Claude Code Skills: The Missing Manual for Building Reusable AI Workflows

Get the tools: agents-skills-plugins

The Problem With Copy-Pasting Prompts

Here's my confession: for months, I had a text file called claude-prompts.txt sitting on my desktop. Every time I needed Claude to do something specific - review my TypeScript, analyze a dependency graph, brainstorm a feature - I'd copy-paste from this growing monstrosity.

It worked. Sort of. Until it didn't.

The prompts got longer. They accumulated context. Some had prerequisites ("first run this command, then paste the output"). Others had edge cases I'd forgotten I'd handled. My "simple" prompt file became 2,000 lines of spaghetti instructions.

Then I discovered Claude Code skills, and suddenly all those prompts became composable, versioned, shareable workflows. Everything changed.

What Actually Is a Skill?

A skill is a reusable prompt or workflow that lives inside a Claude Code plugin. You invoke it with a /slash command, and Claude loads the skill's instructions into context before responding.

Think of skills as persistent expertise you can summon on demand.

Here's the simplest possible skill structure:

my-plugin/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json
└── skills/
    └── code-review/
        └── SKILL.md

And a minimal SKILL.md file:

---
name: Code Review
description: Perform thorough code review with focus on maintainability
version: 1.0.0
---

When reviewing code, analyze:

1. **Correctness** - Does it do what it claims?
2. **Clarity** - Can another developer understand it in 30 seconds?
3. **Edge cases** - What breaks this?
4. **Performance** - Any obvious bottlenecks?

Provide specific line-by-line feedback, not vague suggestions.

That's it. Run /code-review and Claude now has opinionated, consistent instructions for reviewing code. No more copy-pasting. No more remembering which version of the prompt was the good one.

The Anatomy of a Real Skill

Let me walk you through a skill I actually use daily from agents-skills-plugins.

The brainstorming skill doesn't just ask "what do you want to build?" It forces structured thinking:

---
name: Brainstorming
description: Use when starting any new feature, project, or significant code change
version: 2.1.0
---

## Before Any Code Gets Written

Stop. You're about to build something. First, answer these questions:

### 1. What Problem Are You Actually Solving?
Not "what feature are you adding" - what *problem* exists that this solves?

### 2. Who Has This Problem?
If the answer is "me, right now" - that's valid. But write it down.

### 3. What's the Smallest Version That Works?
Your MVP is probably still too big. Cut it in half. Now cut it again.

### 4. What Data Do You Need?
- What's the schema?
- Where does it live?
- Who can access it?

### 5. What Could Go Wrong?
List three ways this feature could fail. Now build defenses for each.

## Output Format

Produce a design document with:
- Problem statement (2 sentences max)
- Proposed solution (what, not how)
- Data requirements
- MVP scope
- Known risks

This skill has saved me from myself more times than I can count. It's the structured thinking I never do naturally, automated into a slash command.

Skills vs. Hooks vs. Agents: When to Use What

Here's where people get confused. Claude Code plugins have three major components, and they serve different purposes:

Skills = Reusable Knowledge

Use skills when you want Claude to know how to do something on demand.

/brainstorm - Structured feature planning
/code-review - Consistent review criteria
/debug - Systematic debugging workflow

Skills are invoked explicitly. You choose when to apply them.

# skills/debugging/SKILL.md
---
name: Systematic Debugging
description: Methodical approach to finding and fixing bugs
version: 1.0.0
---

## The Debugging Protocol

1. **Reproduce** - Can you make it fail consistently?
2. **Isolate** - What's the smallest code that triggers the bug?
3. **Hypothesize** - What do you think is wrong?
4. **Test** - Write a test that fails because of the bug
5. **Fix** - Make the test pass
6. **Verify** - Confirm the original issue is resolved

Hooks = Automatic Guardrails

Use hooks when you want something to happen automatically before or after Claude takes action.

PreToolUse - Validate before Claude writes code
PostToolUse - Check results after commands run
Stop - Verify completion before Claude finishes

Hooks are triggered by events, not explicit invocation.

{
  "PreToolUse": [
    {
      "matcher": "Write|Edit",
      "hooks": [
        {
          "type": "prompt",
          "prompt": "Before modifying this file, verify it follows TypeScript strict mode conventions."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Agents = Autonomous Specialists

Use agents when you want Claude to operate autonomously on a larger task, potentially using multiple tools and making decisions.

monorepo-architect - Analyzes and optimizes build systems
skill-reviewer - Validates skill quality and structure
security-auditor - Comprehensive security review

Agents are delegated to. You give them a goal, they figure out the steps.

The Decision Tree

Need Claude to follow specific instructions when you ask? Use a skill.
Need automatic validation every time Claude does something? Use a hook.
Need Claude to autonomously complete a multi-step goal? Use an agent.

Building Skills That Actually Get Used

After building dozens of skills and watching most of them collect dust, I've learned what makes a skill sticky:

1. Solve One Problem Well

Bad: "General code improvement skill" Good: "TypeScript strict null check migration skill"

Specificity wins. A skill that does one thing brilliantly beats a skill that does ten things adequately.

2. Include Examples

Your skill's markdown body should show Claude what good output looks like:

---
name: Commit Message Writer
description: Generate conventional commit messages
version: 1.0.0
---

Write commit messages following Conventional Commits.

## Format

type(scope): description

[optional body]

## Examples

Good:

feat(auth): add OAuth2 login flow fix(api): handle null response in user endpoint refactor(components): extract Button into shared library


Bad:

fixed stuff updates wip

3. Progressive Disclosure

Don't dump everything into SKILL.md. Use the references/ directory for detailed docs Claude can load when needed:

skills/
└── typescript-migration/
    ├── SKILL.md                    # Core instructions
    └── references/
        ├── strict-null-checks.md   # Deep dive on null handling
        ├── type-narrowing.md       # Advanced patterns
        └── common-errors.md        # Troubleshooting guide

Your main SKILL.md stays focused. Supporting details live nearby but don't bloat the primary context.

4. Test Your Skills

I'm serious. Write a test case. Run your skill against known inputs and verify the output matches expectations:

# scripts/test-commit-message.sh
#!/bin/bash

# Test the commit message skill with a known diff
git diff HEAD~1 | claude "/commit-message" > output.txt

# Verify format
if grep -q "^feat\|fix\|refactor" output.txt; then
    echo "PASS: Conventional format detected"
else
    echo "FAIL: Output doesn't match expected format"
    exit 1
fi

Skills I Use Every Day

From the agents-skills-plugins collection, these are my regulars:

/brainstorm - Before starting any feature. Forces me to think before I code.

/systematic-debugging - When something's broken and I'm tempted to just "try things." The skill enforces methodical investigation.

/tdd - Test-driven development workflow. Write the test, watch it fail, make it pass. The skill keeps me honest.

/code-review - Before every PR. Catches issues I'd miss when I'm too close to the code.

/verification - Before claiming anything is "done." Requires running actual verification commands, not just saying it works.

The Bigger Picture

Skills aren't just about convenience. They're about scaling expertise.

Every time you solve a problem, you can encode that solution into a skill. Every debugging session, every architectural decision, every hard-won insight becomes reusable.

I've been building skills for projects at chainbytes.com, and the compound effect is real. Problems I solved six months ago stay solved. New team members get access to accumulated knowledge on day one.

Your prompts shouldn't live in a text file. They should live in version-controlled skills that evolve alongside your codebase.

Getting Started

If you want to explore skills, start here:

Clone agents-skills-plugins
Install a plugin: /plugin install superpowers@agents-skills-plugins
Run a skill: /brainstorm
Build your own: Create a skills/ directory and write your first SKILL.md

The best skill is the one that solves your specific problem. Start with the workflows you repeat most often. Encode them. Version them. Share them.

Your future self will thank you. Probably around 2am when you're debugging something and the /systematic-debugging skill saves you from spiraling.

"The best code is code you don't have to write. The best prompts are prompts you don't have to remember."

Build skills. Ship faster. Sleep better.