Claude Code Skills

Module 15.3: Claude Code Skills

Estimated time: ~30 minutes

Prerequisite: Module 15.2 (Command & Prompt Templates)

Outcome: After this module, you will understand Claude Code Skills, know how to find and install them, and be able to use Skills to extend Claude’s capabilities.

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1. WHY — Why This Matters

You want Claude to work with Kubernetes, Terraform, or a specific framework. Claude has general knowledge, but not the specialized commands, best practices, and workflows for your tool. You end up teaching Claude the same things repeatedly.

Skills package this knowledge. Install a skill, and Claude immediately knows the patterns, best practices, and workflows. No repeated teaching.

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2. CONCEPT — Core Ideas

What is a Skill?

Skill = Knowledge + Tools + Workflows

- Knowledge: Domain-specific information
- Tools: Commands and integrations
- Workflows: Step-by-step processes

Skill Types

Type	Source	Examples
Official	Anthropic	Core development skills
Community	Open source	Framework-specific skills
Custom	You/team	Company-specific skills

Skill Components

⚠️ Structure may vary — verify current implementation

/skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Skill documentation
├── prompts/          # Prompt templates
├── tools/            # Tool definitions
├── workflows/        # Multi-step workflows
└── examples/         # Usage examples

How Skills Extend Claude

Without Skill:
You: "Create a Kubernetes deployment"
Claude: [Generic YAML, might miss best practices]

With Kubernetes Skill:
You: "Create a Kubernetes deployment"
Claude: [Production-ready YAML with health checks,
         resource limits, proper labels]

Skill Discovery

• Official skill repository
• Community skill registries
• GitHub search for Claude Code skills
• Team internal skill libraries

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3. DEMO — Step by Step

Scenario: Using skills to improve Claude’s domain knowledge.

Step 1: Explore Available Skills

# ⚠️ Commands may vary — verify current implementation

$ claude skill list --available

Official Skills:
- docker: Docker container management
- kubernetes: Kubernetes orchestration
- terraform: Infrastructure as Code

Community Skills:
- nextjs: Next.js development patterns
- prisma: Prisma ORM workflows

Step 2: Install a Skill

# ⚠️ Verify current implementation

$ claude skill install kubernetes

Installing kubernetes skill...
✓ Downloaded skill package
✓ Registered tools
✓ Loaded prompts

Kubernetes skill installed.

Step 3: Use Skill in Session

You: Create a production-ready deployment for a Node.js app
with 3 replicas.

Claude: [Using kubernetes skill]

I'll create a production-ready deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nodejs-app
  labels:
    app: nodejs-app
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nodejs-app
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nodejs-app
        image: your-registry/nodejs-app:latest
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "128Mi"
            cpu: "100m"
          limits:
            memory: "256Mi"
            cpu: "500m"
        livenessProbe:
          httpGet:
            path: /health
            port: 3000
        readinessProbe:
          httpGet:
            path: /ready
            port: 3000

Skill ensured:

• Resource limits (prevent runaway containers)
• Health probes (automatic restart on failure)
• Proper labels (for service discovery)

Step 4: Skill-Specific Commands

You: /k8s-debug my-pod is in CrashLoopBackOff

Claude: [Skill-guided debugging]

Kubernetes debugging workflow:
1. Check pod status: kubectl describe pod my-pod
2. Check logs: kubectl logs my-pod --previous
3. Common causes:
   - Application error (check logs)
   - Missing config/secrets
   - Resource limits too low

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4. PRACTICE — Try It Yourself

Exercise 1: Explore Available Skills

Goal: Discover what skills exist.

Instructions:

1. List available official skills
2. Read documentation for 2-3 skills
3. Identify which would help your current project

💡 Hint

Focus on skills matching your tech stack: cloud provider, framework, database.

✅ Solution

Useful skills by role:

• Backend: kubernetes, docker, database skills
• Frontend: nextjs, react, tailwind skills
• DevOps: terraform, aws/gcp, ci-cd skills
• Data: python, pandas, jupyter skills

Pick 1-2 most relevant to your daily work.

Exercise 2: Install and Use a Skill

Goal: Experience skill-enhanced Claude output.

Instructions:

1. Install a skill relevant to your project
2. Ask Claude a domain-specific question
3. Compare output quality with/without skill

💡 Hint

Try the same prompt before and after installing the skill to see the difference.

✅ Solution

Example comparison:

• Without skill: Generic code, missing best practices
• With skill: Production-ready code, includes error handling, follows conventions

The skill provides domain expertise Claude wouldn’t have otherwise.

Exercise 3: Evaluate Skill Quality

Goal: Learn to assess community skills.

Instructions:

1. Find a community skill for your tech stack
2. Test on 3 different tasks
3. Evaluate: documentation, accuracy, maintenance

💡 Hint

Check: last updated, GitHub stars, issues/responses, example quality.

✅ Solution

Quality checklist:

• Clear documentation with examples
• Updated within last 6 months
• Responsive maintainer
• Accurate output on your tests

Don’t install skills that fail multiple checks.

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5. CHEAT SHEET

Skill Commands

# ⚠️ Verify current implementation

claude skill list             # List installed
claude skill list --available # List all available
claude skill install [name]   # Install skill
claude skill remove [name]    # Remove skill
claude skill info [name]      # Skill details

Popular Skill Categories

Category	Examples
Cloud	AWS, GCP, Azure
DevOps	Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform
Databases	PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
Frameworks	Next.js, Django, FastAPI
Tools	Git, CI/CD, Testing

Skill Quality Checklist

• Clear documentation
• Real code examples
• Active maintenance
• Positive community feedback

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6. PITFALLS — Common Mistakes

❌ Mistake	✅ Correct Approach
Installing every skill	Only install what you need
Trusting skill blindly	Review skill output critically
Using outdated skills	Check version and maintenance
Ignoring skill conflicts	Be aware of skill interactions
Not reading skill docs	Understand capabilities first
Ignoring skill commands	Learn the shortcuts
Requiring skills	Skills enhance, shouldn’t be required

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7. REAL CASE — Production Story

Scenario: Vietnamese fintech migrating to Kubernetes. Team had limited K8s experience. Claude helped but output was generic, missing production patterns.

Skill Solution:

Installed kubernetes skill that provided:

• Production-ready manifest templates
• Security best practices (RBAC, NetworkPolicies)
• Debugging workflows
• Scaling patterns

Team Workflow:

1. “Create deployment for payment-service”
2. Claude uses skill → production-ready YAML
3. Team reviews (learning while doing)
4. Deploys with confidence

Results (2 months):

• Manifest quality: Generic → Production-ready
• Security issues: 8 → 1 (skill enforced best practices)
• Time to deploy: -40% (less back-and-forth fixing)
• Team learning: Accelerated (skill explains patterns)

Quote: “The skill was like having a Kubernetes expert pair programming with us. We got production-ready output while learning best practices.”

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Next: Module 15.4: Community Ecosystem →