What it does
Any markdown file you put in .claude/commands/ becomes a slash command you can run from Claude Code. Write instructions in plain English — no code required. This is how every built-in skill works, and how you extend Patina with your own.
How to create one
Create a markdown file in .claude/commands/:
# .claude/commands/my-skill.md
Do something useful.
## Steps
1. Read the relevant files
2. Do the thing
3. Write the output
Do something useful.
## Steps
1. Read the relevant files
2. Do the thing
3. Write the output
Then run /my-skill from Claude Code. That's it.
Tips
- Write instructions the way you'd brief a smart assistant — be specific about what to read, what to do, and where to write output
- Reference specific file paths and data sources so Claude knows where to look
- Use /reflect when a skill makes a mistake — it patches the instructions automatically
- Skills can call other skills, run bash scripts, read MCP tools, and write to any file in your repo
- The menu bar app discovers new skills automatically — no restart needed
Examples
Every built-in skill is a custom skill. Look at the files in .claude/commands/ to see how they work:
morning.md— reads from 8 data sources, cross-references responses, sends to Beeperjournal.md— 10 lines of instructions, appends timestamped entriesreflect.md— a meta-skill that modifies other skill files