How to Create Your First Claude Skill

Create your first Claude Skill in 15 minutes. This tutorial covers everything from folder structure to deployment.

Prerequisites

• Claude Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise account
• Basic programming knowledge
• Text editor

Step 1: Create Folder Structure

bash
1my-first-skill/
2├── SKILL.md
3├── scripts/
4│   └── process.py
5└── resources/
6    └── examples.md
1my-first-skill/
2├── SKILL.md
3├── scripts/
4│   └── process.py
5└── resources/
6    └── examples.md

Step 2: Write SKILL.md

Following the official format:

markdown
1---
2name: text-formatter
3description: Format and clean text content by removing extra whitespace, fixing capitalization, and correcting punctuation
4---
5
6# Text Formatter
7
8When asked to format text:
91. Remove extra whitespace (replace multiple spaces with single space)
102. Fix capitalization (capitalize first letter of sentences)
113. Correct punctuation (ensure proper ending punctuation)
124. Return cleaned text
13
14## Examples
15
16**Input**: "hello   world"
17**Output**: "Hello world."
18
19**Input**: "this is  a    test"
20**Output**: "This is a test."
21
22## Guidelines
23- Preserve intentional formatting (line breaks, paragraphs)
24- Don't change technical terms or proper nouns
25- Maintain original language and tone
1---
2name: text-formatter
3description: Format and clean text content by removing extra whitespace, fixing capitalization, and correcting punctuation
4---
5
6# Text Formatter
7
8When asked to format text:
91. Remove extra whitespace (replace multiple spaces with single space)
102. Fix capitalization (capitalize first letter of sentences)
113. Correct punctuation (ensure proper ending punctuation)
124. Return cleaned text
13
14## Examples
15
16**Input**: "hello   world"
17**Output**: "Hello world."
18
19**Input**: "this is  a    test"
20**Output**: "This is a test."
21
22## Guidelines
23- Preserve intentional formatting (line breaks, paragraphs)
24- Don't change technical terms or proper nouns
25- Maintain original language and tone

Step 3: Add Executable Script

python
1# scripts/process.py
2def format_text(text):
3    # Remove extra whitespace
4    text = ' '.join(text.split())
5
6    # Capitalize first letter
7    text = text.capitalize()
8
9    # Add period if missing
10    if not text.endswith(('.', '!', '?')):
11        text += '.'
12
13    return text
1# scripts/process.py
2def format_text(text):
3    # Remove extra whitespace
4    text = ' '.join(text.split())
5
6    # Capitalize first letter
7    text = text.capitalize()
8
9    # Add period if missing
10    if not text.endswith(('.', '!', '?')):
11        text += '.'
12
13    return text

Step 4: Test Your Skill

Load in Claude and test:

Please format this text: "hello   world"

Claude should use your skill and return: "Hello world."

Step 5: Document Use Cases

Add to resources/examples.md:

markdown
# Use Cases
- Clean user input
- Standardize content
- Prepare text for processing
# Use Cases
- Clean user input
- Standardize content
- Prepare text for processing

Best Practices

1. Clear Instructions: Be specific about execution steps
2. Error Handling: Include what to do when tasks fail
3. Examples: Provide input/output samples
4. Dependencies: List all required packages

Next Steps

• SKILL.md Format Guide
• Skills Best Practices

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