---
name: turn-your-checklists-into-skills
description: "If you keep pasting the same instructions into Claude, write them once as a skill: one SKILL.md file that Claude Code uses when the job comes up, or when you call it by name. Use when the user asks to: turn your checklists into claude skills."
---

Walk the user through this workflow. Check each setup step is done before running the prompts, and ask for anything marked [LIKE THIS] before starting.

# Turn your checklists into Claude skills

If you keep pasting the same instructions into Claude, write them once as a skill: one SKILL.md file that Claude Code uses when the job comes up, or when you call it by name.

## Setup
1. Pick the task you explain to Claude (or a person) most often: a weekly report, replying to reviews, writing product descriptions.
2. Open Claude Code and paste the prompt below. Answer its questions.
3. It saves the skill as ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.
4. Use it by describing the job, or type a slash and the skill's name.
   `/your-skill-name`
5. When it gets something wrong, ask Claude to update the skill so it doesn't happen again.

## Tools
- Claude Code (https://claude.com/claude-code): Loads skills from your skills folder.
- Skills docs (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills): Official guide to writing skills.
- My guides (https://kodebykraft.com/guides): Every guide has a 'Download as a Claude skill' button.

## Prompts
### Write my first skill
Paste into Claude Code.

```
Help me turn a task I repeat into a Claude Code skill. The task: [DESCRIBE IT].

Interview me first, one question at a time (no more than 8): what a good result looks like, the steps in order, what to check before finishing, the files or links it needs, the tone, and what it must never do.

Then write ~/.claude/skills/[short-name]/SKILL.md with:
- a name and a one-sentence description saying when to use it (start with "Use when...")
- the steps as a numbered list
- a short "Never" list
- a final check before saying it's done

Keep it under 80 lines. Show it to me before saving.
```

## Worth knowing
- Write the skill like a brief for a new hire: the order, the checks and the never-do list. Vague skills give vague results.
- The description line matters most. It's how Claude decides when to use the skill.

Source: https://kodebykraft.com/guides/turn-your-checklists-into-skills (The Leaky Funnel, @theleakyfunnel)