Structured Content: Building Skills for Claude
Title
Building Skills for Claude β The Complete Guide
Learning Objectives
Understand what a skill is and how it works
Learn the three design principles
See how Skills and MCP work together
Know the three skill categories
Apply five workflow patterns
Follow the quick start checklist
Section 1: What Is a Skill?
Key Concept: A skill is a folder that teaches Claude specific workflows Content:
SKILL.md (required) β Instructions with YAML frontmatter
scripts/ (optional) β Executable code
references/ (optional) β Documentation loaded as needed
assets/ (optional) β Templates, fonts, icons Visual Element: Folder icon with files inside, calico cat holding a folder Text Labels: "SKILL.md", "scripts/", "references/", "assets/", "Teach Claude Once, Benefit Forever"
Section 2: Three Design Principles
Key Concept: Progressive Disclosure, Composability, Portability Content:
Progressive Disclosure: YAML β SKILL.md β Linked Files (3 levels)
Composability: Works alongside other skills
Portability: Claude.ai β’ Claude Code β’ API Visual Element: Three cards with icons, calico cat presenting Text Labels: "Progressive Disclosure", "Composability", "Portability"
Section 3: Skills + MCP
Key Concept: Kitchen analogy β MCP = tools, Skills = recipes Content:
MCP: The Kitchen (tools & ingredients) β connects Claude to services
Skills: The Recipes (workflows & best practices) β teaches how to use them
Together: Powerful Automation Visual Element: Kitchen scene with calico cat chef holding recipe book Text Labels: "MCP = Kitchen", "Skills = Recipes", "Together = Automation"
Section 4: Three Skill Categories
Key Concept: Document Creation, Workflow Automation, MCP Enhancement Content:
Document & Asset Creation β consistent, high-quality output
Workflow Automation β multi-step processes
MCP Enhancement β workflow guidance on top of MCP Visual Element: Three columns with icons, calico cat pointing Text Labels: "Documents", "Workflows", "MCP+"
Section 5: Five Workflow Patterns
Key Concept: Proven patterns from early adopters Content:
Sequential Orchestration β multi-step in order
Multi-MCP Coordination β span multiple services
Iterative Refinement β improve with iteration
Context-Aware Selection β different tools per context
Domain-Specific Intelligence β specialized knowledge Visual Element: Numbered list with small icons, calico cat studying Text Labels: "Sequential", "Multi-MCP", "Iterative", "Context-Aware", "Domain-Specific"
Section 6: Quick Start
Key Concept: Build your first skill in 15β30 minutes Content:
Identify 2β3 use cases
Create SKILL.md with YAML frontmatter
Write clear description (WHAT + WHEN)
Test triggering & functionality
Upload or distribute Visual Element: Checklist with rocket icon, calico cat with thumbs up Text Labels: "Quick Start Checklist", "15-30 min"
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