About skill-new
skill-new is an agent skill for creating a new skill folder and a correctly structured `SKILL.md` in the project’s existing layout. It guides the agent through collecting required details, choosing a location, checking for conflicts, and writing the file.
Key features
- 01Collects skill name and description
- 02Defines activation conditions and skill steps
- 03Follows the project’s skill directory layout
- 04Checks for an existing target path
- 05Creates a minimal `SKILL.md` scaffold
Use cases
- 01Adding a new skill to a repository
- 02Choosing where a skill belongs in an existing project
- 03Gathering missing details before writing a skill
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ petr-korobeinikov/ skills --skill skill-newAfter installing, type/skill-newin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEskill-new
Create a new skill folder with a properly formatted SKILL.md,
placed according to the current project's layout.
When NOT to use
Triggers for activation live in the frontmatter when_to_use field.
Do NOT activate for editing existing skills —
only for creating new ones.
Inputs to collect
Before writing files, make sure you have:
name— lowercase, hyphen-separated, unique among existing skills. Derive from the user's request if obvious; otherwise ask.description— one or two sentences describing what the skill does. Keep it concise; trigger conditions go inwhen_to_use. Ask the user if unclear.when_to_use— trigger conditions that tell the agent when to activate this skill: phrases the user might say, file types, project shapes. The agent matches againstdescription+when_to_usecombined, so be concrete. Ask the user if unclear.- Body content — the steps the agent should follow when the skill activates. Ask the user for the procedure if they haven't described it.
Determine the target directory
Look at where existing SKILL.md files live in the project
and follow the same convention.
Common layouts:
skills/<name>/SKILL.md— most common multi-skill repo.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md— Claude-specific project layout<name>/SKILL.mdat repo root — flat layout
If no existing skills are found, default to skills/<name>/SKILL.md.
Steps
- Determine the target directory using the rule above.
- Verify the target path does not already exist. If it does, stop and ask whether to overwrite or pick a different name.
- Create the directory.
- Write
SKILL.mdusing the template below. - Report the created path.
SKILL.md template
---
name: <name>
description: >-
<one or two sentences: what the skill does>
when_to_use: >-
<triggers: phrases the user might say, file types, project shapes>
---
# <Human-readable title>
<One-paragraph summary of what the skill does.>
## Steps
1. <First action>
2. <Second action>
3. <Final action>
Rules
- Don't add
scripts/orreferences/subfolders unless the skill actually needs them — keep the scaffold minimal. - Don't write a per-skill README;
SKILL.mdis the documentation. - Frontmatter
namemust match the folder name.