Full guide
Follow the sections in order, then adapt commands to your current environment.
This guide covers installing Agent Skills (SKILL.md files) in Claude Code, Anthropic's native environment for AI-assisted coding.
Overview
Claude Code has native support for Agent Skills with automatic discovery and progressive loading. Skills can be installed globally (available across all projects) or locally (project-specific).
Installation Paths
Global Skills
Terminal
~/.claude/skills/- Available across all projects
- Personal skills that follow you everywhere
- Managed settings sync across devices
Project Skills
Terminal
.claude/skills/- Project-specific skills
- Can be committed to version control
- Shared with team members
Plugin Skills
Terminal
<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md- Bundled with Claude Code plugins
- Referenced as
plugin-name:skill-name
Installation Methods
Method 1: Manual Installation (Recommended)
For Global Skills:
bash
# Create the global skills directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/my-skill
# Create the SKILL.md file
cat > ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md << 'EOF'
---
name: my-skill
description: A brief description of what this skill does and when to use it
---
# My Skill
Detailed instructions for Claude when using this skill.
## When to Use
- Use this skill when...
- This skill is helpful for...
## Instructions
- Step-by-step guidance for Claude
- Domain-specific conventions
- Best practices and patterns
EOFFor Project Skills:
bash
# Create the project skills directory
mkdir -p .claude/skills/my-skill
# Create the SKILL.md file
cat > .claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md << 'EOF'
---
name: project-skill
description: Specialized instructions for this repository
---
# Project Specific Skill
Detailed instructions for this specific workspace...
EOFMethod 2: From Claude Code Marketplace
- Open Claude Code
- Use the
/marketplacecommand - Browse available skills
- Install with one click
Method 3: From GitHub Repository
bash
# Clone a skill repository
git clone https://github.com/user/skill-repo.git ~/.claude/skills/skill-name
# Or copy specific skill
cp -r path/to/skill ~/.claude/skills/Method 4: Using Universal Installer
bash
# Install OpenSkills for universal access
npx openskills install anthropics/skills
npx openskills sync
# Install specific skill
npx openskills install user/repoSkill Discovery
Claude Code automatically discovers skills from:
- Nested directories: Skills in subdirectories are automatically found
- Multiple locations: Searches global, project, and plugin locations
- Progressive loading: Only loads skill metadata initially, full content on demand
Discovery Order (Precedence)
- Project skills (
.claude/skills/) - Global skills (
~/.claude/skills/) - Plugin skills (
<plugin>/skills/)
Using Skills
Automatic Invocation
Claude automatically uses skills when relevant based on the description in the frontmatter.
Manual Invocation
bash
# List available skills
/help
# Use specific skill
/code-reviewerIn Chat
Simply describe what you want, and Claude will suggest relevant skills:
Terminal
Please review my recent changes for security issuesNext Steps
Once you have Claude Code installed, check out our Claude Code Workflows Guide to maximize your productivity.