Create your first Claude skill in 10 minutes
You retype the same instructions every day. Turn a manual task into a skill that triggers itself.
May 24, 2026 · 4 min read
You retype the same instructions to Claude every day
"Summarize this article in 5 bullets." "Sort these leads by priority." "Triage my emails and draft the replies." You already know the perfect procedure, but you retype it in every conversation. Three minutes here, two minutes there. Add it up over a month and it's hours.
A Claude skill is that procedure saved once. You describe it in plain language, you save it, and Claude triggers it automatically the moment your message matches. It works in Claude.ai and in Claude Code.
The Claude AI Lab is my Skool community where I share my Claude systems and the more advanced modules. Entry is free.
Join the Lab →You click, you describe, Claude writes your skill
No coding needed. Two possible surfaces, the result is the same.
claude in the terminal and type "create a skill that…". The agent does the same.The 5 clicks
Customize → Skills. In the Claude.ai sidebar, click Customize, then the Skills tab. You'll see the list of your existing skills (empty at first, that's normal).+ then Create a skill with Claude. A mini-conversation opens. You don't have to write any YAML, JSON, or markdown. Claude takes over and asks you the right questions.Save. It generates the SKILL.md, shows it to you, and asks you to confirm. You can iterate by asking for tweaks ("add a newsletters category") before saving. Once saved, the skill is available right away.Full example: a skill that triages your Gmail inbox
The brief to paste, word for word, into Create a skill with Claude:
I want a skill that sorts my Gmail inbox.
When I say "sort my emails" (or "give me a rundown of
my inbox", "draft the urgent replies"), you:
1. Read the 20 most recent unread emails in my inbox via
the Gmail MCP (not the social or promotions categories).
2. Classify each email into 4 categories:
- URGENT: reply expected within 24h, direct question
from a client, explicit deadline
- TO HANDLE: info request that can wait 2-3 days
- INFO: newsletter, notification, no-reply
- TO ARCHIVE: promo, spam, no value
3. For each URGENT email: read the thread for context,
draft a reply of 3 to 5 lines max keeping the sender's
tone, and create the draft in Gmail.
4. Show me a recap table (category / count / action),
then the list of created drafts (subject + recipient).
Name this skill "gmail-triage".
You don't write a single line. Claude shows you the generated skill, asks you to confirm, then saves it. From the very next conversation, you write "sort my emails" and the agent runs the 4 steps on its own: recap table + urgent drafts ready in Gmail.
The Gmail connector must be active (Customize → Connectors → Gmail). Without it, the skill triggers but can't read your inbox. Turn it on before the final test.
Now it's your turn to write one
Pick a task you did 3 times this week, copy the Gmail Triage template above, swap out the content. You'll have your first agent in 10 minutes.
Want to go further?
In the Lab, I share my Claude skills, how I build them and how I stack them to automate my day-to-day.
A dedicated session or program, tailored to your tools and use cases.
And day-to-day, I post one reel a day on Instagram: @quentin_iamarketing