Skills Best Practice
Last Updated: Apr 04, 2026 | Claude Code v2.1.92
Claude Code skills -- frontmatter fields and official bundled skills.
Frontmatter Fields (13)
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name | string | No | Display name and /slash-command identifier. Defaults to the directory name if omitted |
description | string | Recommended | What the skill does. Shown in autocomplete and used by Claude for auto-discovery |
argument-hint | string | No | Hint shown during autocomplete (e.g., [issue-number], [filename]) |
disable-model-invocation | boolean | No | Set true to prevent Claude from automatically invoking this skill |
user-invocable | boolean | No | Set false to hide from the / menu -- skill becomes background knowledge only, intended for agent preloading |
allowed-tools | string | No | Tools allowed without permission prompts when this skill is active |
model | string | No | Model to use when this skill runs (e.g., haiku, sonnet, opus) |
effort | string | No | Override the model effort level when invoked (low, medium, high, max) |
context | string | No | Set to fork to run the skill in an isolated subagent context |
agent | string | No | Subagent type when context: fork is set (default: general-purpose) |
hooks | object | No | Lifecycle hooks scoped to this skill |
paths | string/list | No | Glob patterns that limit when the skill auto-activates. Accepts a comma-separated string or YAML list -- Claude loads the skill only when working with matching files |
shell | string | No | Shell for !`command` blocks -- bash (default) or powershell. Requires CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL=1 |
Official Bundled Skills (5)
| # | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | simplify | Review changed code for reuse, quality, and efficiency -- refactors to eliminate duplication |
| 2 | batch | Run commands across multiple files in bulk |
| 3 | debug | Debug failing commands or code issues |
| 4 | loop | Run a prompt or slash command on a recurring interval (up to 3 days) |
| 5 | claude-api | Build apps with the Claude API or Anthropic SDK -- triggers on anthropic / @anthropic-ai/sdk imports |
TIP
See the Official Skills Repository for community-maintained installable skills.