skills/
  {skill-name}/           # kebab-case directory name
    SKILL.md              # Required: skill definition
    scripts/              # Required: executable scripts
      {script-name}.sh    # Bash scripts (preferred)
  {skill-name}.zip        # Required: packaged for distribution

Naming Conventions

Skill directory: kebab-case (e.g., vercel-deploy, log-monitor)
SKILL.md: Always uppercase, always this exact filename
Scripts: kebab-case.sh (e.g., deploy.sh, fetch-logs.sh)
Zip file: Must match directory name exactly: {skill-name}.zip

SKILL.md Format

---
name: {skill-name}
description: {One sentence describing when to use this skill. Include trigger phrases like "Deploy my app", "Check logs", etc.}
---

# {Skill Title}

{Brief description of what the skill does.}

## How It Works

{Numbered list explaining the skill's workflow}

## Usage

```bash
bash /mnt/skills/user/{skill-name}/scripts/{script}.sh [args]

Arguments:

arg1 - Description (defaults to X)

Examples: {Show 2-3 common usage patterns}

Output

{Show example output users will see}

Present Results to User

{Template for how Claude should format results when presenting to users}

Troubleshooting

{Common issues and solutions, especially network/permissions errors}


### Best Practices for Context Efficiency

Skills are loaded on-demand — only the skill name and description are loaded at startup. The full `SKILL.md` loads into context only when the agent decides the skill is relevant. To minimize context usage:

- **Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines** — put detailed reference material in separate files
- **Write specific descriptions** — helps the agent know exactly when to activate the skill
- **Use progressive disclosure** — reference supporting files that get read only when needed
- **Prefer scripts over inline code** — script execution doesn't consume context (only output does)
- **File references work one level deep** — link directly from SKILL.md to supporting files

### Script Requirements

- Use `#!/bin/bash` shebang
- Use `set -e` for fail-fast behavior
- Write status messages to stderr: `echo "Message" >&2`
- Write machine-readable output (JSON) to stdout
- Include a cleanup trap for temp files
- Reference the script path as `/mnt/skills/user/{skill-name}/scripts/{script}.sh`

### Creating the Zip Package

After creating or updating a skill:

```bash
cd skills
zip -r {skill-name}.zip {skill-name}/

End-User Installation

Document these two installation methods for users:

Claude Code:

cp -r skills/{skill-name} ~/.claude/skills/

claude.ai: Add the skill to project knowledge or paste SKILL.md contents into the conversation.

If the skill requires network access, instruct users to add required domains at claude.ai/settings/capabilities.

claude

AGENTS.md

Repository Overview

Creating a New Skill

Directory Structure