Claude Skills explained: How to create reusable AI workflows

Episode Overview

• This mini-episode introduces Claude Skills, a new feature from Anthropic that allows users to create reusable, on-demand instruction sets for the Claude AI model.
• The host, Claire, explains what Claude Skills are, how they differ from other custom AI methods like Custom GPTs, and breaks down their core components.
• She demonstrates two methods for creating skills: using the Claude.ai web interface and using a code editor like Cursor, highlighting the pros and cons of each.
• The episode walks through the process of creating a "PRD (Product Requirements Document) generation" skill and a "changelog to newsletter" skill to illustrate the concept in practice.

Key Concepts

• Claude Skills: Reusable, composable sets of instructions, scripts, and resources that can be dynamically loaded and called by Claude to perform specific tasks. Unlike static custom instructions, they can be invoked on-demand based on the conversation's context.
• Structure of a Skill: A skill is essentially a folder containing a main SKILL.md file. This file has two parts: YAML frontmatter at the top for metadata (name, description) and the main body with markdown instructions. The folder can also contain other linked files, such as templates, examples, or even executable Python scripts.
• Progressive Disclosure: Skills are designed to be efficient. Claude first loads only the metadata (name and description) to know a skill exists. The full instructions and resources are only loaded into the context window when the skill is actually triggered, saving token space.
• Creating and Using Skills: Skills can be created by asking Claude to generate the file structure, but a more effective method is using a code editor like Cursor to directly create the necessary files. To use a skill, you can either have the skill's folder in your local directory when using Claude Code or upload a zipped version of the folder in the Claude web UI.

Quotes

• At 00:22 - "The newly released feature from Anthropic that lets anybody create and load up Claude... with specific skills and tools it can call on at any time." - The host provides a concise definition of the new Claude Skills feature.
• At 02:10 - "Claude skills solves a really interesting problem for anybody using AI, which is reusable workflows with a set of instructions that you want to call on demand depending on the context of your conversation." - Explaining the core value proposition and problem that Claude Skills are designed to solve.
• At 06:16 - "I found that creating Claude skills in Cursor was the easiest way to get this stuff done." - The host shares her preferred and most efficient method for developing Claude Skills.

Takeaways

• Claude Skills allow you to create modular, reusable prompts that can be invoked on-demand, making them more flexible than static custom instructions or dedicated GPTs.
• The most effective way to build a Claude Skill is by using a code editor like Cursor to create a folder with a SKILL.md file and any necessary supporting files (templates, examples, scripts).
• You can create a "meta-skill" by prompting an AI (like Claude in Cursor) to generate the file structure and content for a new skill based on a description and the official documentation.
• When using skills in the Claude web UI or desktop app, you must compress the skill's folder into a ZIP file and upload it under the "Capabilities" settings.