Skills in Claude CodeThese are instruction files in Markdown format (.md) that transform Claude into an expert in any area. Instead of repeating the same prompts every time you open the terminal, you install a skill and Claude starts responding with frameworks, rules and professional context — automatically, without you copying and pasting anything.
If you've ever used Claude Code to write code, create texts or analyze data, you know that the result depends a lot on how you place the order. Skills solve this problem: they give Claude the context he needsbeforeof you asking anything.
In this guide, I will explain in technical detail how skills work in Claude Code, what the file structure is, how Claude detects and loads these instructions, and how to install and start using it today.
What are skills in Claude Code
Skills for Claude Code are text files in Markdown format that contain specialized instructions. Each skill works like an "expert's manual" that Claude reads before answering your questions.
In practice, a skill and a file.mdwithin a specific folder of your project or system. When Claude Code starts a session, it scans these folders, identifies the skill files, and loads the contents as additional context.
The difference to a common and fundamental prompt:
- Common prompt:you type instructions every time. If you close the terminal, you lose everything. The context disappears.
- Skill:permanent file on your disk. Claude charges automatically. You never need to repeat that instruction again.
Think of skills as the difference between hiring a freelancer without a briefing (prompt) and hiring a professional who has already read your entire company manual (skill). The second will deliver better results from day one.
Skills can contain any type of instruction:copywriting, technical SEO rules, code standards, email templates, audit checklists, complete development workflows. There is no limit to what a skill can teach Claude.
How Claude Code detects skills
Claude Code has an automatic skill detection system. When you start a session, it looks for instruction files in specific locations on the file system. The order of priority is:
- Project folder:
.claude/skills/within your current project directory - User global folder:
~/.claude/skills/in the user's home directory
The mechanism works like this: when starting Claude Code in a directory, it checks if the folder exists.claude/. If it exists, it reads the files within.claude/skills/. Files with the extension.mdThey are interpreted as skills and carried in the context of the conversation.
This means you can have skillsby project(ideas for specific rules for a client or repository) and skillsglobal(ideas for rules you want in everyone, like your preferred coding style or tone of voice).
# 1. Skills do projeto (especificas)
./projeto/.claude/skills/
# 2. Skills globais (todas as sessoes)
~/.claude/skills/
# O Claude le TODOS os .md dessas pastas
# e carrega como contexto automaticamente
When Claude finds a skill file, he doesn't just read the text — he interprets the instructions asrules of behavior. If a skill says "always respond in Portuguese and use a professional tone", Claude will follow that throughout the session.
Folder and file structure
The organization of skills in the file system follows a simple pattern. See the typical structure of a project with skills installed:
├── .claude/
├ ├── skills/
├ ├ ├── copywriting.md
├ ├ ├── seo-tecnico.md
├ ├ ├── google-ads.md
├ ├ └── email-marketing.md
├ └── settings.json
├── src/
└── index.html
Each file.mdinside.claude/skills/and an independent skill. The file name does not matter for operation — Claude reads the content, not the name. But it's good practice to use descriptive names to help you stay organized.
You can have as many skills as you want in a folder. Claude carries them all. If two skills have conflicting instructions, the more specific one (the project one) has priority over the global one.
Global Skills vs. Global Skills project skills
When to use each:
- global skills (
~/.claude/skills/): rules you want in EVERY session. Example: "always respond in Portuguese", "use tabs instead of spaces", "my tone of voice is professional and direct". - Project skills (
./projeto/.claude/skills/): specific rules for that repository. Example: "this project uses Next.js 14 with App Router", "the client's brand is formal", "the tracking uses GTM server-side".
SKILL.md file format
A skill and a common Markdown file. There is no rigid format — any text instruction works. But there is a structure that produces better results, based on how Claude interprets context.
A well-structured skill file usually has:
# SEO Tecnico — Skill to Claude Code
## Papel
Voce e um especialista em SEO tecnico com 10+ anos
de experiencia em auditoria de sites, Core Web Vitals
e otimizacao de rastreamento.
## Regras
- Sempre priorize mobile-first
- Use dados estruturados Schema.org quando aplicavel
- Recomende URLs canonicas to evitar conteudo duplicado
- Nunca sugira tecnicas black-hat
## Frameworks de Referencia
- Core Web Vitals: LCP < 2.5s, CLS < 0.1, INP < 200ms
- Checklist de auditoria: [lista de 20+ itens]
- Template de relatatorio: [formato padrao]
## Exemplos de Output
[exemplos do formato de resposta esperado]
The most important blocks of a skill are:
- Role:defines who Claude "is" in this skill. The more specific, the better the result.
- Rules:limits and guidelines that Claude must follow. O que fazer e o que NAO fazer.
- Frameworks:models, templates, checklists and technical references that Claude should use.
- Examples:samples of expected output. This calibrates the level of detail and format of the responses.
You can also include: links to documentation, reference tables, code snippets, step-by-step workflows. The more useful context the skill has, the more accurate Claude becomes.
Want to master this faster?
Everything you are learning here becomes 10x more powerful with ready-made skills. Instead of manually typing commands, skills do the heavy lifting. 748+ professional skills.
Quero as Skills — $9How to install skills in Claude Code
Install skills on Claude Code and copy files to a folder. There is no compilation, build, npm install or any other technical step. The entire process takes less than 2 minutes.
Step 1: Create the skills folder (if it does not exist)
$ mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
# Para skills de projeto (apenas este repositorio):
$ mkdir -p .claude/skills
Step 2: Copy the skill files
$ cp copywriting.md ~/.claude/skills/
# Copy um pacote inteiro de skills:
$ cp -r skills/* ~/.claude/skills/
Step 3: Open Claude Code
Claude Code v1.x
# O Claude ja carregou as skills automaticamente.
# Nenhuma configuracao adicional necessaria.
> escreva uma headline to uma landing page de SaaS
# Com a skill de copywriting instalada, o Claude vai usar
# frameworks como PAS, AIDA, 4Us automaticamente — sem
# voce precisar pedir.
Ready. There is no step 4. The skills are installed and Claude Code is already using them.
Practical examples of skills in action
To show the difference a skill makes, look at the same request with and without a skill installed:
Example 1: Copywriting — no skill
Aprenda Marketing Digital do Zero ao Avancado
# Generico. Sem framework. Sem especificidade.
Example 1: Copywriting — with skill installed
Como Gerar 3x Mais Leads em 30 Dias Usando as Mesmas
Ferramentas que Voce Ja Tem — Mesmo que Nunca Tenha
Rodado um Anuncio na Vida
# Framework PAS aplicado automaticamente.
# Resultado especifico + prazo + reducao de objecao.
# A skill ensinou o Claude a pensar como copywriter.
Example 2: SEO — with skill installed
## Auditoria SEO Tecnica
- Title tag: 62 chars (OK, limite: 60)
- Meta description: ausente (CRITICO)
- H1: presente, contém keyword principal (OK)
- Schema markup: nenhum detectado (RECOMENDADO)
- Core Web Vitals estimado: LCP alto (imagens sem lazy)
- Mobile: viewport meta presente (OK)
- Canonical: ausente (IMPORTANTE)
...
# A skill deu ao Claude um checklist de 20+ itens,
# formato de relatorio e criterios de prioridade.
Example 3: Development — with skill installed
# Com a skill de Node.js/Express instalada, o Claude:
# - Usa a estrutura de pastas padrao do projeto
# - Aplica validacao com Zod
# - Implementa tratamento de erros consistente
# - Segue o padrao de autenticacao do projeto
# - Cria testes automaticamente
Marketing skills: what’s included
O o Mega Bundle of skills for Claude Codeis part of the Mega Bundle with 748+ skills in 7 categories. Each skill was written by professionals with real experience, not by content generators.
Areas covered:
- Copywriting:headlines, sales pages, emails, advertisements, video scripts
- SEO:technical audit, keyword research, on-page optimization, link building
- Google Ads:campaign structure, ad copy, negative keywords, bids
- Meta Ads:creatives, copies, campaign structure, audiences
- Email Marketing:sequences, subjects, segmentation, automations
- Analytics:GTM, GA4, Meta Pixel, Conversions API, dashboards
- CRO:conversion optimization, A/B testing, heatmaps, funnels
Each skill contains between 500 and 3,000 words of instructions, frameworks, templates and examples. These are not one-line prompts — they are complete manuals that transform Claude into a real expert in the field.
Dev skills: what's included
O o Mega Bundle with 748+ skills for Claude Codeincludes 284 skills for developing real platforms and tools, in addition to 464+ skills for marketing, SEO, copywriting, social media and workflows.
Platforms included:
- Anthropic:Claude API, Agent SDK, integration with tools
- Vercel:Next.js, deployment, Edge Functions, analytics
- Stripe:payments, subscriptions, webhooks, Checkout
- Supabase:database, auth, storage, edge functions
- Google Cloud:Firebase, Cloud Functions, BigQuery
- Cloudflare:Workers, Pages, R2, DNS
- And more than 40 other platforms
When you install these skills, Claude Code will know the updated documentation for each platform. Instead of generating generic code, it generates code that follows the best practices and current APIs of each tool.
Next step: install skills and see the difference
You already know the basics. Now imagine Claude Code knowing how to do all this alone. That's what skills do. Lifetime access, updates included.
Ver o Mega Bundle — $9Claude Code Skills FAQ
No. Skills are text files (.md) that you copy to a folder on your computer. The process takes less than 2 minutes and does not require any programming knowledge. Claude Code reads these files automatically.
Yes. Skills work with any Claude Code plan — free, Pro or Enterprise. What changes between plans is the message limit, not the ability to use skills. The skill detection mechanism is the same on all plans.
Prompts are individual instructions that you type during each conversation. If you close the terminal, you lose everything. Skills are permanent files with complete frameworks, rules, templates and specialized context. Claude automatically loads skills when it detects they are relevant to your session — without you copying and pasting anything. It's the difference between giving a verbal instruction and delivering a complete manual.