📁 Folder + SKILL.md
The minimum structure of a skill is absolute: a folder with any name and a single file inside it called SKILL.md. That’s it. Nothing else is required.
A skill is a folder. Inside it lives the SKILL.md — the only file Claude Code needs to load and run the defined behavior. Optionally, the folder can have a subfolder references/ with supporting files.
When Claude Code encounters SKILL.md in the configured skills folder (~/.claude/skills/), it makes that skill available as a command /nome-da-skill.
references/house-style.md
scripts/composition-template.mjs
The folder name becomes the command name. video-explicativo/ becomes /video-explicativo. Choose descriptive names without spaces—use hyphens.
📦 Packaged knowledge
A skill isn't an ephemeral prompt typed on the spot — it's a reusable, tested, versionable procedure. It's knowledge you teach once, and Claude applies whenever needed.
Think of it like a recipe. You don’t reinvent the whole recipe every time you cook—you write it once, save it, and follow it. A skill is exactly that: a written, saved, reusable recipe for any future “cooking.”
The SKILL.md for the video-explicativo defines the complete video creation workflow: script → TTS narration → animated scenes → render → captions → CTA. This knowledge is packaged and ready for reuse.
Describe the procedure, rules of thumb, and quality standards in SKILL.md. It may take 30 minutes—or hours if it’s complex.
Every time you invoke /video-explicativo, Claude loads the SKILL.md and follows the instructions — without you needing to repeat anything.
The INEMA.CLUB video always has a palette #0D1321, voice pf_dora --speed 0.98, fade from 0.45s — because it’s written in the skill.
When you discover something better (e.g., new LEAD or TAIL timing), edit SKILL.md once and all future videos inherit the improvement.
If the procedure exists only in your memory, every new session starts from scratch. You keep re-explaining the same workflow to Claude, making the same mistakes, and losing consistency. The skill eliminates this cost.
✍️ Markdown as instructions
The body of SKILL.md is plain Markdown. Claude interprets this text as execution instructions—not as documentation for humans, but as commands it will follow.
The SKILL.md has two parts: the front-matter (header with name: e description:) e o body — Markdown sections with the complete procedure. Claude Code uses the front matter to list and activate the skill; the body to run it.
- ✓ Write in the imperative: "Read…", "Create…", "Generate…"
- ✓ Use sections with
##to separate workflow and rules - ✓ Include exact values:
--speed 0.98, not “slow speed” - ✓ Mark non-negotiables with "NEVER" or "ALWAYS"
- ✗ Don't be vague: "make a good video" doesn't work
- ✗ Don't omit the front matter (name: and description:)
- ✗ Don't write like passive technical documentation
- ✗ Don’t put execution instructions in reference files
When you type /video-explicativo, Claude Code injects the full SKILL.md content into the session context before responding. That's why instructions at the beginning and end carry the same weight.
⚖️ Skill vs. one-off prompt
A standalone prompt works once, in that session, with that context. A skill is durable, automatic, and reproducible — the difference between a sticky note and an operations manual.
| Aspect | Skill | Standalone prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | Permanent (file) | Ephemeral (ends with the session) |
| Activation | Automatic via /nome | Manual, you type everything |
| Consistency | Identical every time | Varies with memory |
| Maintenance | Edits the file | Rewrites the entire prompt |
| Sharing | Git, zip, folder copy | Manual Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V |
- ✓ You’ll repeat the same type of task many times
- ✓ Need absolute consistency (branding, format)
- ✓ Want to share the procedure with others
- ✓ The flow has more than 3 steps or critical rules
- ✗ It's a single question; it won't be repeated
- ✗ The context changes completely each time
- ✗ Quick exploration, no reproduction needed
- ✗ One-step task with no specific parameters
A simple rule of thumb: if you can imagine doing the same task 3 or more times, the time spent writing the SKILL.md pays off by the fourth run. Fewer than 3, and a standalone prompt is faster.
🎯 Examples: video, code, UI
Skills cover any domain — not just video. This entire course started with a skill (formato-curso). See the variety of possibilities.
Each page in this course was created by the skill formato-curso. It defines the components, premium dark CSS, module structure, and INEMA.CLUB quality standards—all in Markdown, with no JavaScript code.
The skill video-explicativo (which this course teaches) defines the HTML→MP4 workflow: palette #0D1321, voice pf_dora, timings LEAD=0.5 TAIL=0.9 FADE=0.45. Two domains, same structure: folder + SKILL.md.
Script → TTS pf_dora → dark HTML scenes → MP4 render. Fixed 8-step workflow, palette #0D1321, 16:9 and 9:16 formats.
Generates HTML with Tailwind, futuristic SVGs, expandable topics, and modals. Defines all components and palettes for each track.
Fans out searches, checks sources, and synthesizes a cited report. Research skill with adversarial verification.
Generates and validates n8n automation workflows with specific JavaScript code patterns and node expressions.
Creates components and web pages with specific visual patterns, design tokens, and style guides.
Audits code for vulnerabilities using OWASP checklists and security-specific standards.
→ lists all active skills
→ each one = a folder
→ each folder = one SKILL.md
🚀 No coding required
A simple skill is just text. You don't need to know JavaScript, Python, or any programming language to create powerful skills — Markdown is enough.
When you write "1. Read the topic. 2. Create a 3-scene script. 3. Use pf_dora voice." in SKILL.md, this é a program. Claude interprets natural language instructions with the same fidelity that a computer interprets code.
The skill video-explicativo has hundreds of precise instructions — timings, palettes, formats — and is entirely Markdown. Zero JavaScript in the main SKILL.md.
The folder references/ may contain scripts such as narration-template.sh e composition-template.mjs — but these are templates that Claude uses as a template, not code that the skill runs directly. The skill provides instructions; the templates show examples.
- ✓ Create the folder and SKILL.md in 10 minutes
- ✓ Write clear instructions in Portuguese
- ✓ Test by calling
/nome-da-skillin Claude Code - ✓ Iterate: edit SKILL.md as you learn
- ✗ Don't wait until you know how to code to get started
- ✗ Don't try to cover every use case at once
- ✗ Don't use complex YAML when Markdown will do
- ✗ Don't wait for the skill to be "perfect" before using it
The simplest skill possible: name: minha-skill, description: o que faz, and 3-5 steps in Markdown. Run, adjust, expand. The skill video-explicativo what you'll learn in this course started out this way—and today it has references, scripts, and hundreds of rules.
Tone, format, and default signature instructions. 8 lines. Saves 5 minutes per email.
Section template, required metrics, executive tone. 12 lines. Complete consistency.
Hypothesis checklist, diagnostic format, fix commit convention. 10 lines.
📋 Module 1.1 Summary
- ✓ Skill = folder +
SKILL.md— minimal and sufficient structure - ✓ Packaged knowledge: write once, reuse forever
- ✓ The body of SKILL.md is Markdown that Claude executes as instructions
- ✓ A skill is durable + automatic; a one-off prompt is temporary + manual
- ✓ Domains: video, code, UI, research—this course started with a skill
- ✓ Start with 10 lines of Markdown — no code required
references/.