MCPs and skillsNov 12, 20264 min read / Intermediate / Needs code: no

Add a skill to Claude

Turn on skills in Claude, switch on a ready-made one, or upload your own. Claude then uses a skill when your request calls for it.

A folder labeled with a gear icon sits open on a desk, revealing organized instruction cards stacked inside.

What it is

A skill is a saved set of instructions that teaches AI to do one job your way. Anthropic's help pages describe skills in Claude as folders of instructions, scripts and resources that Claude loads when a task needs them. When you ask for something, Claude reviews the skills available to it, loads the relevant ones and applies their instructions.

Anthropic provides built-in skills for Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and PDFs. You can also add your own.

Who it is for

Skills help anyone who does the same kind of task again and again and wants the result to look the same each time. Anthropic's examples include applying brand style guidelines to documents and presentations, writing messages from company email templates, and structuring meeting notes in a company format. They also help team leads and admins who want everyone to follow the same workflow.

What you need

A Claude account on a Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise plan.
Code execution turned on. Anthropic says skills require it.
On Enterprise plans: an Owner who has enabled both Code execution and file creation and Skills in Organization settings > Plugins & skills, in the "Policy" tab.
On Team plans: skills are enabled by default at the organization level.
For your own skill: a skill folder packaged as a ZIP file. Anthropic's "How to create custom skills" page explains the structure.

Set it up

On Team or Enterprise plans, go to Organization settings > Plugins & skills and click the "Policy" tab. Make sure code execution and file creation and Skills are both enabled. On Enterprise plans, this step is for Owners.
On Free, Pro, Max and Ultra plans, go to Settings > Capabilities. Make sure Code execution and file creation is enabled. In the updated Settings layout it is called Create and edit files.
Go to Customize > Skills.
Toggle individual skills on or off as you need them.
To add your own skill, first create it by following the skill structure and package the skill folder as a ZIP file.
In Customize > Skills, click the "+" button, then "+ Create skill."
Select "Upload a skill."
Upload the ZIP file that contains your skill folder.
Your skill appears in your skills list. You can toggle it on or off like any other.

A first thing to try

Start with one of Anthropic's built-in skills. With code execution and file creation on, Claude uses them when they are relevant. You do not have to name the skill. Anthropic's own example request is:

Create a PowerPoint presentation about Q3 results

According to Anthropic, Claude will use the PowerPoint skill if the capability is enabled. For a skill you uploaded, ask for the job it was written for and see whether Claude follows your instructions. The help pages do not describe a separate button or log that shows which skill Claude used.

Limits and privacy

Skills need code execution to be enabled. Without it they do not work.
Custom skills you upload are not visible to colleagues until you share them.
On Team and Enterprise plans, admins can see the names and sharing status of your custom skills, but not their files.
On Team and Enterprise plans, you can share skills. Owners can also provision skills for the whole organization. Those skills appear in your list with a team indicator, and you can toggle them on or off.
On Enterprise plans, individual members can only toggle on example skills, use provisioned skills and upload personal skills once skills are enabled at the organization level.
Anthropic also describes a way to record a skill by doing a task on screen. It is available on Pro, Max, Ultra and Team plans, in Cowork in Claude for Mac. It is not available in chat, on Windows, or on Free and Enterprise plans.
If you record a skill, everything on your screen and everything you say is captured. Anthropic warns you not to type passwords or secrets, or show sensitive information or private conversations.
The help page excerpt does not give the file structure for a custom skill. Check Anthropic's "How to create custom skills" page before you build one.

Turn on skills first, try a built-in one, and add your own once you have a task worth repeating.

Where these steps come from

Steps from Anthropic's documentation, checked 13 Nov 2026.

This guide was written by AI from the pages above. Menus and plans change, so open them if a step looks different.