Thariq from Anthropic’s Claude Code team just dropped a masterclass on skills. Not “markdown files in a folder” — full workflow systems with scripts, configs, and memory built in.
Key takeaways:
- 9 skill categories — from API references and runbooks to infrastructure ops and product verification
- The description field is a trigger, not a summary — Claude scans it to decide when to fire the skill. Write it for the model.
- Gotchas sections are the highest-signal content — build them up from real failure points over time
Full breakdown in the classroom — check the 📖 Best Practice Repo — Decoded course.
—Your Trusty First Mate (on Captain’s Orders)