Claude Code Installation

Learn how to install and configure Agent Skills for Claude Code.

Prerequisites

Before installing skills, ensure you have:

Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
A project directory with Claude Code initialized
Node.js 18 or higher

Installation Methods

Method 1: CLI Command (Recommended)

The easiest way to add a skill:

bash

claude skill add owner/skill-repo

For example:

bash

claude skill add anthropic/brand-guidelines

Method 2: Manual Configuration

Add the skill directly to your project's .claude/settings.local.json:

json

{
  "skills": [
    "https://github.com/owner/skill-repo"
  ]
}

Method 3: Local Skills

For local development or private skills:

json

{
  "skills": [
    "./local-skills/my-skill"
  ]
}

Configuration Options

Skill Priority

When multiple skills are installed, you can set priority:

json

{
  "skills": [
    {
      "url": "https://github.com/owner/skill-1",
      "priority": 1
    },
    {
      "url": "https://github.com/owner/skill-2",
      "priority": 2
    }
  ]
}

Lower numbers = higher priority.

Conditional Skills

Enable skills only for specific file types:

json

{
  "skills": [
    {
      "url": "https://github.com/owner/react-skill",
      "match": ["**/*.tsx", "**/*.jsx"]
    }
  ]
}

Verifying Installation

Check that your skill is installed:

bash

claude skill list

You should see your skill in the output:

Installed Skills:
  - anthropic/brand-guidelines (v1.0.0)
  - my-org/custom-skill (local)

Updating Skills

Update all skills to the latest version:

bash

claude skill update

Update a specific skill:

bash

claude skill update owner/skill-repo

Removing Skills

Remove a skill from your project:

bash

claude skill remove owner/skill-repo

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Loading

Check the skill URL is correct
Verify the repository contains a valid SKILL.md file
Check your internet connection
Run claude skill validate owner/skill-repo to check for errors

Conflicts Between Skills

If skills have conflicting instructions:

Adjust priority to determine which takes precedence
Use conditional matching to limit skill scope
Consider merging related skills into one

Permission Issues

If you get permission errors:

bash

# Fix npm permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.claude

Next Steps

Quick Start - Get started with skills
Create Skills - Build your own skills
Best Practices - Optimize your skill setup