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Claude Code Setup

This guide covers installing and using skills with Claude Code (the CLI tool).

Claude Code Knowledge Pack7/10/2026

Overview

Claude Code Setup

This guide covers installing and using skills with Claude Code (the CLI tool).

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ (required for Claude Code CLI)
  • Claude Code CLI: Install via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (setup guide)
  • Git (for cloning the repository)
  • Python 3.8+ (optional, for packaging skills)

Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/robertguss/claude-skills.git
cd claude-skills

Note the full path to this directory—you'll need it for configuration.

Step 2: Configure Skill References

Add skill references to your CLAUDE.md file. You have two options:

=== "Project-Level (Recommended)"

Add to your project's `CLAUDE.md`:

```markdown
# CLAUDE.md

## Skills

When brainstorming, read and follow /path/to/claude-skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md.

When working on book ideas, read and follow /path/to/claude-skills/non-fiction-book-factory/book-ideation/SKILL.md.
```

This makes skills available only in that project.

=== "Global"

Add to `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`:

```markdown
# CLAUDE.md

## Skills

When brainstorming, read and follow /path/to/claude-skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md.
```

This makes skills available in all your Claude Code sessions.

Usage Patterns

Basic Invocation

Simply describe what you want to do, and Claude will follow the skill:

Let's brainstorm some ideas for a new SaaS product.

Claude will:

  1. Recognize this matches the brainstorm skill
  2. Load the SKILL.md instructions
  3. Follow the prescribed workflow (asking about new vs. continuing, session energy, mode selection, etc.)

Explicit Skill Reference

You can also explicitly reference a skill:

Using the brainstorm skill, help me think through newsletter content ideas.

Pipeline Workflows

For skills that work in sequence, progress through the pipeline:

## Book Project Skills

When developing book ideas, read and follow
/path/to/claude-skills/non-fiction-book-factory/book-ideation/SKILL.md.

When validating book concepts, read and follow
/path/to/claude-skills/non-fiction-book-factory/book-idea-validator/SKILL.md.

When researching book market viability, read and follow
/path/to/claude-skills/non-fiction-book-factory/book-market-research/SKILL.md.

File Management

Skills create versioned documents in your project. Recommended structure:

your-project/
├── CLAUDE.md           # Skill references
├── brainstorms/        # Brainstorming projects
│   ├── _parking-lot.md
│   └── project-name/
│       ├── _index.md
│       └── project-name-v1.md
├── book-projects/      # Book development
│   └── my-book/
│       ├── concept-v1.md
│       └── ...

Tips

Keep Skills Updated

cd /path/to/claude-skills
git pull

Use Absolute Paths

Always use absolute paths in your CLAUDE.md references to avoid path resolution issues:

# Good

When brainstorming, read and follow
/Users/you/claude-skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md.

# Avoid (may not resolve correctly)

When brainstorming, read and follow ../claude-skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md.

Combine Multiple Skills

You can reference multiple skills in a single project:

## Skills

When brainstorming, read and follow /path/to/claude-skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md.

When capturing my writing voice, read and follow
/path/to/claude-skills/writing/writing-dna-discovery/SKILL.md.

When ghost writing content, read and follow
/path/to/claude-skills/writing/ghost-writer/SKILL.md.

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Loading

  • Verify the path is correct and absolute
  • Check that the SKILL.md file exists at the specified location
  • Ensure your CLAUDE.md is in the project root or ~/.claude/

References Not Found

Skills reference their own references/ folder. These paths are relative to the skill, so they should work automatically. If you see errors about missing references, the skill installation may be incomplete.

Next Steps