How to Install a New Skill into Claude, Step by Step

You install a skill in Claude by uploading a ZIP file. Turn on code execution in Settings, open Customize → Skills, click the + button, choose Upload a skill, and upload the ZIP. Then switch the skill on and test it in a new chat.

A skill is a small folder of instructions that teaches Claude a repeatable workflow. Once installed, Claude loads it on its own whenever your request matches what the skill is for. You do not need to write any code, and the steps below work on the web app, the desktop app, and every plan.

What you need before you start

• A Claude account. Skills work on the Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.
• A skill in ZIP form. The ZIP must contain one folder, and inside that folder a file named SKILL.md at the top level.
• A trusted source. A skill can include scripts, so only install skills whose files you can read first. Anthropic's own examples live in the official skills repository.

Step 1: Turn on code execution

Skills need Claude to create and work with files, so this setting comes first.

1. Open Claude and go to Settings.
2. Open Capabilities.
3. Turn on Code execution and file creation.

If this is off, the skill cannot run. Anthropic's help center walks through the same requirement in its guide to using skills in Claude.

Step 2: Get the skill ZIP

Download the skill from a source you trust and keep it as a ZIP. Do not unzip it yet — Claude takes the ZIP as it is.

A good skill ZIP has a simple shape: one folder, named after the skill, with SKILL.md inside it, plus sometimes extra files like a template or reference documents. Marketplaces package skills exactly this way. At AI Services Market, for example, every skill is a ZIP containing a folder with SKILL.md and a starter template, ready to upload as-is.

Step 3: Upload the skill

1. In the Claude sidebar, open Customize.
2. Open Skills.
3. Click the + button.
4. Choose Create skill, then Upload a skill.
5. Select the ZIP file from your computer.

Claude reads the package and adds the skill to your list.

Step 4: Switch the skill on

Uploaded skills start switched off. Find the new skill in your Skills list and turn its toggle on. Nothing will happen until you do this — it is the step people most often miss.

Step 5: Test it in a new chat

Open a fresh chat and make a request that matches the skill's purpose. If you installed a meeting-notes skill, paste in some rough notes and ask Claude to turn them into a summary with decisions and action items. Claude should load the skill by itself and follow its instructions. You do not need to name the skill or attach any files.

Installing a skill in Claude Code

Claude Code reads skills from folders on your computer instead of uploads.

1. Unzip the skill so you have the skill folder itself.
2. For personal use across all projects, place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/.
3. For one project only, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
4. Restart the Claude Code session.

Each skill folder must contain its SKILL.md at the top level, so the path looks like ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md.

Troubleshooting

The upload fails, or the skill does not appear. The classic cause is a double-nested folder. When a ZIP gets unzipped and zipped again, the skill folder ends up inside another folder with the same name, and SKILL.md is no longer at the top level of the skill folder. Open the ZIP and check the layout before uploading: one folder, with SKILL.md directly inside it.

The skill is installed but never triggers. Claude decides when to use a skill by reading its description field. Open the skill's SKILL.md and read the description. If it is vague, Claude cannot tell when the skill applies. A good description says what the skill does and when to use it. Rewriting those one or two sentences fixes most triggering problems.

The skill will not turn on. Check that code execution and file creation are still enabled under Settings → Capabilities, then confirm your plan supports skills.

That is all there is to it. Get the ZIP, upload it, switch it on, and test it with one real request. From then on, the skill is part of how your Claude works.