Build, manage, validate, and package Claude-compatible skills directly from VS Code.
Claude Skills Toolkit gives Claude skill builders a small VS Code-native control panel for working with SKILL.md folders, generated skill structure, validation, and upload-ready ZIP packages.
Install from the VS Code Marketplace
Screenshots
What It Does
- Creates Claude-compatible skill folders with
SKILL.md, references/, scripts/, assets/, and evals/.
- Opens and edits skill metadata, workflow modules, files, evals, and package actions from a VS Code webview.
- Packages skills into upload-ready ZIP files for Claude.ai.
- Runs bundled validation from the VS Code terminal.
- Syncs local skills into Claude Code's personal skill folder.
- Imports and publishes skill folders through configurable Git workflows.
- Helps turn rough skill ideas into structured drafts without forcing a rigid form.
Quick Start
- Install Claude Skills Toolkit.
- Open a workspace in VS Code.
- Open the Explorer sidebar.
- Find the
Claude Skills view.
- Run
Skill Builder: Interactive Builder.
- Describe the skill workflow you want.
- Click
Create Skill Draft.
The toolkit creates a starter SKILL.md, starter evals, and an optional workbench brief from one form.
Expected Folder Structure
Claude skill deliverables live under skills/:
skills/
my-skill/
SKILL.md
references/
scripts/
assets/
evals/evals.json
Authoring notes live outside the packaged skill:
workbench/
my-skill/
brief.md
creation-plan.md
authoring-prompt.md
Packaged ZIP files are written to:
dist/
my-skill.zip
Commands
Skill Builder: Interactive Builder opens the free-form skill intake UI.Skill Builder: Open Skill Editor opens the tabbed metadata, modules, files, evals, and package editor.Skill Builder: Create Skill creates a minimal starter skill through prompts.Skill Builder: Open Skill opens the selected SKILL.md.Skill Builder: Add Supporting Files copies docs, scripts, or assets into a skill.Skill Builder: Package Skill creates a Claude.ai upload ZIP.Skill Builder: Sync to Claude Code copies a skill to the Claude Code skills folder.Skill Builder: Import/Update Skill from Git pulls one skill folder from a Git repository into the local skills/ directory.Skill Builder: Publish Skill to Git commits and pushes a configured skill path through the manual publish script.Skill Builder: Validate Skill runs the bundled skills-ref validator.Skill Builder: Health Check opens a local structure and quality report.Skill Builder: Copy Free-Form Chat Prompt copies a prompt for deeper skill authoring work with an AI assistant.
Create Skills From Rough Ideas
Use Skill Builder: Interactive Builder when you are still thinking out loud.
Example:
I need a skill that turns messy Jira security architecture updates into a weekly executive-ready status report. It should use our preferred sections, flag blockers, and create copy I can paste into Confluence.
The builder can capture:
- target surface: portable, Claude.ai, Claude Code, or Claude API
- trigger description
- should-trigger and should-not-trigger examples
- inputs Claude should gather
- workflow steps and edge cases
- references, scripts, and assets
- eval prompts
- security and external-system assumptions
Package For Claude.ai
Right-click a skill in the Claude Skills tree and choose:
Skill Builder: Package Skill
The toolkit writes:
dist/<skill-name>.zip
The ZIP preserves the skill folder inside the archive, which is the structure Claude.ai expects for custom skill upload.
Validate A Skill
Right-click a skill and choose:
Skill Builder: Validate Skill
The command opens an integrated terminal and runs the bundled validator:
node "<extension-folder>/node_modules/skills-ref/dist/cli.js" validate "<skill-path>"
A global skills-ref install is not required.
Sync To Claude Code
Right-click a skill and choose:
Skill Builder: Sync to Claude Code
By default, the toolkit copies the skill to:
~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/
You can override the destination with skillBuilder.claudeCodeSkillsDirectory.
Git Workflows
Claude Skills Toolkit includes manual Git import and publish helpers.
For publishing, copy the example config first:
cp skill-builder.config.example.json skill-builder.config.json
Then set git.enabled to true and review the remote, branch prefix, validation, and include rules.
When you run Skill Builder: Publish Skill to Git, you can pick from detected Git remotes or enter a Git remote name, repository URL, or local repository path for that publish.
The publisher can handle:
- a workspace skill
- a selected
SKILL.md
- an Anthropic
.skill package file
- an extracted skill folder
External selections are copied into the workspace before Git staging so the publish command can commit them cleanly.
Settings
skillBuilder.skillsDirectory: workspace-relative skill source directory. Default: skills.skillBuilder.distDirectory: ZIP output directory. Default: dist.skillBuilder.claudeCodeSkillsDirectory: sync destination for Claude Code. Default: ~/.claude/skills.skillBuilder.projectRoot: optional project root override.
Requirements
- VS Code
1.90.0 or newer.
- Node.js only for local development or direct script use.
- Git only for import or publish workflows.
- No global
skills-ref install is required; the extension bundles its validator dependency.
What This Extension Does Not Do
Claude Skills Toolkit does not upload skills into Claude.ai or the Claude API for you. It prepares the local folder or ZIP artifact.
It also does not run Claude inside VS Code. The interactive builder creates a strong local draft and optional authoring prompt, but deeper refinement still happens by editing the generated files or using your preferred AI assistant.
Official References
Development
Install dependencies:
npm install
Compile:
npm run compile
Package:
npm run package
Publish a configured skill:
npm run publish-skill -- my-skill
License
MIT License. See LICENSE.
