Does my skill folder have to be on my desktop?

No — the desktop is just an easy place to start. You can put your claude-skills folder anywhere on your computer. What matters is that you point your AI tool at the right folder when you start a session.

How is this different from just saving a long prompt?

A saved prompt is something you paste in. A skill is something the AI reads automatically every time you open a session in that folder — no pasting, no re-explaining. It's the difference between a sticky note and a trained employee.

Can I have more than one SKILL.md in a folder?

Stick to one SKILL.md per task folder. If you want to run multiple skills together, put each in its own subfolder and load both when you start your session. This keeps each skill focused and easier to maintain.

Build your own skill in 10 minutes

Most people use Claude like a new hire every day — re-explaining who they are, what they do, and how they want things written. Every. Single. Session.

The fix is a Claude skill. One file that loads your context automatically so you never type those instructions again.

Here's how to build one from scratch — using a real skill from the directory as your starting point.

Step 1: Create your skills folder

Make a folder on your desktop called claude-skills. Inside it, create one subfolder per workflow you want to automate:

claude-skills/
├── email-skill/
├── research-skill/
└── meeting-notes-skill/

Each subfolder is one job. Start with the task you repeat most often.

Step 2: Pick an existing skill as your starting point

You don't have to build from a blank file. The directory has hundreds of skills — each one is a plain markdown file you can open, read, and adapt.

The email-sequence skill is a good example. It's designed for building nurture sequences and onboarding flows, and its SKILL.md opens like this:

---
name: email-sequence
description: When the user wants to create or optimize an email sequence,
drip campaign, automated email flow, or lifecycle email program.
metadata:
  version: 1.1.0
---

# Email Sequence Design

You are an expert in email marketing and automation. Your goal is to
create email sequences that nurture relationships, drive action...

That header — name, description, role definition — is the skeleton of every good skill.

To install it and see the full file:

npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills/email-sequence

It lands in .claude/skills/ inside your project folder. Open it like any text file.

Step 3: Create your own SKILL.md

Inside your task folder, create a file called SKILL.md. Give it a clear name and a one-sentence description of when to use it:

# Weekly Email Drafter

Draft my weekly GTM update email for my team every Monday.

Simple. Specific. This tells Claude exactly when and how to apply the skill.

Step 4: Write your instructions in plain English

Below the description, add everything Claude needs to do the job right. Look at the email-sequence skill for structure — then rewrite the sections for your specific workflow:

Workflow steps — what happens first, second, third

Format rules — length, sections, bullet style

Tone — who you sound like, who you never sound like

What to ignore — what Claude should skip or leave alone

Write it like you're onboarding a new team member. No jargon. No special syntax. Here's a minimal real example:

# Weekly Email Drafter

Draft my weekly GTM update email for my team every Monday.

## Workflow

1. Ask me what happened this week (wins, blockers, next priorities)
2. Structure it into the format below
3. Write in my voice — direct, no filler

## Format

Subject: GTM Update — [week of date]

Sections:
- This week: 3 bullet points, one sentence each
- Blockers: what I need help with (if any)
- Next week: what I'm focused on

Length: Under 150 words total

## Tone

Direct. No corporate language. No "I'm excited to share."
Write like I'm talking to people I actually work with every day.

That's a real skill. You could install that today.

Step 5: Test it, then refine

Load your skill into Claude and run a real task — not a made-up prompt, an actual piece of work.

Check the output against what you wanted. Where did it miss? Update SKILL.md to close the gap. Run it again.

Two or three rounds locks it in. Refinement is where skills go from "pretty good" to "I never have to explain this again."

Step 6: Pick one task you do every week

The best place to start isn't the hardest problem — it's the most repetitive one:

Summarizing calls or meeting notes
Cleaning up CRM entries
Drafting outbound emails
Editing weekly updates for your team or board

Pick one. Look for a skill in the directory that's close to what you need. Install it, open the file, and adapt it for your workflow.

You're not starting from scratch — you're starting from expert.

The copywriting skill, content-strategy skill, and cold-email skill are all good starting points depending on what you repeat most. Browse the full directory and install anything that's close — then make it yours.