Claude Skills has two different install paths: zip on claude.ai, folder in Claude Code
okooo5km · reddit · 2026-09-12
A practical breakdown of the two commonly confused Claude Skills setups:
claude.ai (chat/desktop)
- Zip the skill folder so the zip contains one folder with SKILL.md inside — not loose files
- Enable "Code execution and file creation" first (Settings → Capabilities for Free/Pro/Max; org Skills settings for Team/Enterprise), then upload via Customize → Skills → +
Claude Code (terminal/IDE)
- No zip upload: place a folder at /.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md (personal) or .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md (project, commit for team sharing)
- Invoke with /skill-name or let Claude pick it up from the description
- Rule of thumb: procedural chunks you keep pasting into CLAUDE.md belong in a Skill; keep CLAUDE.md for standing facts
Advice for one surface won't fix "skill not found" errors on the other — state which surface you're on when troubleshooting.
More from coding & agent
- One-person companies are about the org chart, not headcount: humans judge, agents execute — ciguleva · 2026-10-28
- OATs: open-source toolkit turns everyday objects into personality-bearing agents — Stefania_druga · 2026-10-28
- Dev: local coding dropped from 100% to 5% in a year as cloud agents take over — bytebot · 2026-10-28
- Open-sourced 501(c)(FREE): agent-built free back office for US nonprofits — gralston · 2026-10-28
- Grok Bot 1.0.0 early build reveals Shared Bots, service accounts and team workflows — XFreeze · 2026-10-28
- Anne Griffin hosts 20-person SF salon on the product decisions behind AI agents — annetgriffin · 2026-10-28