What is a skill?
A skill is a page of written instructions that tells Claude how to do one task well.
Think of it as an order set. You write down once how a task should be done. After that, the task is done the same careful way every time, and you do not have to explain it again.
Why it matters
- Same standard every time. A summary always includes the confidence interval. A consent rewrite always keeps every required part.
- The safety rules are built in. A good clinical skill tells Claude never to use patient identifiers, never to invent citations, and always to date its sources.
- Less typing. You stop repeating yourself.
What a skill is not
A skill does not make Claude perfect, and it does not replace your judgment. You still check what Claude gives you before you sign, send or publish anything.
One caution: many skills are posted online by people you do not know. A skill changes how Claude behaves, so read a skill before you add it, just as you would read a new order set before it goes live.
What you need
- A Claude account at claude.ai. Free, Pro and Max accounts can add their own skills.
- A computer. Adding a skill is easiest on a computer; once added, you can use it anywhere you use Claude.
- About five minutes.
How to install a skill
\nHere is the whole process, one step at a time. The skills themselves are on the next page; you can come back here while you install them.
Before you start: one setting (you do this once)
- Open Claude on your computer at claude.ai.
- Go to Settings, then Capabilities.
- Find "Code execution and file creation" (on some screens it is called "Create and edit files").
- Make sure the switch is on.
Add a skill
- Download the skill. Click Download on the skill you want. A file arrives on your computer, called something like evidence-summary.zip, usually in your Downloads folder. Leave it as it is. Do not double-click it or open it.
- Open the Skills page in Claude. Go to claude.ai/customize/skills, or choose Customize, then Skills.
- Click the "+" button, then click "+ Create skill."
- Click "Upload a skill." A window opens showing the files on your computer.
- Choose the ZIP file. In that window, open your Downloads folder, click once on evidence-summary.zip, then click Open (or Upload).
- Check that it is switched on. The skill now appears in your list with a switch next to it. Make sure the switch is on.
Tip for Mac users: some browsers open ZIP files automatically. If you find a folder called evidence-summary instead of a file called evidence-summary.zip, right-click the folder and choose Compress. That turns it back into a ZIP file.
Using "Download all 20": this file holds all twenty skills. Double-click it once to open it. Inside is a folder with twenty ZIP files, one per skill. Upload those one at a time, following steps 2 to 6.
How do I know my skills are there?
Type or paste this into any Claude chat. Claude lists the skills you have switched on and what each one does.
To see all your skills, go to claude.ai/customize/skills. Every skill you added is listed with its switch. If a skill is listed and switched on, Claude can use it.
Is there a "/" command? Sometimes. In the box where you type to Claude, type / (the forward slash key). A list may appear showing skills you can pick. If you see your skill, click it, then type your request. If it does not appear, simply name the skill in your request: "Use the evidence-summary skill on this paper." Naming the skill is the most reliable way.
A quick test: open a new chat, attach a PDF and type "Use the evidence-summary skill on this paper." If the answer comes back in the skill's format (question, design, main result, limitations, bottom line), the skill is working.
How to use a skill
Just ask for what you need, in your own words, and Claude uses the matching skill. For example, attach a PDF and type "Summarize this paper," or paste an answer from another AI tool and type "Is this correct?"
If Claude does not seem to use a skill
- Check that its switch is on at Customize, then Skills.
- Check that "Code execution and file creation" is on in Settings, then Capabilities.
- Name the skill in your request.
Skills you add are private to your account. If your hospital uses a Claude Team or Enterprise plan, the person in charge of the account can add skills once for everyone; if you cannot find the upload option, ask that person. Version 1.0.0; when an update is posted, remove the old skill and upload the new one. Steps follow Claude's Help Center article "Use skills in Claude", which has the latest instructions if anything on screen looks different.
Twenty free skills for evidence, AI checking, writing, consent, ethics and teaching. Start with three: Evidence Summary, AI Output Check and Citation Verifier.