SKILL.md Template
The canonical SKILL.md template from Anthropic's official skills repo — a folder with YAML frontmatter (name + description) plus the markdown instructions Claude follows when the skill is active.
Entry verified April 21, 2026
The short answer
Anthropic's reference implementation. A skill is a folder containing SKILL.md with two required frontmatter fields (name, description) and markdown instructions below. The anthropics/skills repo bundles the template plus open-source example skills (Apache-2.0) and the document-creation skills (docx/pdf/pptx/xlsx) which are source-available.
When to use it
Before writing your first skill. Any time a community template produces odd behaviour and you suspect it's drifted from the spec.
Setup
- 1
Clone anthropics/skills — the /template folder holds the starting point, /spec holds the Agent Skills specification, /skills holds concrete examples.
- 2
Or register the repo as a Claude Code plugin marketplace via /plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills and install example-skills or document-skills.
- 3
Keep the template in sync by subscribing to the repo's releases — the frontmatter spec can evolve.
- 4
Reference inline when scaffolding a new skill via /skill-creator so the generated file uses the current required fields.
Example
[Not invocable — reference material, copy the template into your skill file.]
Source & attribution
- Author
- Anthropic
- Licence
- Apache-2.0 (core skills only; docx/pdf/pptx/xlsx are source-available, exclude from forks)
- Source
- anthropics/skills
- Type
- Official (Anthropic)
From Anthropic's official skills repository. Check their LICENSE and NOTICE files for specifics.
Caveats
Check the repo's LICENSE and NOTICE files — Anthropic distinguishes between Apache-2.0 skills and source-available ones. Only fork the Apache ones.
56 skills across 10 categories, all licence-verified.