Building Skills

You keep explaining the same thing

How many times have you told Claude Code the exact steps for formatting a PR description? Or the specific way your team runs the test suite? Or how to compile a meeting briefing before a 1:1?

If you're repeating instructions, you're doing it wrong.

A skill is a markdown file that encodes a complete workflow. Write it once, and Claude Code executes it whenever you need it. Instead of "pull my calendar, check Jira, scan Slack, compile a briefing," you just say /meeting-prep Sarah. The skill handles the rest.

Skills turn scattered tribal knowledge into repeatable, composable workflows. They're the building blocks of a Claude Code operating system tailored to how you actually work.

What a skill looks like

Every skill is a markdown file with a description, trigger keywords, and step-by-step instructions.

# Meeting Prep

Pre-meeting context gathering across all connected systems.
Pulls recent interactions, open items, and talking points
for any person or topic.

Triggers: "meeting prep", "prep for my meeting",
"meeting with X", "prep for 1:1", "before my meeting"

## Steps

1. Identify the person or topic from the user's prompt
2. Search Slack for recent threads involving them
3. Check Jira/Linear for shared open tickets
4. Pull any relevant notes from the knowledge base
5. Compile a structured briefing:
   - Recent interactions (last 7 days)
   - Open items and blockers
   - Suggested talking points
   - Decisions that need alignment

## Output Format

Deliver as a markdown document with clear sections.
Lead with the most actionable items. Skip anything
older than 2 weeks unless it's unresolved.

The trigger keywords tell Claude Code when to activate the skill. When your prompt contains "meeting prep" or "prep for 1:1," the skill loads automatically.

How to build your first one

Step 1: Find a task you repeat. Anything you've explained to Claude Code more than twice. PR descriptions. Test suites. Status reports. If you keep saying "remember, do it like last time," that's a skill waiting to be written.

Step 2: Write the steps as markdown. Be specific. Include the output format, the sources to check, the order of operations. Write it like you're training a sharp junior dev who's never seen your workflow before.

Step 3: Save it and add triggers. Drop it in the right directory (see below) with trigger keywords that match how you naturally ask for the task.

Step 4: Test and iterate. Run it a few times. When Claude Code misses a step or gets the format wrong, update the skill file. Skills get better through use.

Where skills live

Project-level skills are specific to a codebase. User-level skills follow you everywhere.

Built-in vs custom: the real power is custom

Claude Code ships with some built-in capabilities for generic tasks like code review and test generation. They're fine for getting started.

But the real power is custom skills tailored to YOUR workflow. Your team's PR format. Your company's deploy checklist. Your preferred debugging sequence. That's where skills go from "neat" to "I genuinely can't work without this."

Don't want to start from zero? The meeting-prep skill above comes from PM Pilot: an open-source collection of 25 PM-focused skills (meeting prep, weekly status, PRDs, market sizing, stakeholder intelligence) you can install and customize instead of building each one yourself.

Tips for writing great skills

Start simple. 10-15 lines for your first skill. Don't try to encode a 30-step workflow on day one.

One skill per workflow. A "deploy" skill and a "rollback" skill are better than a "deploy-and-maybe-rollback" skill. Keep them focused and composable.

Iterate on corrections. When you correct Claude Code mid-skill, update the skill file immediately. Every correction is a lesson the skill should absorb.

Be explicit about output format. "Generate a report" is vague. "Generate a markdown table with columns: ticket, status, owner, next action" gets consistent results every time. This matters more than most people realize.

Use natural trigger keywords. You want the skill to activate when you ask casually, not when you remember the exact command name.

Skills as slash commands

Every skill file automatically becomes a slash command. The filename is the command name:

~/.claude/skills/weekly-status.md  →  /weekly-status
~/.claude/skills/review-pr.md     →  /review-pr
.claude/skills/deploy.md           →  /deploy

You can also pass arguments:

/review-pr 123          → Claude reviews PR #123
/meeting-prep Sarah     → Claude preps for your meeting with Sarah
/weekly-status --short  → Claude generates a brief version

The arguments show up in the skill's context. Your skill can reference them with a line like "Use the argument as the target" and Claude handles the rest.

Skills for non-coders

You don't need to write code to create skills. Here are real examples people use every day without touching a terminal:

Performance review writer

# Performance Review

Write a structured performance review from my rough notes.

## Input
The user will paste messy bullet points about a team member.

## Steps
1. Organize into categories: Impact, Growth, Collaboration, Areas for Development
2. Turn bullets into specific, evidence-based statements
3. Add a summary paragraph
4. Suggest 2-3 growth goals for next quarter

## Tone
Direct but supportive. No corporate fluff. Use specific examples.
Write like a manager who respects the person's time.

## Output
Formatted review ready to paste into the HR system.

Competitive intelligence

# Competitive Analysis

Research a competitor and produce a structured analysis.

## Input
The user provides a competitor name or product URL.

## Steps
1. Search the web for recent news, pricing, and features
2. Compare against our product (see CLAUDE.md for our features)
3. Identify positioning gaps and opportunities
4. Rate threat level: low / medium / high

## Output
A one-page analysis with: Overview, Feature Comparison,
Pricing, Strengths, Weaknesses, Our Opportunity.

Email drafter

# Draft Email

Write a professional email from rough intent.

## Input
The user describes who they're emailing and what about.

## Rules
- Match my writing style (see memory for preferences)
- Keep under 150 words unless the topic demands more
- Always include a clear ask or next step
- Never use "I hope this email finds you well"

## Output
Subject line + email body. Ready to paste.

Sharing skills with your team

Skills are just Markdown files. Share them like any other file.

Option 1: Commit to the repo. Put skills in .claude/skills/ and they're available to anyone who clones the project. Great for project-specific workflows like deploy checklists or PR templates.

Option 2: Share a collection. Create a GitHub repo of skills and share the link. People copy the .md files they want into their ~/.claude/skills/ directory.

Option 3: Use an open-source collection. Projects like PM Pilot ship 25+ ready-to-use skills you can install and customize.

Skill ideas to get you started

Start with one. The one you'll actually use tomorrow morning. That's your first skill.