified)
• Invocation mode — Whether it's user-only, auto-only, or both
• Raw content — Expand to see the full skill file contents

An "Open folder" button lets you jump to the skills directory in your file manager.

Global vs Project Skills

• Global skills are available in all projects and sessions
• Project skills are only available when working in that specific project

Creating Custom Skills

Skills are defined as SKILL.md files inside named directories:

• Global skills: ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md
• Project skills: your-project/.claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md

The directory name becomes the command name (e.g., commit/SKILL.md creates the /commit command).

Skill File Structure

---
description: Generate a descriptive git commit message
user-invocable: true
---

Review the staged changes using `git diff --staged` and create a commit with a clear, conventional commit message. Follow the project's commit conventions if a CONTRIBUTING.md exists.

Frontmatter Options

The body is the prompt sent to Claude when the skill is invoked.

Using Skills

In the chat input, type / followed by the skill name:

/commit

Claude receives the skill's prompt and executes the instructions. You can also add extra context after the skill name:

/commit focus on the authentication changes

Plugins

The Skills view also shows installed plugins — third-party extensions from the Claude Code marketplace. Each plugin shows its name, version, description, and a link to its homepage.