3.2 — Custom Slash Commands and Skills

CCAR-F Domain 3 · Task 3.2

What You Need to Know

A skill is a named, reusable set of instructions that Claude Code loads on demand. You run it as a slash command (/deploy).

The Unified Skills System

Location	Structure	Creates
.claude/commands/deploy.md	Flat Markdown file	/deploy
.claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md	Directory + SKILL.md entrypoint	/deploy (canonical, fuller-featured)

Skills path supports supporting files, auto-discovery, and wins on name conflict.

Two Scoping Levels

• Project (.claude/skills/ or .claude/commands/) — version-controlled, shared via git
• User (~/.claude/skills/ or ~/.claude/commands/) — personal, not shared

Skills Frontmatter (exam-tested options)

---
description: "..."
context: fork          # run in isolated sub-agent; keep verbose output out of main conversation
allowed-tools:         # exam: "restricts"; current product: pre-approves
  - Read
  - Grep
argument-hint: "..."   # exam: prompts for required parameters; current: autocomplete hint
---

Skills vs CLAUDE.md

	CLAUDE.md / rules	Skills
Load	Every session	On demand (explicit or auto-match)
Purpose	Always-on standards	Task-specific workflows
Context cost	Always present	Only when invoked

Exam Traps

• Creating a flat .md file directly inside .claude/skills/
• Placing a team-shared command in a user-scoped path
• Thinking skills behave like CLAUDE.md for always-on guidance
• Leaving a verbose skill to run inline (use context: fork)
• Putting task-specific workflows in CLAUDE.md