Automating Tasks with Skills

You've already learned how to craft prompts for Claude Code. But what if you have a prompt you use repeatedly? Typing it out every time is tedious and prone to errors.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to create and execute custom AI skills to automate repetitive tasks within Claude Code.

Core idea

A skill is a saved prompt that you can run with a single command in Claude Code. Think of it like creating a shortcut for a complex instruction. Instead of writing the same detailed prompt over and over, you define it once as a skill. This saves time, ensures consistency, and makes your workflow more efficient.

Physically, a skill is a Markdown file named SKILL.md located within a specific folder structure: .claude/skills/{skill-name}/. When you type /{skill-name} in Claude Code, it looks for this file and executes the instructions inside it.

You can create your own skills or install skills that others have already developed. This allows you to either tailor automation to your exact needs or leverage pre-built solutions for common tasks.

Step by step: Creating a custom skill

Let's create a skill to automate the analysis of meeting transcripts, similar to what you might have done manually before.

Task: Create a skill named meeting-analysis that processes call transcripts.

1. Open Claude Code. If it's not already running, navigate to your project folder in the terminal and type claude.
2. Paste the skill creation prompt. This prompt tells Claude Code what you want your new skill to do.

Claude Code will ask you a few clarifying questions to ensure the skill is set up correctly. Answer them as prompted.

3. Verify the skill file. After Claude Code confirms the skill's creation, you can see the generated SKILL.md file.
   • Open VS Code.
   • In the sidebar, navigate to .claude → skills → meeting-analysis.
   • Open SKILL.md to see the prompt Claude Code saved. This is the instruction set your skill will execute.
4. Restart Claude Code. New skills are loaded when Claude Code starts.
   • Type Ctrl+C or /quit to exit Claude Code.
   • Type claude to restart it.
5. Run your new skill. Now you can execute your skill with a simple command.

Claude Code will now perform the meeting analysis based on the instructions saved in your `meeting-analysis` skill.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to restart Claude Code: If you create a new skill and try to run it immediately without restarting Claude Code, it won't recognize the new command. Always restart Claude Code after creating or installing a new skill.
• Incorrect skill name: Ensure the command you type (e.g., /meeting-analysis) exactly matches the folder name you specified when creating the skill.
• Misplacing the SKILL.md file: Skills must be in the .claude/skills/{skill-name}/ directory. If you manually move or create the file, ensure it follows this structure.

Key takeaways

• A skill is a saved prompt that automates a task in Claude Code.
• Skills are stored as SKILL.md files in .claude/skills/{skill-name}/.
• You can create custom skills by prompting Claude Code to define the task.
• Run a skill by typing /{skill-name} in Claude Code.
• Always restart Claude Code after creating or installing a new skill for it to be recognized.