MCP Directory

title: "SKILL.md for Claude Code — Create & Use AI Skills" description: "How to write, organize, and use SKILL.md files in Claude Code." slug: "skill-md-claude-code" category: "skills" updatedAt: "2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z" faqs:

  • q: "Where do I put SKILL.md files?" a: "Place them in .claude/skills/ in your project root. Claude Code auto-discovers any SKILL.md files in that directory."
  • q: "Can I have multiple Skills?" a: "Yes. Create separate directories under .claude/skills/ for each Skill, each with its own SKILL.md."
AI Skills & Rules
2026
Updated Mar 5, 20267 min read
SKILL.md
claude code
anthropic
skills

SKILL.md for Claude Code

Overview

SKILL.md is the file format used by Claude Code to define reusable AI Skills — instruction sets that teach your AI assistant specialized expertise for specific tasks like code review, database migrations, or framework patterns.

File Format

---
name: my-skill-name
description: One-line description of what this skill does
---

# Skill Title

## When to Use
Describe when this skill should be activated.

## Rules
1. First rule or convention
2. Second rule

## Examples
Show code examples of correct behavior

Directory Structure

project-root/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── code-review/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       ├── database-migration/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       └── api-design/
│           ├── SKILL.md
│           └── examples/
│               └── endpoint-template.ts

Example: Code Review Skill

---
name: code-review
description: Thorough code review with security and performance checks
---

# Code Review Skill

## Checklist
1. **Security**: SQL injection, XSS, auth bypass, secrets in code
2. **Correctness**: Edge cases, null checks, error handling
3. **Performance**: N+1 queries, re-renders, memory leaks
4. **Style**: Naming, organization, DRY violations
5. **Tests**: Missing coverage, edge cases, mocking

## Output Format
- List issues by severity: 🔴 Critical → 🟡 Warning → 🔵 Suggestion
- Include line numbers and fix recommendations

Using Skills with MCP

Skills pair perfectly with MCP servers — MCP gives your AI access to tools, Skills tell it how to behave when using them:

  • PostgreSQL MCP + Database Migration Skill = AI writes safe, standardized migrations
  • GitHub MCP + Code Review Skill = Structured PR reviews with severity labels
  • Filesystem MCP + API Design Skill = Consistent API endpoint generation

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Last updated: March 5, 2026