Agent skill · writing content · n8n-io
n8n:create-skill
Guides users through creating effective Agent Skills. Use when you want to create, write, or author a new skill, or asks about skill structure, best practices, or SKILL.md format.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific guidelines for creating n8n skills, including structure and best practices that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 4k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 199,638 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Creating skills Skills are markdown (plus optional scripts) that teach the agent a focused workflow. Keep SKILL.md short—the context window is shared with chat, code, and other skills. Where skills live Location When to use ---------- ------------- .agents/skills/<name>/ Default for n8n: team-shared, versioned, agent-neutral source. .claude/plugins/n8n/skills/<name>/ Claude-specific override, or a generated symlink to .agents/skills/<name>/. .opencode/skills/<name>/ OpenCode-specific override only. Shared skills stay in .agents/skills/<name>/. ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ Personal skill for Claude Code across all projects. ~/.config/opencode/skills/<name>/ Personal skill for OpenCode across all projects. ~/.cursor/skills/<name>/ Optional personal skill for Cursor only, global to your machine. Do not put custom skills in ~/.cursor/skills-cursor/—that is reserved for Cursor’s built-in skills. Prefer .agents/skills/ for anything that should match how the rest of the team works. Run pnpm sync:skill-links after adding or removing shared skills. Before you write: gather requirements Ask (or infer) briefly: 1. Purpose — one concrete task or workflow. 2. Triggers — when should the agent apply this skill? 3. Gaps — what does the agent not already know (project rules, URLs, formats)? 4. Outputs — templates, checklists, or strict formats? 5. Examples — follow an existing shared skill in .agents/skills/ if one fits. Ask the user in plain language when you need more detail. File layout Frontmatter (required) Name — shared n8n skills use the n8n:<name> form so Claude Code namespaces them under the n8n plugin (invoked as /n8n:<name>). The <name> part must match the skill's directory name. Description (discovery is everything — third person, WHAT + WHEN, trigger words): Good: Extracts tables from PDFs and fills forms. Use when the user works with PDFs, forms, or document extraction. Bad: Helps with documents or I can help you with PDFs Authoring rules 1. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills n8n-io/create-skill