A skill is just an SOP. A plugin is a department.

People hear "Claude skill" and think it's technical. It's not. It's an SOP.

A standard operating procedure. The thing you'd hand a new hire so they know how it's done here. When someone asks you to write the newsletter, do it like this. When a client emails, do it like this. Here's an example of a good one. Here's what you never say.

That's a skill. A document that tells Claude how to do one kind of job your way.

What goes in it

When to use it. The steps, in order. A couple of real examples of the work done well. And what never to do. One to two pages. That's it.

Without it, you re-explain yourself every single time. With it, you say "write the newsletter" and it already knows.

So what's a plugin?

A plugin is a group of skills. A department.

Say you've got six skills for your content: write in my voice, build the carousel, draft the email, and so on. Bundle them together, and that's a plugin. A department of employees who all know the house style. Install it once and the whole department shows up.

How many do you need?

Most people I work with end up around ten. Something like: write in my voice, turn call notes into tasks, draft the follow-up, build a proposal, weekly review, and one or two that are specific to their trade.

Here's another thing nobody tells you. A skill is just a file. You don't have to install anything fancy. You can write the instructions in a markdown document and send it to a friend, and their Claude can follow it too.

That's the whole mystery. It's an SOP. You already know how to write one.