Creating your first skill

Why it matters

Section 3.2 is about packaging a repeatable workflow so Claude picks it up when it applies. This lesson builds the smallest real one.

What to practise

Create ~/.claude/skills/pr-description/SKILL.md with a name and description in its frontmatter and a PR template below, then ask for a PR description and check it follows the template. Notice that Claude Code reads only the name and description up front, matches your request against the description, and loads the full file only after a match: the description is the trigger. The lesson restarts Claude Code after each change, but Claude Code picks up SKILL.md edits in the running session.

How it fits

The frontmatter split is 3.2.2. The name-conflict order is 3.2.1: a personal skill runs instead of a same-named project skill, which is why distinct names matter. The lesson ranks plugin skills last, but they are namespaced as /plugin-name:skill-name and load beside a same-named skill. Last, ask whether the PR format belongs in a skill or in CLAUDE.md, as 3.2.6 decides.