Add a skill
There are three ways to add a skill to Claude. A skill is a saved set of steps your AI follows for one kind of task. Start with the first way. Skills you upload as a file never change. Skills from a collection can stay up to date.
Using ChatGPT? Skills there depend on your plan, and this page covers Claude. The copy-and-paste steps on each stage page work everywhere.
Before you start
These steps are for Claude on a computer or the web.
Skills need one setting turned on:
In Claude
Settings, then Capabilities. Check that “Code execution and file creation” is on. It’s on by default, on free and paid plans.
Checked on a live screen (paid account), October 2026. The free plan detail is from Anthropic's help pages.
Skills can include small programs. Only add skills from people you trust, and read what a skill says it does before you turn it on.
Way 1: Pick one from Anthropic’s list
This is the easiest way.
In Claude
Customize, then Skills. Press + and choose Browse skills. Press Add on one that fits. It’s turned on straight away.
"Customize, then Skills" checked on a live screen (paid account), October 2026. The rest is from Anthropic's help pages.
What you should see: the skill in your list, switched on. Then start a new chat and ask for that kind of task. The answer should follow the skill’s steps.
Way 2: Upload a skill file
A skill file is a .zip with one folder inside.
Upload it:
In Claude
Customize, then Skills. Press Add skill, then Create skill, then Upload a skill, and choose the file.
"Add skill" checked on a live screen (paid account), October 2026. The next steps are from Anthropic's help pages.
A skill added this way stays exactly as it is. To update it, delete it and upload the new file.
The starter skills will be here as ready-made files once they pass the Toolshed checks.
Way 3: Add a plugin from a collection
A plugin is a bundle of skills. Plugins come from a collection, a list kept on GitHub that Claude calls a marketplace. GitHub is a website where people share code and skills. Plugins need a paid plan.
Add a collection:
In Claude
Customize, then Plugins. Press Add plugin, then Add marketplace, then Add from a repository. Type the collection’s address, like anthropics/skills. Then add the plugins you want from the list. To keep them current, turn on Sync automatically for that collection. Without it, new versions arrive only when you press Check for updates.
Checked on a live screen (paid account) up to Add plugin, October 2026. The rest is from Anthropic's help pages.
Switching from a file to a plugin
Turn the uploaded skill off, but don’t delete it yet. Add the plugin and try it. If it works, delete the old upload a week later.
Removing a skill
In Claude
Customize, then Skills or Plugins. Turn it off, or remove it. Nothing else changes.
From Anthropic's help pages, October 2026.