Anthropic Launches Skills: Folder-Based Workflows for Claude

18 Oct 2025

Anthropic has released "Skills" for Claude — a folder-based system that packages workflows, instructions, code scripts, and reference materials into bundles Claude can load on demand. Skills act like directories: Claude first sees skill names and descriptions, then uses "progressive disclosure" to decide which components to activate for a given task. Organizations can combine multiple Skills so an agent can run coordinated workflows (for example, pairing brand guidelines with financial-report templates).

Users can build custom Skills via an interactive "skill-creator" assistant, removing the need to manually edit files or write code. Skills load dynamically based on relevance, and can include executable scripts and resource folders (e.g., logo files and a Skill.md with YAML brand specs). Anthropic frames the capability as similar to "loading in" specialized knowledge — likened to a Matrix-style download — but emphasizes the simplicity of packaging expertise into folders rather than writing software agents from scratch.

A concrete use case shown is an enterprise "Brand_Guidelines" Skill (zipped and uploaded) that lets Claude generate on‑brand PowerPoint presentations automatically, applying colors, fonts, and logos. Anthropic positions Skills as a way to better infuse enterprise knowledge into Claude and enable more agentic, workflow-driven automation.

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