How to Install Your First Claude Code Skill in 60 Seconds

Installing an agent skill in Claude Code takes about 60 seconds. This guide walks you through the entire process — from finding the right skill to using it in your first conversation.

Prerequisites

You need Claude Code installed and working. If you haven’t set it up yet, follow Anthropic’s official guide to get started.

Confirm it’s working by running:

claude

If you see the Claude Code prompt, you’re ready.

Step 1: Find a skill (15 seconds)

Head to SkillSpot and browse by category, or use the search bar to find something specific.

For this tutorial, let’s install the Todoist skill — it lets you manage tasks directly from your terminal without context-switching to a browser.

Every skill page shows:

• What the skill does
• The install command
• Usage examples
• Publisher and verification status

Step 2: Copy the install command (5 seconds)

On the skill page, you’ll see a one-click copy button next to the install command. Click it.

For the Todoist skill, the command is:

/todoist

That’s the entire install command. One slash, one word.

Step 3: Install in Claude Code (30 seconds)

Open Claude Code in your terminal and paste the command:

/todoist

Claude Code will:

1. Download the skill’s instruction file
2. Save it to your project’s .claude/ directory
3. Confirm the installation

You’ll see a confirmation message. The skill is now active.

Step 4: Use it (10 seconds)

Now just talk to Claude naturally. Try something like:

Show me my tasks for today

Or:

Create a task: Review the PR for the auth refactor, due tomorrow

The agent now understands Todoist’s API and can create, update, complete, and prioritize tasks — all from your terminal.

Installing multiple skills

You can install as many skills as you need. Each one adds to your agent’s capabilities without conflicting with others.

Popular combinations:

• Full-stack workflow: /vercel + /supabase + /github
• Quality pipeline: /sentry + /security-audit + /web-perf
• Frontend stack: /nextjs + /tailwind-css + /react

We curate these combinations as Skill Stacks — pre-built bundles you can install together.

Managing installed skills

Installed skills live in your project’s .claude/ directory. To see what’s installed:

ls .claude/

To remove a skill, simply delete its file from that directory. Skills are just files — there’s no package manager or lock file to worry about.

Where skills are stored

Skills are project-scoped by default. When you install a skill in one project, it’s only available in that project’s conversations. This keeps your agent’s context focused and relevant.

If you want a skill available everywhere, you can install it in your global Claude Code configuration.

Troubleshooting

Skill not working after install? Start a new conversation. Skills are loaded at conversation start, so an already-running session won’t pick up newly installed skills.

Command not recognized? Make sure you’re running the latest version of Claude Code. Skills use the slash command system introduced in recent updates.

Need help choosing? Browse our curated stacks for role-based recommendations, or check the most popular skills sorted by install count.

What to install next

Now that you know how to install skills, here are three paths depending on your role:

Frontend developers: Start with the Frontend Developer stack — it includes Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and React best practices.

Backend engineers: The DevOps Essentials stack covers Docker, CI/CD, and infrastructure.

Full-stack builders: Browse all 200+ skills and pick what matches your tech stack.

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Explore all skills: Browse the full catalog on SkillSpot →