Two paths to installing a skill
Claude skills are ZIP archives containing a folder with at least one file: SKILL.md. You install them differently depending on whether you're using Claude Code (the CLI) or Claude.ai (the web app). Both methods take the same ZIP file as input.
If you're using Claude Code, your skills live in a local directory and Claude reads them at startup. If you're on Claude.ai, you upload the ZIP through the settings UI. Either way, Claude auto-discovers the skill and decides when to use it based on its description.
Path 1: Claude Code (CLI)
Step 1: Download the skill ZIP
From any skill page on this site, click the download button. You'll get a ZIP file named after the skill, for example env-doctor.zip.
Step 2: Find your skills directory
Claude Code looks for skills in a specific directory depending on your operating system:
- macOS and Linux:
~/.claude/skills/ - Windows:
%USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\
If the directory doesn't exist yet, create it. You only need to do this once.
$ mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
Step 3: Unzip into the skills directory
Unzip the downloaded file so the skill folder lands directly inside ~/.claude/skills/. The final path should look like this:
~/.claude/skills/
└── env-doctor/
├── SKILL.md
└── scripts/
└── check-env.sh
The folder name doesn't need to match any particular convention — what matters is that SKILL.md is at the root of the folder, not nested inside another subfolder.
$ unzip ~/Downloads/env-doctor.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/
Step 4: Reload Claude Code
Claude Code indexes skills at startup. Restart it to pick up new skills. In the terminal, exit and re-open Claude Code. If you're already inside a session, you can try typing /reset — though a full restart is more reliable.
Step 5: Use the skill naturally
You don't activate skills manually. Claude reads each SKILL.md and understands what the skill does from its description. When you make a request that matches the skill's purpose, Claude applies it automatically.
For example, if you installed Env Doctor, just say: "Check my environment variables before the deploy." Claude will use the skill without you needing to name it explicitly.
Path 2: Claude.ai (web)
Skills are available on Claude.ai plans that support the Skills feature. Check your plan's feature list if you're unsure.
- Go to Claude.ai and open Settings (top-right menu).
- Navigate to Customize → Skills.
- Click Upload skill and select the ZIP file you downloaded.
- Enable the skill with the toggle after upload.
- Start a new conversation — the skill is now active.
For the official walkthrough, see Anthropic's Skills documentation.
Troubleshooting
Skill not activating
The most common cause is that Claude doesn't see a match between your request and the skill's description. Try phrasing your request closer to what the skill does. If the skill's SKILL.md says it handles "environment variable auditing," ask Claude to "audit my environment variables" rather than just "check my config."
Wrong directory
Double-check that SKILL.md is at the top level of the skill folder — not inside a nested subfolder. The correct structure is ~/.claude/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md, not ~/.claude/skills/skill-name/skill-name/SKILL.md.
Claude not finding the skill after restart
Make sure you unzipped into ~/.claude/skills/ and not into ~/.claude/ directly. Also confirm the file is actually named SKILL.md (capital letters, no extension variation). Some unzip tools on Windows may lower-case filenames.
Tips for managing multiple skills
- One skill per folder. Don't put two skills in the same directory — each skill needs its own folder with its own
SKILL.md. - Don't rename SKILL.md. Claude specifically looks for that filename. Renaming it to
skill.mdorinstructions.mdwill break discovery. - Test with a specific task. After installing, try a task that directly matches the skill's purpose. Generic requests may not trigger it.
- Skills are versioned. If you install an updated version of a skill, replace the entire folder rather than overwriting individual files.