your-skill-name — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
A starter skill template by Grafana for drafting agent instructions, structuring PromQL examples, and adhering to Agent Skills specifications.
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill your-skill-name -a claude-code
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a claude-codeWhat your-skill-name does
This template from the grafana/skills repository lays out a starting structure for agent skills across Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. The skeleton in SKILL.md divides instructions into an overview, key concepts, common patterns, and domain practices. It advises against explaining general programming knowledge. Instead, Grafana-specific patterns and concrete snippets take priority, such as the PromQL example rate(http_requests_total[5m]).
The header follows the Agent Skills specification with fields for license, compatibility, and experimental tool permissions like allowed-tools: Bash(git:*) Read. It also includes Claude Code flags like user-invocable and disable-model-invocation. The specification caps descriptions at 1024 characters and recommends keeping SKILL.md under 500 lines. Reference details belong in the references/ directory. Overloading the primary file makes context retrieval messy.
What it helps with
- structure new agent skills using the Agent Skills specification
- keep SKILL.md under 500 lines by linking reference files
- configure Claude Code menu display via user-invocable
- declare experimental tool permissions in allowed-tools
Example prompts for the agent
- Create a new Grafana monitoring skill based on the your-skill-name template
- Fill in the Key Concepts section with PromQL queries following the SKILL.md pattern
- Move detailed guide documentation from SKILL.md into the references/ directory
How to install your-skill-name
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill your-skill-name -a claude-codenpx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/template/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/template/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/template/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/template/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install grafana/skills template2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/template/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/grafana/skills --path templateManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/template/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add grafana/skills --skill template -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about your-skill-name
How to install your-skill-name in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add grafana/skills --skill your-skill-name -a claude-code in your terminal.
What is your-skill-name used for?
It is Grafana's baseline skill template that establishes standard structure for Claude Code and other AI agent instructions. It guides authors on formatting PromQL queries, best practices, and frontmatter metadata.
What are the size limits for description and SKILL.md?
The description field cannot exceed 1024 characters. The template also recommends keeping SKILL.md under 500 lines, moving extensive reference materials into the references/ folder.
Source text
SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
--- name: your-skill-name description: > Clear description of what this skill does and when to use it. Use when the user asks about X or wants to work with Y. Include specific trigger phrases so agents auto-load it correctly. Max 1024 characters. # ── Agent Skills spec fields (https://agentskills.io/specification) ────────── # license: Apache-2.0 # Recommended for open-source skills # compatibility: Claude Code, Cursor # Only if skill has specific env requirements (max 500 chars) # metadata: # Custom key-value pairs # author: grafana-labs # allowed-tools: Bash(git:*) Read # Pre-approved tools (experimental) # ── Claude Code extension fields (not part of the spec) ────────────────────── # user-invocable: true # Show in / menu (default: true) # disable-model-invocation: false # Prevent agent auto-loading (default: false) --- # Your Skill Title ## Overview Brief introduction to what this skill covers. Focus on Grafana-specific knowledge — don't explain general programming concepts the AI already knows well. ## Key Concepts Document the important concepts, patterns, or syntax. Code examples are more effective than prose. ```promql # Example rate(http_requests_total[5m]) ``` ## Common Patterns Describe the most frequently needed patterns or configurations. ## Best Practices - List recommendations specific to this skill's domain - Include common pitfalls to avoid --- > **Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines.** Move detailed reference material to `references/` files and > link to them from here. See [agentskills.io/specification](https://agentskills.io/specification).
© grafana · Apache-2.0 · grafana/skills
