Add a skill to Claude and put it to work
A skill is a folder of instructions Claude follows whenever a task matches. This shows the whole thing in the Claude desktop app: upload the ZIP, switch it on, call it with a slash, and read what comes back. The video uses the Sector Lens skill; the steps are the same for any skill.
- Platform
- Claude
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
This guide shows how to add a skill to Claude in about five minutes: download the ZIP, open Settings → Skills, upload it, check the toggle is on, then call it in a chat with / and the skill's name. The video uses the Sector Lens skill to compare three semiconductor stocks and asks for a chart.
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What you need
- A Claude account with code execution turned on (Settings → Capabilities → "Code execution and file creation"; on Team and Enterprise plans an admin controls this)
- The Claude desktop app or claude.ai in a browser
- A skill ZIP, such as Sector Lens or Earnings Call Digest from the Skills page
Steps
Download the skill
Open the skill's page on the Skills tab, read the files shown there, then download the ZIP. Leave it zipped; Claude takes the ZIP as it is.
Open Settings
In the desktop app, open the File menu and choose Settings, or press Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on a Mac). On claude.ai, Settings is under your name in the bottom-left corner.
Go to Skills
In the Settings sidebar, under Customize, click Skills. The page lists the skills you've added and the ones Anthropic ships. If you don't see Skills, code execution isn't on yet; go back to Capabilities and switch it on first.
Upload the skill
Click the upload button to open "Upload a skill". Drag the ZIP onto the drop zone or click to browse for it. The page tells you the ZIP must contain a SKILL.md whose top lines give the skill's name and description; every Hands Off skill does. A security scan runs when you upload.
Check it's switched on
After the upload, the skill's page opens with the version, the publisher and a Contents tab listing every file. Make sure the toggle next to "Try in chat" is on. You can read any file here before using it; it's the same text shown on the Hands Off skill page.
Call it with a slash
Start a new chat. Type / and the skill's name, pick it from the list, then write the request after it. Claude also picks the skill up on its own when the request matches its description, but the slash makes it certain.
/sector-lens compare the 3 largest semiconductor stocks in the US
Read the result
The skill decides what comes back. Sector Lens, for example, returns a market snapshot, a side-by-side table with a Comparable? column, and a section on where the comparison is misleading. Check the Sources line and the period before you read any number.
Ask for the next thing
Keep going in the same chat. Sector Lens can turn the comparison into a chart you can post; the earnings call skill can take a transcript next. Each skill's page lists what to say.
Before you rely on it
- You read the skill's files before uploading it
- The skill shows as switched on in Settings → Skills
- Typing / in a chat lists the skill by name
- The result shows a source and a period for every figure
- You still treat the output as a research aid, not a decision
Used in this guide
Compared in
Frequently asked questions
- What is a Claude skill?
- A folder of plain-text instructions, with optional reference files and scripts, that Claude reads when a task matches the skill's description. Install it once and the workflow runs the same way every time, without pasting a long prompt.
- Do skills cost extra?
- No. Skills need code execution turned on in Settings → Capabilities, which is included in paid Claude plans. Hands Off skills are free for personal use.
- Do I need the desktop app?
- No. The video uses the desktop app, but claude.ai in a browser has the same Settings → Skills page, and skills you upload appear in both.
- Does the skill run automatically?
- Claude uses a skill when your request matches its description. Typing / and the skill's name at the start of a message makes sure it's used.
- Can I read a skill before installing it?
- Yes. Every file in a Hands Off skill is shown in full on its page before you download, and Claude shows the same files under Contents after you upload.
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This guide is an editorial walkthrough, not a tested configuration and not financial advice. Review anything a model produces before you act on it.