Skill Development

Guides creation of Claude Code plugin skills with progressive disclosure and trigger phrases.

Updated Aug 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/prabaljainn/my-claude-code-setup --skill skill-development-prabaljainn
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: Skill Development
Source: https://github.com/prabaljainn/my-claude-code-setup/tree/main/claude/skills/skill-development
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/prabaljainn/my-claude-code-setup --skill skill-development-prabaljainn

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Writing a Claude Code skill that triggers reliably and stays lean is hard: weak descriptions cause missed activations, bloated SKILL.md files waste context, and inconsistent structure breaks discovery. This Skill provides a complete methodology for designing, structuring, and validating skills for Claude Code plugins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Six-step creation process: Walks through understanding use cases, planning reusable resources, creating structure, editing SKILL.md, validating, and iterating. - Progressive disclosure guidance: Defines what belongs in SKILL.md versus references/, examples/, and scripts/ to keep context usage efficient. - Writing style enforcement: Specifies third-person descriptions with concrete trigger phrases and imperative/infinitive body language, with good and bad examples. - Use Case: When a user asks to "create a skill" or "add a skill to a plugin", this Skill instructs Claude to gather concrete usage examples, plan scripts/references/assets, scaffold the directory, and write a lean SKILL.md with strong triggers. ## Quick Start Ask Claude to create a new skill for your plugin, describing the tasks it should handle, and follow the guided creation process.

Frequently Asked Questions about Skill Development

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create a skill for a Claude Code plugin?▼

Create a directory under the plugin's skills/ folder containing a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter (name and description) and a Markdown instruction body. Follow the six-step process: understand use cases, plan reusable resources, create structure, edit SKILL.md, validate, and iterate.

What makes a good skill description for triggering?▼

A good description uses third person ("This skill should be used when...") and includes specific trigger phrases users would actually say, like "create a hook" or "configure settings". Vague descriptions without concrete phrases cause missed activations.

How long should a SKILL.md file be?▼

Keep the SKILL.md body between 1,500 and 2,000 words, with a hard limit under 5,000 words. Move detailed patterns, API references, and migration guides into references/ files that load only when needed.

What is the difference between scripts, references, and assets in a skill?▼

Scripts are executable code for deterministic repeated tasks, references are documentation loaded into context as needed, and assets are files used in output like templates or images. Each serves a distinct role in the progressive disclosure model.

Why is my skill not triggering on user requests?▼

The description likely lacks specific trigger phrases or uses second person instead of third person. Rewrite it as "This skill should be used when the user asks to..." with exact phrases matching real user queries.