What are Claude skills, and how do I install one? (No code)
A plain-English guide for coaches, consultants and small business owners. No technical background needed.
What is a Claude skill?
Claude is an AI assistant made by Anthropic. A skill is a small folder you add to Claude that teaches it how to do one job really well. Inside is a file called SKILL.md with written instructions, and sometimes templates, examples or small scripts.
Think of it like handing a new assistant a clear checklist for a task. Once a skill is added, Claude reads it automatically whenever your request matches, so you don’t have to write long prompts or explain your process every time.
What’s the difference between a skill and a plugin?
A plugin is a bundle that can hold several skills (and sometimes connections to other tools), installed in one go from a plugin marketplace. A skill is a single folder. On each listing we show which it is:
- Skill: add the single skill folder to Claude.
- Skill or plugin: the skill also ships inside a plugin, so you can add just the skill or install the whole plugin.
- Plugin: install it from a marketplace inside Claude.
How to add a skill to Claude (no code)
- Check skills are switched on. In Claude, open Settings, then Capabilities. Skills need the option for code execution and file creation to be on. Skills are available on Claude’s paid plans.
- Download the skill. On the listing, click View on GitHub. On GitHub, click the green Code button and choose Download ZIP. This downloads the whole collection the skill lives in.
- Find the skill’s folder. Unzip the download and find the folder for the skill you want. You’ll know it’s the right one because it contains a file called
SKILL.md. - Zip just that folder. Right-click the folder and choose Compress (Mac) or Send to › Compressed folder (Windows).
- Upload it to Claude. Back in Settings › Capabilities, find the Skills section, choose to upload a skill, and select your zip file.
- Use it. Just ask Claude for help with that task in a normal chat. Claude picks up the skill on its own when it’s relevant.
Claude’s menus change from time to time, so the exact names may be slightly different. If you can’t find something, search Claude’s help centre for “skills”.
How to install a plugin
- Open the plugin page. On the listing, click through to the plugin’s marketplace or source page to read what it includes.
- Install from inside Claude. Plugins are added from a plugin marketplace inside Claude’s apps (for example Claude Code or the Claude desktop app), where you can browse and install them with a click or a short command. The listing names the marketplace it comes from.
- Try it out. Once installed, its skills are available in your chats.
What does “No code needed” mean?
We read every listing and marked whether you need to write, edit or run code to get value from it. Skills marked No code needed work through normal conversation once installed. Some code needed means it expects technical setup, like a command line tool or an API key. Browse only no-code skills.
Staying safe
- Some skills include scripts that run on your computer. We flag this in each listing’s Safety note.
- Prefer skills from well-known authors and popular collections (we show GitHub stars, which are for the whole collection).
- Read the What it does section before installing, and remove skills you no longer use.
- Check the License if you plan to use a skill commercially. Some are for non-commercial use only.