This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing and using skills from the anthropics/skills repository with Claude Code. It covers marketplace registration, plugin bundle installation, and skill invocation.
For details on creating your own skills, see page 5.1. For understanding the underlying architecture, see page 2.1.
Before installing skills, ensure you have:
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Claude Code Access | Active Claude Code environment |
| GitHub Access | Ability to reference the anthropics/skills repository |
| Command Access | Ability to execute commands in Claude Code |
The anthropics/skills repository functions as a Claude Code Plugin marketplace. Installation is a single command that registers the marketplace and makes all contained skills available.
Execute the following command in Claude Code:
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
Registering the marketplace reads .claude-plugin/marketplace.json which defines the anthropic-agent-skills marketplace and the two plugin bundles (document-skills and example-skills) available to install.
Marketplace Registration Flow
Sources: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json1-45 README.md32-47
.claude-plugin/marketplace.json defines the top-level marketplace anthropic-agent-skills and two installable plugin bundles, each pointing to a list of skill directories under skills/.
Plugin Bundle Layout from marketplace.json
Sources: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json11-44
After registering the marketplace, install one or both plugin bundles. There are two methods:
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills (if not already done)Install a bundle directly without the interactive menu:
/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
/plugin install example-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
You can install one or both bundles. See page 3 for a full catalog of what each bundle includes.
Sources: README.md32-47
Once the marketplace is registered, skills are invoked by mentioning their name in natural language requests to Claude Code.
The general syntax for using a skill:
use the [skill-name] to [task description]
| Skill Bundle | Skill | Example Prompt |
|---|---|---|
document-skills | pdf | Use the PDF skill to extract form fields from path/to/file.pdf |
document-skills | xlsx | Use the xlsx skill to recalculate the formulas in report.xlsx |
document-skills | docx | Use the docx skill to create a project proposal document |
document-skills | pptx | Use the pptx skill to add a new slide to presentation.pptx |
example-skills | algorithmic-art | Use the algorithmic-art skill to create a flow field visualization |
example-skills | web-artifacts-builder | Use the web-artifacts-builder skill to create a React dashboard |
example-skills | skill-creator | Use the skill-creator skill to build a new skill for summarizing legal documents |
Sources: README.md49-50
When Claude receives a natural language prompt mentioning a skill, it loads the matching SKILL.md file and executes the task according to its instructions. The description field in the YAML frontmatter is what drives the trigger match.
Natural Language Prompt to SKILL.md Execution
Sources: README.md49-50 README.md62-88
| Bundle | Skill Directory | Category |
|---|---|---|
document-skills | skills/xlsx | Document processing |
document-skills | skills/docx | Document processing |
document-skills | skills/pptx | Document processing |
document-skills | skills/pdf | Document processing |
example-skills | skills/algorithmic-art | Creative & Design |
example-skills | skills/canvas-design | Creative & Design |
example-skills | skills/frontend-design | Creative & Design |
example-skills | skills/theme-factory | Creative & Design |
example-skills | skills/brand-guidelines | Creative & Design |
example-skills | skills/internal-comms | Communication |
example-skills | skills/slack-gif-creator | Communication |
example-skills | skills/doc-coauthoring | Communication |
example-skills | skills/skill-creator | Developer Tooling |
example-skills | skills/mcp-builder | Developer Tooling |
example-skills | skills/web-artifacts-builder | Developer Tooling |
example-skills | skills/webapp-testing | Developer Tooling |
Sources: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json11-44
Every skill is a directory containing a required SKILL.md file and optional supporting resources. The SKILL.md file has a YAML frontmatter block followed by a markdown body.
SKILL.md File Structure
The name and description frontmatter fields are required. The description field drives how Claude matches a user's natural language prompt to the correct skill. See page 2.2 for the full SKILL.md format specification.
Sources: README.md62-88 template/SKILL.md
After successful installation, explore the skills system further:
| Topic | Page Reference | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding Skills Architecture | Skills System Architecture | Learn how skills are discovered and executed |
| SKILL.md Format | SKILL.md Format Specification | Understand the required structure for skill files |
| Explore Example Skills | Skills Catalog | Browse available skills by category |
| Create Your Own Skill | Creating a New Skill | Step-by-step guide to skill development |
| Algorithmic Art Details | Algorithmic Art | Deep dive into generative art creation |
| React Artifacts Details | Artifacts Builder | Complete guide to React artifact development |
Sources: README.md1-98
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