How to create a custom Claude Code skill

A skill is a folder and one markdown file. The hard part is the description, because that is what Claude reads to decide when to use it.

1. Make the folder

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/weekly-report

2. Write SKILL.md

---
name: weekly-report
description: Write a weekly status report from notes. Use when the user asks for a weekly update, status report, or week recap.
---

# Weekly Report

## Steps
1. Group notes into Done, In progress, Blocked.
2. Lead with the single most important result.
3. Keep it under 200 words.

3. Test it

Start a new Claude Code session and ask for a weekly update. If Claude does not use the skill, make the description more specific about when to trigger.

Common mistakes

Vague descriptions like 'helps with reports'
Names with capitals, spaces, or the words claude or anthropic
Putting everything in one giant file instead of linking reference files

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