Teach Claude Code how to use your CLI with SKILLS.md

You have built a new CLI. You watch Claude Code call --help a few times, and something becomes obvious: the agent is not confused by the tool. It is re-learning the same command surface on every task because there is no compact guide telling it where to start. That is the problem a SKILL.md solves. It does not change the CLI. It gives the agent a shorter path into the same commands it would eventually figure out on its own. What a skill is A skill is a folder of Markdown instructions that Claude Code loads when a request matches a set of trigger phrases. For a CLI, a well-built skill has three layers: Frontmatter - the name, a description with trigger phrases, and an allowed-tools list Body - a focused command guide the agent reads once the skill fires References - extra docs the agent can consult when the main file is not enough Each layer has a job. The frontmatter decides when the skill loads. The body decides what the agent does first. The references keep the main file short withou