The Claude Skills Starter Guide

Most people treat Claude like a smarter search box: type something, get something back, maybe save a prompt in a doc for next time. A skill breaks that model. A prompt is passive - you give Claude information and it responds. A skill is active: it can search the web, read and write files, call APIs, run code, and execute multi-step workflows, all without you managing any of it. A system prompt gives Claude information; a skill gives Claude a job.

A skill is just a folder with a SKILL.md file inside it. That file has two parts: YAML frontmatter that tells Claude when to use the skill and what tools it has access to, and markdown content with the step-by-step instructions Claude follows when it runs. Once it is set up, you trigger it with a slash command - /meetnotes, /carousel, /leadmagnet - and Claude loads the skill and executes the whole workflow. Skills can be packaged and shared, so one person builds it and the whole team installs it in seconds.

Anthropic ships a free skill specifically for creating new skills: the skill-creator. You describe what you want, it asks clarifying questions, writes the skill, and runs automated tests on it - all on its own.

1. 1Open Claude Code in your terminal.
2. 2Type / and select Plugins, then search for skill.
3. 3Install the skill-creator skill.
4. 4Type /exit and reopen Claude Code.
5. 5Type /skill - it should now appear in your command list.

Build a meeting-notes processor: paste in a transcript, get back a structured summary with action items, key decisions and open questions, saved as a searchable markdown file. Invoke the skill-creator with this prompt:

Prompt - describe the skillI want a skill that processes meeting transcripts. It should output: a
high-level executive summary, action items per person on the call, key
decisions made, and any open questions. Save the output as a markdown
file in an /outputs folder. If action items are unassigned, take your
best guess at who should own them and flag it. Tell me if there's
anything else worth capturing.

Claude asks a few follow-up questions about storage, input format and edge cases - answer them honestly, then say 'Yes, go ahead and build it.' It writes the SKILL.md, runs its own tests, and fixes any gaps it finds without you touching anything. Then type /meetnotes, tag your transcript, and it saves the output to /outputs. Open a new session later and ask 'What open questions came up in the AI call?' - Claude searches your output files and answers. You just built a searchable meeting memory.

• Lead qualifier - paste in a profile or inquiry email, get a fit score and a suggested next step.
• Proposal writer - input client notes, output a formatted proposal draft in your tone.
• Content repurposer - paste a transcript, get short-form scripts, posts and a hook list.
• SOP builder - take a call transcript, extract the process, write a standard operating procedure.
• Weekly review - scan your task list and notes, output a prioritised plan for the next 7 days.