The anthropics/skills repository is Anthropic's public implementation of Agent Skills, a system that enables Claude to dynamically load specialized instruction sets to improve performance on domain-specific tasks. Skills function as self-contained folders containing instructions, scripts, and resources that teach Claude how to complete repeatable workflows, from creating branded documents to analyzing data using organizational-specific processes or automating personal tasks.
The repository demonstrates the breadth of what's possible with Claude's skills system through examples spanning creative applications like art, music, and design; technical tasks including web app testing and MCP server generation; and enterprise workflows focused on communications and branding. Each skill is organized in its own folder with a SKILL.md file containing the instructions and metadata that Claude uses during execution. The repository also includes source-available implementations of document creation and editing skills that power Claude's document capabilities, specifically the docx, pdf, pptx, and xlsx skills that are actively used in production. These document skills are provided as reference implementations for developers building more complex skills, though they are source-available rather than open source.
The repository is structured around three main directories: the skills folder containing organized examples across creative, development, enterprise, and document categories; the spec folder housing the Agent Skills specification; and the template folder providing a starting point for skill creation. Creating a basic skill requires only a folder with a SKILL.md file containing YAML frontmatter with a name field and description field, followed by markdown content with instructions and guidelines that Claude will follow.
Skills are accessible across multiple Anthropic platforms. In Claude Code, users can register the repository as a plugin marketplace and install either document-skills or example-skills packages, then invoke skills by simply mentioning them in requests. Claude.ai users with paid plans have access to all example skills in the repository and can upload custom skills following the platform's skill usage documentation. The Claude API also supports both pre-built skills and custom skill uploads through the Skills API.
The repository has shown steady growth, with GitGenius tracking an increase of four stargazers between July 4, 2026 and the present, bringing the total to 158,216. Issue and pull request response activity shows a median latency of 4.8 hours with a mean of 200.4 hours across 251 tracked items. The most active contributors tracked by GitGenius are aliksir with 15 events, followed by eharris128 and xg-gh-25 each with 8 events. The repository shares overlapping contributors with microsoft/vscode, microsoft/typescript, and rust-lang/rust, indicating cross-project collaboration patterns.
The repository emphasizes that skills are provided for demonstration and educational purposes, with implementations and behaviors potentially differing from what Claude actually delivers. Users are advised to test skills thoroughly in their own environments before relying on them for critical tasks. The repository also highlights partner skills, currently featuring Notion Skills for Claude as an example of how third parties can create specialized skills for specific software integrations.
