Use Claude skills when you want Claude on the web or Claude Desktop to follow reusable instructions, work with bundled files, or apply a repeatable workflow inside chat.
For the official reference, see Use Skills in Claude.
Claude app skills are different from Claude Code skills. Claude app skills are managed from Customize > Skills in Claude. Claude Code skills are local folders such as ~/.claude/skills/ or .claude/skills/ and are covered separately in the Claude Code Skills quick start.
Before you start
- Use a Claude plan or workspace that supports skills.
- Make sure skills are enabled for your account or organization.
- Keep skill packages in a trusted location before uploading them.
- Review any skill before installing it, especially if it includes files, scripts, or instructions from outside your organization.
For team or enterprise workspaces, an admin may need to enable skills before users can add or run them.
Open Skills
In Claude Desktop or Claude on the web:
- Open Customize.
- Find the Skills section.
- Use the available action to Add, Create, or Replace a skill.
If the Skills section is hidden or disabled, check Settings > Capabilities and your workspace admin settings.
Add a skill
Use Add when you already have a skill package from a trusted source.
- Open Customize > Skills.
- Select Add.
- Choose the skill package.
- Review the skill name, description, and contents.
- Confirm the upload or installation.
- Toggle the skill on if Claude does not enable it automatically.
Do not upload a skill package unless you trust its contents. Skills can influence how Claude interprets requests and may include supporting files.
Create a skill
Use Create when you want Claude to help build a new reusable workflow.
Start with a concrete prompt:
Create a Claude skill for this workflow:
Skill name:
[name]
When Claude should use it:
[trigger conditions]
Inputs I will provide:
[inputs]
Steps Claude should follow:
[steps]
Output format:
[format]
Ask me any missing questions before creating the skill.After Claude drafts the skill, review the instructions and test it with a low-risk request before relying on it for production work.
Replace a skill
Use Replace when you have a newer version of a skill that should take the place of an existing one.
- Open Customize > Skills.
- Select the existing skill.
- Choose Replace.
- Upload the new version.
- Confirm the name and description still match the intended workflow.
- Test the skill with a known request.
Replacing a skill can change Claude's behavior in future chats. Keep a copy of the previous version if your team may need to roll back.
Enable or disable skills
In Customize > Skills, toggle individual skills on or off.
Keep only the skills you need enabled for a task. Disable old, experimental, or overlapping skills when they are not relevant.
Verify a skill
Start a new Claude chat and ask for the workflow the skill should handle:
Use my [skill name] workflow to process this request: [task]If Claude does not appear to use the skill, make the skill description more explicit, confirm the skill is enabled, and start a new chat.
Troubleshooting
Skills are not visible
Check whether your plan supports skills, whether skills are enabled under Settings > Capabilities, and whether your workspace admin has enabled skills.
Add, Create, or Replace is disabled
Your workspace may restrict who can create or upload custom skills. Ask an admin to enable skill creation or to install the skill for the workspace.
Claude ignores the skill
Confirm the skill is enabled and its description clearly matches the request. Start a new conversation after changing skill settings.
The wrong skill activates
Disable overlapping skills or rewrite the descriptions so each skill has a clear trigger condition.