#skills
16 items tagged #skills.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Anthropic's official skill pack: PDF, XLSX, DOCX, PPTX and where they shine
The anthropic-skills pack ships eight skills with Claude Code. Four handle documents. This is what triggers each one, where each earns its keep, and where you should reach for something else.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Using the brainstorming skill to turn a half-baked idea into a written spec
The brainstorming skill forces a design-first workflow in Claude Code: one question at a time, proposals with tradeoffs, and a committed spec before any code runs.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
The systematic-debugging skill: when the agent keeps proposing the wrong fix
Claude Code's default failure mode is guessing at symptoms. The systematic-debugging skill enforces root-cause-first debugging: no fix until the cause is identified.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Claude Code plugins vs skills: the same thing or two different things?
Plugin and skill are related but not interchangeable. A plugin is the installable package; a skill is the unit of behavior inside it. Getting the distinction right changes how you build, version, and share reusable workflows.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
How Claude Code decides which skill to invoke (and how to influence that)
Claude Code's orchestrator routes tasks to skills by reading their descriptions. Here's exactly how that matching works, why competing descriptions cause routing failures, and how to fix them.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Tuning a Claude Code skill's frontmatter: getting the description right
Claude Code reads a skill's description field to decide when to invoke it. A vague description means the skill never triggers; an overly broad one fires on everything. Here's how to write one that routes correctly.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Skill or hook? Two extension points and how to choose
Claude Code has two extension points: skills run inside the model's loop, hooks run in the harness around it. Knowing which to reach for determines whether your automation is reliable or just suggestive.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Skill or MCP server? Where the boundary actually is
Skills shape how Claude Code thinks and works. MCP servers give it new tools to call. Confusing the two leads to building the wrong thing.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Claude Code skills: why they exist when prompt templates already worked
Claude Code skills are dynamically loaded behavior packages — only invoked when relevant. Here's why that matters and how the distribution model actually works.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
The Superpowers skill suite: what it covers and what it deliberately doesn't
Superpowers is a community skill pack for Claude Code that enforces a consistent workflow: brainstorm, plan, execute, review. Here's what each skill does and where the suite draws its own boundary.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
The test-driven-development skill: TDD as a tool-use discipline
Claude Code skips the failing-test step without enforcement. The TDD skill closes that gap by requiring a visible failing run before implementation is allowed to start.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Building a team-shared skill library that doesn't decay in six months
A git-tracked shared skill library prevents duplicate work and knowledge loss when engineers leave. This guide covers repo structure, naming conventions, deprecation process, and CLAUDE.md as a skill index.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
verification-before-completion: stop claiming work is done when it isn't
Claude Code's verification-before-completion skill enforces a simple rule: every 'done' claim must be backed by real output. No test runs summarized from memory. No lint passes assumed.
GUIDE 2026-05-11
Writing your first Claude Code skill: from idea to triggered execution
Claude Code skills let you encode repeatable workflows as prompt-driven commands. This guide walks through writing a real skill end to end—frontmatter, body, install, and debugging.
