Top 10 Free Claude Code Skills (2026)
Claude Code skills are .md files stored in ~/.claude/skills/. You invoke them with a slash command inside a Claude Code session. This list covers ten skills that add genuine value to GitHub-based development workflows. each one free to use.
How to Invoke Skills
Every skill on this list is invoked the same way: type /skill-name in your Claude Code session to activate it, then continue with your request.
/pdf
Extract the vendor name, invoice number, and total from this document: [paste content]
There is no separate marketplace install step. skills are .md files you place in ~/.claude/skills/ or that come bundled with Claude Code.
- PDF Skill. Documentation and Document Handling
The pdf skill processes invoices, technical specifications, and documentation directly in your Claude session.
/pdf
Extract all API endpoints and their parameters from this spec PDF: [paste content or path]
The skill handles text extraction, table detection, and structured data output. Useful when reviewing PRs that reference PDF specifications or generating release notes from PDF changelogs.
- TDD Skill. Test-Driven Development
The tdd skill generates test cases before implementation, enforcing test-first patterns.
/tdd
Write tests for this function before I implement it:
def calculate_pricing(items: list[dict]) -> float:
"""Calculate total pricing with discounts"""
pass
Claude with tdd active will produce:
def test_calculate_pricing_empty_list():
assert calculate_pricing([]) == 0.0
def test_calculate_pricing_single_item():
assert calculate_pricing([{"price": 10.0}]) == 10.0
def test_calculate_pricing_negative_price():
with pytest.raises(ValueError):
calculate_pricing([{"price": -5.0}])
Works with pytest, unittest, and Jest across Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript projects.
- Frontend Design Skill. UI Verification
The frontend-design skill validates UI code against design specifications and catches common React issues.
/frontend-design
Review the Button component in components/Button.tsx.
Check for missing aria attributes, prop-type issues, and useEffect dependency errors.
The skill catches problems like:
// frontend-design flags the empty dependency array
useEffect(() => {
fetchUser(userId).then(setUser);
}, []); // Missing userId dependency
Supports React, Vue, and vanilla HTML/CSS projects.
- Supermemory Skill. Context Across Sessions
The supermemory skill maintains project context across Claude Code sessions, so you don’t re-explain your stack every time you return to a project.
/supermemory
Remember: this repo uses React 18, TypeScript, Vite, and Tailwind.
Components are in src/components/. Custom hooks in src/hooks/.
On subsequent sessions, invoke /supermemory at the start and Claude loads your stored project context automatically.
- Webapp Testing Skill. Playwright Integration
The webapp-testing skill drives Playwright-based browser testing through natural language instructions.
/webapp-testing
Navigate to http://localhost:3000/login
Fill the username field with "testuser" and password with "testpass123"
Click the submit button
Verify the page redirects to /dashboard
Useful for validating login flows, form submissions, and user journeys before merging PRs. Integrate into GitHub Actions by running Claude Code non-interactively with claude --print.
- Spreadsheet Skill. Data Operations
The xlsx skill creates and modifies spreadsheets, applies formulas, and formats data.
/xlsx
Create a spreadsheet with two sheets:
- Sheet 1: Sprint metrics with columns: Story, Points, Status
- Sheet 2: Bug counts with severity levels (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
Apply conditional formatting: red background for Critical, yellow for High
Supports .xlsx, .xlsm, .csv, and .tsv with full formula support.
- Presentation Skill. Slide Decks
The pptx skill generates PowerPoint presentations from structured content.
/pptx
Create a sprint retrospective deck from milestones.md
Use the template at templates/quarterly.pptx for branding
Integrates with existing PowerPoint templates, preserving corporate formatting and theme consistency.
- Document Skill. Word Processing
The docx skill handles Microsoft Word document generation and editing.
/docx
Create an API reference document.
Pull endpoint definitions from openapi.yaml.
Apply heading styles automatically and include a table of contents.
The skill preserves tracked changes and comments. useful for collaborative technical writing.
- Canvas Design Skill. Visual Assets
The canvas-design skill generates diagrams, flowcharts, and visual assets as code (SVG, canvas instructions, or structured descriptions for rendering).
/canvas-design
Generate an architecture diagram showing:
Frontend (React) → API Gateway → three microservices (auth, billing, notifications)
Include arrows and service labels. Output as SVG.
Use this for README diagrams, architecture documentation, and technical blog posts.
- Canvas Design Skill. Visual Asset Generation
The built-in canvas-design skill generates visual assets directly from prompts.
/canvas-design
Create a banner image for our product launch.
Size: 1200x630px (Open Graph)
Style: modern, dark background, gradient accent
Text: "Launch Day. March 2026"
Useful for generating social media assets, marketing banners, and UI mockups without leaving your development workflow.
Combining Skills for Complex GitHub Workflows
The real power emerges when you chain multiple skills together in a single development session. A common pattern for API-driven projects:
/supermemory
Load context: this is a Node.js REST API with Express, PostgreSQL, and Jest.
/tdd
Write tests for the new /users/:id/orders endpoint before I implement it.
/docx
Generate API reference documentation from the test descriptions I just wrote.
This three-skill chain produces tests, drives implementation through test-first patterns, and generates documentation. all before writing a single line of business logic. The skills share session context automatically, so Claude understands the project structure across all three invocations.
For GitHub Actions integration, skills run effectively in non-interactive mode:
Run webapp testing skill in CI
claude --print "/webapp-testing
Navigate to $STAGING_URL
Run through the checkout flow
Report any failures as JSON"
The --print flag tells Claude Code to output results to stdout, making it easy to capture skill output in CI logs and artifact storage.
Installing and Managing Skills
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ as plain .md files. The directory structure is simple:
~/.claude/
skills/
tdd.md
frontend-design.md
supermemory.md
webapp-testing.md
To install a community skill from GitHub:
Install a skill directly
curl -o ~/.claude/skills/my-skill.md \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/username/repo/main/my-skill.md
Check what skills are currently installed:
ls ~/.claude/skills/
Claude Code reads this directory at session start and makes every .md file available as a slash command matching the filename (without the .md extension). Naming matters. a file called api-review.md becomes /api-review in your session.
To update a skill, replace the .md file. Changes take effect at the next session start. Skills can also be scoped to a project by placing them in .claude/skills/ inside the repository root. these override user-level skills with the same name, allowing project-specific behavior.
Choosing Skills for Your Workflow
| Project type | Start with |
|---|---|
| Documentation-heavy | pdf, docx, xlsx |
| Web applications | frontend-design, webapp-testing, pptx |
| API development | tdd, docx |
| Data pipelines | xlsx, canvas-design |
| Long-running projects | supermemory (always) |
Most developers find three to five skills covers the majority of daily work. Install skills by placing their .md files in ~/.claude/skills/. official skills ship with Claude Code; community skills are available on GitHub.
Building Custom Skills
The ten skills in this list cover common workflows, but the real extensibility comes from writing your own. A custom skill is just a .md file that describes a specialized behavior or persona. Because Claude reads the file at session start, the instructions take effect immediately without any configuration overhead.
A minimal custom skill for reviewing pull requests against a team’s style guide:
PR Review Skill
You are a strict code reviewer for a TypeScript team. When invoked:
1. Read all changed files listed by the user.
2. Check for: no `any` types, all async functions awaited, no console.log in production code.
3. Output findings as a markdown checklist with file and line numbers.
4. Summarize overall readiness: APPROVED, CHANGES_REQUESTED, or BLOCKED.
Save this as ~/.claude/skills/pr-review.md and invoke it with /pr-review followed by a paste of git diff --stat output. Claude treats the file as authoritative instructions for that session, applying the style rules consistently across every PR review.
Custom skills become especially valuable for team standards that differ from Claude’s defaults. enforcing internal naming conventions, specific error handling patterns, or company-wide documentation formats that you would otherwise have to re-explain in every session.
Related Reading
- Best Claude Skills for Developers in 2026. An in-depth look at which skills deliver the most value across different development contexts and project types
- Claude Skills Auto-Invocation: How It Works. How Claude decides when to trigger a skill automatically based on context, and how to configure invocation behavior
- Claude Skills Token Optimization: Reduce API Costs. Strategies for getting the most out of skills like pdf, xlsx, and tdd without unnecessary API overhead
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See Also
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