# netlify-forms

A skill for serverless form handling on Netlify: markup, AJAX submission, spam filtering, notifications. Useful when a form silently fails to register.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 3100 installs · ★ 45
- Author: netlify
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/netlify/context-and-tools/tree/HEAD/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/netlify-forms

## What it does

The skill explains how Netlify finds forms: it parses the final built HTML at deploy time, with no runtime API call or backend code. You mark a form with `data-netlify="true"` on the `<form>` tag, and its `name` must be unique per site. Client-rendered and SSR forms never land in the built HTML, so they need a static skeleton file at `public/__forms.html` with field names matching exactly. Without that file, submissions fail quietly.

Enable form detection once in the Netlify UI before your first deploy: Forms, then Enable form detection. It takes effect on the next deploy. For AJAX, the body must be URL-encoded — JSON is not supported. In SSR apps `fetch("/")` gets intercepted by the SSR catch-all function, so POST to `/__forms.html` instead of the root. File uploads allow one file per field, with an 8 MB request limit and a 30 s timeout.

Akismet filters every submission, and honeypot or reCAPTCHA failures land in neither the verified nor the spam list. Set the email subject with a hidden `subject` input or in the UI, but not both — the HTML value always overrides the UI. Point a custom thank-you page at an extensionless path like `/thank-you`, since `/thank-you.html` returns a 404.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add netlify/context-and-tools --skill netlify-forms -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/netlify-forms/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add netlify/context-and-tools --skill netlify-forms -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add netlify/context-and-tools --skill netlify-forms -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install netlify/context-and-tools netlify-forms
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add netlify/context-and-tools --skill netlify-forms -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/netlify/context-and-tools --path skills/netlify-forms
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add netlify/context-and-tools --skill netlify-forms -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/netlify/context-and-tools/tree/HEAD/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- add a contact form to a Netlify-hosted site
- get a Next.js or Astro form to actually register
- wire AJAX submission without a page reload
- block bots with a honeypot or reCAPTCHA
- upload a file from a form within the size limit

## Example prompts
- Add a contact form with data-netlify="true" and an email field to the contact page
- The SvelteKit form isn't registering — check that public/__forms.html lists the same field names
- Set up AJAX submission to /__forms.html with a URL-encoded body

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE df65431249b921c8
````text
---
name: netlify-forms
description: Serverless form handling on Netlify-hosted sites — detects HTML forms at deploy time, stores submissions, filters spam, and sends notifications. Use when adding a contact form, lead-capture form, file-upload form, or newsletter signup to a Netlify site; wiring AJAX form submission; setting up a custom thank-you page; adding a honeypot or reCAPTCHA to a form; getting forms working in Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, or Gatsby; reading form submissions via the Netlify API; setting up submission notifications or ChatGPT automations on form submission events; or debugging missing submissions and forms that silently fail to register.
---

# Netlify Forms

Mark a form for detection with `data-netlify="true"` (or the bare `netlify` attribute — equivalent) on the `<form>` tag. Forms are detected by **parsing the final built HTML at deploy time** — there is no runtime API call or backend code. Client-side/JS-rendered/SSR forms are NOT in the built HTML and are never detected on their own; they require a static skeleton file (see below).

Prerequisite: form detection must be enabled once in the Netlify UI (Forms > **Enable form detection**). Takes effect on the next deploy.

## Static HTML form

```html
<form name="contact" method="POST" data-netlify="true">
  <p><label>Your Name: <input type="text" name="name" /></label></p>
  <p><label>Your Email: <input type="email" name="email" /></label></p>
  <p><label>Message: <textarea name="message"></textarea></label></p>
  <p><button type="submit">Send</button></p>
</form>
```

- `name` sets the form name in the UI and **must be unique per site**.
- At deploy, Netlify strips the `data-netlify`/`netlify` attribute and injects `<input type="hidden" name="form-name" value="contact" />`.
- Add an `<input name="email">` so the notification email's `Reply-to` is set to the submitter.

## JS-rendered / SSR / framework forms (Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Gatsby)

Two required pieces:

**1. Static skeleton file `public/__forms.html`** — a hidden copy of each form with `data-netlify="true"`, a hidden `form-name` input, and every field the component submits, with names matching **exactly** (Netlify validates field names against the registered form). Without this file, submissions silently fail.

```html
<!-- public/__forms.html -->
<form name="pizzaOrder" data-netlify="true" hidden>
  <input type="hidden" name="form-name" value="pizzaOrder" />
  <input name="order" type="text" />
</form>
```
````
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First 2508 of 12026 bytes. © netlify · MIT · https://github.com/netlify/context-and-tools/tree/HEAD/skills/netlify-forms/SKILL.md

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