How skills work, where to find them, and how to install them on your computer
The Guide for Chat.GPT and Claude explained how to install a desktop app and choose a working folder for the AI assistant you use. This guide builds on that. A skill is a reusable set of instructions the assistant follows to do one specific task well. It covers what a skill is, how to download one, how to find skills, and how to install one on your computer. Examples below cover both ChatGPT (Codex) and Claude, with differences called out inline.
After watching hours of videos, experimenting on my own, and helping clients get skills working, I realized a simple, plain-language guide was overdue, so I wrote one. If you found this guide helpful, or if you have questions as you try it out, I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to reach out anytime.
What Is a Skill?
A skill is a reusable set of instructions that teaches AI how to perform a specific task. It may also include reference files or small programs that help complete the work. Think of a skill as a detailed recipe for one dish rather than an entire cookbook: it does not make the assistant better at everything, but it helps the assistant perform one task consistently.
A skill is different from a plugin or connector. It does not create an ongoing connection to your computer or online accounts. The skill follows its instructions only when you ask the assistant to use it or request a task the skill was designed to handle. It can work only with the files and folders you choose to share. Understanding how to use AI skills starts with this distinction.
Skills reach you in one of three ways: someone shares a ZIP file with you directly (by email, Slack, or a shared drive), you find one inside a skill library the product itself provides, or you ask the assistant to help you build a new one from scratch.
How to Use AI Skills: Finding Them in ChatGPT and Claude
In ChatGPT, open Plugins from the left sidebar. If Skills are available on your account, look for the Skills tab at the top of the Plugin Directory. From there, you can view, install, upload, or create reusable skills. Availability can vary by account and rollout, so your screen may look slightly different.
You can open ChatGPT’s Plugin Directory in a web browser. Some individual plugins require the desktop app and are labeled “Desktop only.”
You do not need to install or use Codex just to access the Skills tab in ChatGPT. Codex is only needed if you specifically want to run a downloaded skill through Codex. In that case, follow the Codex installation instructions below.
Claude also has a dedicated Skills area in the top left menu. Open it from the + menu → Skills (in claude.ai, the desktop app, or Claude Code) to browse what’s already available to you: built-in skills Anthropic ships, skills your organization has published, and any personal skills you’ve installed yourself. Check there before asking someone to send you a ZIP you might not need.
Claude doesn’t have an equivalent “Plugin Directory” or desktop-only distinction. You can browse Claude’s Skills area from the + menu in claude.ai, the desktop app, or Claude Code with no separate install or extra runtime needed just to look. You only need to unzip and place a skill in ~/.claude/skills if you’re installing a downloaded skill for personal use.
How to Use AI Skills: Downloading a Skill
“Downloading” a skill just means saving that ZIP file somewhere you can find it; your Downloads folder works fine for a one-off. But once a skill is installed, it lives permanently in your personal skills folder and you won’t need the ZIP again for everyday use; you’ll only need it again if you remove the skill later, want to reinstall it on another computer, or your Downloads folder gets cleaned out in the meantime. If you think you might want a skill again down the road, save the ZIP in a dedicated folder instead, something like Documents/AI Skills, so you always have the original on hand. At this point the skill is only saved, not installed; the assistant can’t use it yet. Installing it, so it’s actually available in a chat, is a separate step covered later in this guide.
A downloaded skill usually arrives as a ZIP file. Inside is a main instruction file called SKILL.md, along with any supporting files the skill needs. The “.md” means it is a Markdown document, a simple text file containing instructions for the AI. You normally do not need to open or edit it yourself. ChatGPT and Claude install and display skills differently, so the following sections provide separate instructions for each
How to Use AI Skills: Installing a Downloaded Skill for Claude or Codex
If you want to run a downloaded ZIP file as a local skill in Claude or Codex, save it somewhere easy to find, such as a Skills Download Folder to you can find it easily. Saving the ZIP does not install it; it must be unzipped and placed in the correct folder.
For Claude, unzip the package and place the resulting folder inside ~/.claude/skills; that’s Claude’s personal skills folder. Any folder placed there becomes available the next time you start a chat. This requires access to your computer’s file system, so it works from the Claude desktop app, Claude Cowork, or Claude Code, not from claude.ai in a browser. If you’re using Claude in a browser, attach the ZIP in a chat and ask Claude to install it for you instead.
For Codex, you can browse and run Codex through a web browser or the desktop app; availability may vary by account and rollout. For a downloaded skill that needs to work with files stored on your computer, unzip the package and place the resulting folder inside ~/.agents/skills; that’s Codex’s personal skills folder. This step is only for people who specifically want to run the skill through Codex. It becomes available when you start your next task.
You don’t have to do this by hand. In either app, you can attach the ZIP in a chat and ask the assistant to install it for you, for example: “Please install this skill for my personal use and tell me when it’s ready.” The assistant will unzip it and place it in the right folder; if it needs permission to write there, review and approve that specific request. Start a new chat or task afterward so the assistant picks up the newly installed skill; it won’t appear mid-conversation.
If a Skill Isn’t Working
If the assistant doesn’t seem to see an installed skill, start a new chat or task, or restart the desktop app; skills are typically loaded at the start of a session. Confirm the unzipped folder actually landed in the right personal skills folder (~/.claude/skills for Claude, ~/.agents/skills for Codex), and that it’s the folder itself sitting there, not the ZIP.
If the assistant reports a missing script or package, ask it to explain exactly what’s missing before continuing. Most skills that include scripts expect a working code-execution environment, which both the ChatGPT and Claude desktop apps provide by default.
The Photo List Skill in Action
To make the ideas above concrete and show how to use AI skills in a real workflow, here’s a real skill in use: it reads a ProVisors meeting’s photo list PDF and turns it into an updated Excel roster. People usually just call it the “photo list skill.”
Download the Skill
Two versions of the photo list skill are available below: one for Claude, one for ChatGPT/Codex. Both do the same job; you only need the one that matches the assistant you use.
Claude version
link: Claude_Photo_List_Skill.zip
Use this version if you run the skill in the Claude desktop app, Claude Cowork, or Claude Code. Unzip it and place the resulting folder in ~/.claude/skills, or attach the ZIP in a Claude chat and ask Claude to install it for you.
ChatGPT / Codex version
link: Chat_Photo_List_Skill.zip
Use this version if you run the skill in the ChatGPT desktop app with Codex. Unzip it and place the resulting folder in ~/.agents/skills, or attach the ZIP in a Codex task and ask it to install the skill for you.
Install it once
- Save the skill’s ZIP file (for example, Photo_List_Skill.zip) somewhere findable, such as Downloads. I recommend that you save to a better file, such as AI Downloads in case you want to access it later.
- Attach the ZIP in a chat, or give the assistant its file path, and ask: “Please install this photo list skill for my personal use. Tell me when it’s ready.” The assistant unzips it and places it in the personal skills folder described above; approve the file-write if it asks.
- Start a new chat or task afterward so the assistant picks it up.
Use it after each meeting
- Open your ProVisors working folder, or point the assistant to the photo list PDF and your current Excel roster.
- Ask: “Use the photo list skill (provisors-roster-update) to add this photo list to my master Excel roster. Save the result as a new file. Do not replace my current Excel roster.”
- Check the meeting name and date it reports, and correct either one if needed.
- If it flags two similar attendee names, tell it whether they’re the same person; it shouldn’t merge them on a guess.
- Review the new Excel file and decide whether to make it your master Excel roster going forward.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to code to use a skill?
No. A skill already contains whatever instructions and scripts it needs. Learning how to use AI skills doesn’t require any coding: you just tell the assistant which skill to use, or describe the task and let it find a match, and review what it hands back.
Is a skill the same as a plugin or a connector?
No. A connector or plugin gives an assistant an ongoing connection to an outside system, like your email or a CRM. A skill is closer to a written procedure; it only tells the assistant how to do one task, and it only runs on the files you give it in that conversation.
Will installing a skill give it access to files I haven’t shared?
No. Installing a skill just makes its instructions available to the assistant. It still only sees the files and folders you explicitly attach or point it to in a given conversation.
What happens if I want to remove a skill?
Delete its folder from your personal skills folder (~/.claude/skills for Claude or ~/.agents/skills for Codex) and it won’t be available starting with your next chat or task.