How do I turn Skills on in claude.ai?

Per Anthropic's support article on using Skills, Free, Pro, and Max users turn on code execution and file creation in Settings > Capabilities, then switch individual skills on under Customize > Skills. Team members have it on by default at the organization level, while an Enterprise owner must first enable code execution and Skills in Organization settings before members can use them.

Do I need to open a skill myself before Claude uses it?

No. Per Anthropic's support article, Claude invokes a relevant, toggled-on skill automatically, such as the built-in PowerPoint skill when you ask for a presentation. If Claude is not using one, confirm the skill is toggled on under Customize > Skills, then name it directly in your request.

Can I create my own Skill?

Yes. Per Anthropic's support article, you build a skill folder in the required structure, package it as a ZIP file, then upload it from Customize > Skills by choosing + Create skill and Upload a skill. Anthropic's own Skills article adds that the built-in skill-creator skill can also build the folder and SKILL.md file for you interactively.

Which Claude plans include Skills, and what do they cost?

Per Anthropic's support article, Skills are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise, and require code execution to run. VentureBeat's December 18, 2025 report, citing Anthropic product manager Mahesh Murag, says Skills work across Claude.ai, Claude Code, the Claude Agent SDK, and the API at no extra cost on Max, Pro, Team, and Enterprise, with API use billed at standard API pricing.

Guide · Published October 2026

How to Use Claude Skills: A Beginner's Setup Guide

Q: What is a Claude Skill?

A Skill is a folder containing instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude loads only when a task calls for it, according to Anthropic's own Skills article, published October 16, 2025 and updated December 18, 2025. Anthropic calls this design progressive disclosure, so a skill costs only a few dozen tokens until it is actually needed.

A Claude Skill is a folder of instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude loads only when a task needs it, according to Anthropic's own Skills article, published October 16, 2025 and updated December 18, 2025. If you keep re-explaining the same formatting rules or workflow every time you open a new chat, Skills are the feature built to fix that. Here is what a Skill actually does, how to turn one on, and how to build your own without touching code.

What a Claude Skill actually is

Per Anthropic's Skills article, a skill packages procedural knowledge, the kind of step-by-step know-how you'd otherwise retype into a prompt, into a reusable folder. The example Anthropic gives is a PowerPoint skill bundling formatting conventions, slide structure guidelines, and quality standards, so a request for a Q3 results deck pulls in that know-how automatically. Anthropic calls the underlying design "progressive disclosure": a skill takes up only a few dozen tokens of context until a matching task actually triggers it, at which point its full instructions load in. That is also why an organization can stack a large library of skills without slowing Claude down or crowding its working memory.

Turning Skills on, plan by plan

Per Anthropic's support article on using Skills, the first step on a Free, Pro, or Max account is Settings > Capabilities, where you switch on code execution and file creation, since Skills require that capability to run. From there, go to Customize > Skills and use the switch next to any skill to turn it on; a skill that is toggled off is simply unavailable to Claude. On a Team plan the feature is on by default at the organization level, and individual members still enable specific skills themselves. On Enterprise, an owner has to turn on code execution and Skills in Organization settings > Skills first, before anyone on the team can use them at all.

Using a built-in skill without doing anything special

You do not open or run a skill directly. Per Anthropic's support article, Claude checks your request against the skills you have toggled on and loads a matching one automatically, the same way a request for a presentation can quietly pull in the built-in PowerPoint skill. If a skill you expected to fire does not seem to be working, the support article suggests two checks: confirm it is actually switched on under Customize > Skills, and if it still does not trigger, name the skill directly in your request instead of leaving Claude to guess.

Building and uploading your own skill

Per Anthropic's support article, a custom skill starts as a folder built to the required structure, which you then package as a single ZIP file. From Customize > Skills, choose the plus icon, then "Create skill," then "Upload a skill," and select that ZIP. The new skill appears in your list, where the same on/off switch applies. Anthropic's Skills article adds a shortcut for the folder itself: the built-in skill-creator skill can interview you about the workflow you want to capture and assemble the folder and SKILL.md file for you, so you are not hand-writing it from scratch. By default a custom skill is private to your own account; on Team and Enterprise, an owner has to enable sharing in Organization settings > Skills before a colleague can use one you built.

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Where Skills work, and what it costs

Per VentureBeat's December 18, 2025 report, quoting Anthropic product manager Mahesh Murag, "we're launching Agent Skills as an independent open standard," and skills work across every Claude surface: Claude.ai, Claude Code, the Claude Agent SDK, and the API. VentureBeat reports that Skills carry no extra cost on Max, Pro, Team, and Enterprise, while API usage bills at standard API rates. The same report notes the specification and a reference SDK are published at agentskills.io, and that Anthropic's December 2025 update added a directory of partner-built skills from companies including Atlassian, Figma, Canva, Stripe, Notion, and Zapier, alongside organization-wide management tools for admins.

Before you upload someone else's skill

Anthropic's Skills article is direct about the tradeoff: a skill can include executable code, so install one only from a source you trust, the same caution you would apply to a browser extension or a plugin. A skill you built yourself and never shared stays private to your account, which is the safer place to experiment first. And because Skills has rolled out gradually across plans since Anthropic's October 2025 launch, with the enterprise directory and admin controls only added that December, double-check the exact toggles on your own plan in Anthropic's support pages before you count on a specific one being there.

Questions people ask about Claude Skills

What is a Claude Skill?: A folder containing instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude loads only when a task calls for it, according to Anthropic's own Skills article, published October 16, 2025 and updated December 18, 2025. Anthropic calls this design progressive disclosure, so a skill costs only a few dozen tokens until it is actually needed.
How do I turn Skills on in claude.ai?: Per Anthropic's support article on using Skills, Free, Pro, and Max users turn on code execution and file creation in Settings > Capabilities, then switch individual skills on under Customize > Skills. Team members have it on by default at the organization level, while an Enterprise owner must first enable code execution and Skills in Organization settings before members can use them.
Do I need to open a skill myself before Claude uses it?: No. Per Anthropic's support article, Claude invokes a relevant, toggled-on skill automatically, such as the built-in PowerPoint skill when you ask for a presentation. If Claude is not using one, confirm the skill is toggled on under Customize > Skills, then name it directly in your request.
Can I create my own Skill?: Yes. Per Anthropic's support article, you build a skill folder in the required structure, package it as a ZIP file, then upload it from Customize > Skills by choosing + Create skill and Upload a skill. Anthropic's own Skills article adds that the built-in skill-creator skill can also build the folder and SKILL.md file for you interactively.
Which Claude plans include Skills, and what do they cost?: Per Anthropic's support article, Skills are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise, and require code execution to run. VentureBeat's December 18, 2025 report, citing Anthropic product manager Mahesh Murag, says Skills work across Claude.ai, Claude Code, the Claude Agent SDK, and the API at no extra cost on Max, Pro, Team, and Enterprise, with API use billed at standard API pricing.

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