{"id":1833,"date":"2026-03-05T11:44:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:44:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:44:20","slug":"claude-code-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/claude-code-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Claude Code Skills: The Complete Beginner&#8217;s Guide (2026): How to Install, Configure &amp; Use Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/claude-code-skills-1024x512.webp\" alt=\"claude code skills\" class=\"wp-image-1834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/claude-code-skills-1024x512.webp 1024w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/claude-code-skills-300x150.webp 300w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/claude-code-skills-768x384.webp 768w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/claude-code-skills.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-takeaway\"><strong>Key Takeaway:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>General-purpose AI resets every session, but Claude Code Skills act like a permanent operations manual \u2014 install once, and your AI already knows your workflow, style, and domain expertise, saving you time every single time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block has-custom-cd-994-c-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ef3ea13a4545ea0af3b8b2872d65d47a\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p>Table of Contents<\/p><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#key-takeaway\">Key Takeaway:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-problem-with-general-purpose-ai\">The Problem with General-Purpose AI<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-is-claude-code\">What is Claude Code?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#why-a-command-line-tool\">Why a command-line tool?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#claude-ai-web-vs-claude-code-local\">Claude.ai (web) vs Claude Code (local)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-are-skills\">What are Skills?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#two-prerequisites\">Two prerequisites<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#preparation-what-you-need-before-installing\">Preparation: What You Need Before Installing<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#dont-let-the-technical-feel-intimidate-you\">Don&#8217;t let the &#8220;technical feel&#8221; intimidate you<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#first-open-your-terminal\">First: open your Terminal<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-1-install-node-js\">Step 1 \u2014 Install Node.js<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#mac-os\">macOS<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#windows\">Windows<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-2-install-claude-code\">Step 2 \u2014 Install Claude Code<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#verify-the-installation\">Verify the installation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-3-configure-your-language-model\">Step 3 \u2014 Configure Your Language Model<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#recommended-tool-cc-switch\">Recommended tool: CCSwitch<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#option-a-domestic-providers-recommended-for-beginners\">Option A \u2014 Domestic providers (recommended for beginners)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#option-b-anthropic-official-claude-ai-subscribers\">Option B \u2014 Anthropic official (claude.ai subscribers)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#verify-your-model-is-connected\">Verify your model is connected<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#skills-vs-prompts-whats-the-real-difference\">Skills vs. Prompts: What&#8217;s the Real Difference?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#when-to-use-a-plain-prompt\">When to use a plain prompt<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#when-to-use-a-skill\">When to use a Skill<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#five-dimensional-comparison\">Five-dimensional comparison<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#where-skills-live-on-your-computer\">Where Skills live on your computer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-4-download-use-your-first-skill\">Step 4 \u2014 Download &amp; Use Your First Skill<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#step-1-find-a-skill\">Step 1: Find a Skill<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-2-download-and-unzip\">Step 2: Download and unzip<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-3-copy-the-folder-to-your-skills-directory\">Step 3: Copy the folder to your Skills directory<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#step-4-invoke-the-skill\">Step 4: Invoke the Skill<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#example-output-from-topic-generator\">Example output from Topic Generator<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#bonus-take-it-further-with-gaga-ai-the-all-in-one-ai-video-generator\">Bonus: Take It Further with Gaga AI \u2014 The All-in-One AI Video Generator<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#image-to-video-ai\">Image to Video AI<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#video-and-audio-infusion\">Video and Audio Infusion<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ai-avatar\">AI Avatar<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ai-voice-clone\">AI Voice Clone<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#text-to-speech-tts\">Text to Speech (TTS)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#you-now-have-a-specialist-ai-assistant\">You now have a specialist AI assistant.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-problem-with-general-purpose-ai\"><strong>The Problem with General-Purpose AI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve used ChatGPT, Claude, or any modern AI assistant, you&#8217;ve felt their power \u2014 and their friction. Every new conversation starts from zero. The model doesn&#8217;t know your preferred writing style, your industry&#8217;s terminology, or the format that worked well last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine asking an AI to write a newsletter article. You probably type something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Write a newsletter article about time management. Make the opening gripping, divide the body into 3\u20134 clear sections, end with a memorable one-liner, keep the tone warm but not cheesy, target length 800 words\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two minutes spent writing instructions. The AI produces a draft. You ask for a revised opener. Three more rounds. The piece is finally good \u2014 but next week you&#8217;ll do the whole thing again from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Large language models are generalists.<\/strong> They are extraordinarily capable, but they don&#8217;t specialise automatically. That&#8217;s the gap <em>Skills<\/em> exist to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-claude-code\"><strong>What is Claude Code?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/code.claude.com\/docs\/en\/overview\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Claude Code<\/a> is the official command-line tool published by Anthropic (the company behind the Claude family of models). Unlike the web interface at claude.ai, Claude Code runs <em>on your machine<\/em>, giving it capabilities the browser version simply cannot offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-a-command-line-tool\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Why a command-line tool?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Command line&#8221; sounds intimidating, but it just means you type instructions instead of clicking. Everything you need to type in this guide is provided verbatim \u2014 copy, paste, press Enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"claude-ai-web-vs-claude-code-local\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Claude.ai (web) vs Claude Code (local)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Capability<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>claude.ai (web)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Claude Code (local)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Access your local files<\/td><td>\u2717 No<\/td><td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Automate multi-step tasks<\/td><td>\u2717 Limited<\/td><td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Install &amp; run Skills<\/td><td>\u2717 No<\/td><td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Works without a browser<\/td><td>\u2717 No<\/td><td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Choose your own AI model<\/td><td>\u2717 Limited<\/td><td>\u2713 Yes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-are-skills\"><strong>What are Skills?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/code.claude.com\/docs\/en\/skills\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Skill<\/strong><\/a> is a packaged set of instructions, domain knowledge, and workflow guidance that you install into Claude Code \u2014 like an app for your AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/what-is-claude-skills.webp\" alt=\"what is claude skills\" class=\"wp-image-1836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/what-is-claude-skills.webp 1024w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/what-is-claude-skills-300x165.webp 300w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/what-is-claude-skills-768x422.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of onboarding a brilliant but inexperienced new hire. They&#8217;re smart and fast, but they&#8217;ve never worked in your industry. The fastest way to get great output is to hand them a thorough operations manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Skill as an Operations Manual:<\/strong> A Skill file typically encodes the AI&#8217;s role and persona, a curated knowledge base of best practices, a step-by-step workflow for completing the task, output format specifications, and reference examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you load a <em>Newsletter Writing<\/em> Skill, the AI already knows your article structure, your preferred opener styles, word-count norms, and formatting conventions \u2014 you just say &#8220;write me a piece about time management.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"two-prerequisites\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Two prerequisites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can use a Skill, two things must be in place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>01 \u2014 Claude Code installed on your computer<\/strong> Skills live <em>inside<\/em> Claude Code. Without it, there&#8217;s nowhere to load them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>02 \u2014 A connected large language model<\/strong> Claude Code is a shell; it needs an AI &#8220;brain&#8221; to think with. You&#8217;ll connect one in Step 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"preparation-what-you-need-before-installing\"><strong>Preparation: What You Need Before Installing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you understand what Claude Code and Skills are, let&#8217;s be clear about what needs to be in place before you can use a Skill. There are two hard prerequisites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d9f3cea1fe2b16851e2536a47988b6e7\"><strong>Prerequisite 1 \u2014 Install Claude Code<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skills run <em>inside<\/em> Claude Code \u2014 just like apps run on a phone. So your first job is to get Claude Code onto your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udcac <strong>Note:<\/strong> Besides Claude Code, there are open-source alternatives like OpenCode that can also run Skills. This guide focuses on Claude Code because it&#8217;s the official tool and offers the best stability and compatibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-27f1f111ea8277f1fc0fdebdadcd3a4e\"><strong>Prerequisite 2 \u2014 Configure a Language Model<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the step most beginners overlook. Claude Code is just a shell \u2014 it needs a large language model connected to it before it can do anything. Think of Claude Code as a smart <em>body<\/em>, and the language model as its <em>brain<\/em>. Without a brain, the body is useless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can connect different &#8220;brains&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83e\udde0 Anthropic&#8217;s official Claude models (also available via domestic relay services)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udde0 Domestic models like DeepSeek, Kimi, MiniMax, or Qwen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udde0 Various models via OpenRouter as a relay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll walk through the configuration in detail in Step 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dont-let-the-technical-feel-intimidate-you\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Don&#8217;t let the &#8220;technical feel&#8221; intimidate you<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve never used a command line before, seeing the steps ahead might make you a little anxious \u2014 a black window with white text, cryptic English commands, walls of scrolling output\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here&#8217;s the truth: <strong>it&#8217;s far simpler than it looks.<\/strong> You don&#8217;t need to understand what any of the commands mean. All you need to do is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9728f61837b8ac8c500c1e0550d591c0\"><strong>1<\/strong> Open a program called &#8220;Terminal&#8221; (or &#8220;PowerShell&#8221; on Windows)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-91fbcde19313da73461617d562ff725e\"><strong>2<\/strong> Copy the command I give you and paste it in<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4a31485c89cb2c7c4b9865db7956f823\"><strong>3<\/strong> Press Enter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s it. It&#8217;s no different in practice from copying and pasting a piece of text. If you can place an online order or install an app on your phone, this guide holds no difficulty for you whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How this guide is designed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>macOS and Windows covered separately<\/strong> \u2014 the steps differ between systems; just read your own section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Every step has a clear verification method<\/strong> \u2014 after each action, I&#8217;ll tell you exactly what a successful result looks like.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Common problems flagged in advance<\/strong> \u2014 wherever things are likely to go wrong, I&#8217;ll warn you ahead of time and explain the fix.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"first-open-your-terminal\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>First: open your Terminal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before installing anything, you need to open the command-line program on your computer. It goes by different names depending on your OS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mac:<\/strong> \u00a0 called <strong>Terminal<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Windows:<\/strong> \u00a0 called <strong>PowerShell<\/strong> (preferred over the older Command Prompt)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9b07f1afaa6f42fedb6267d8773968ec\"><strong>macOS \u2014 How to open Terminal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Method 1: Spotlight Search (recommended)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Press <strong>Command (\u2318) + Space<\/strong> \u2014 a search bar appears<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type <strong>Terminal<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Press <strong>Enter<\/strong> \u2014 Terminal opens<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Method 2: From Applications<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open <strong>Finder<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Applications<\/strong> in the left sidebar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for <strong>Terminal<\/strong> and open it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you&#8217;ll see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8e1c42662faa42bf62d7a3f84f365f9b\">Last login: Mon Jan 20 10:30:00 on ttys000<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-de4c361b1c02df75bbcfa7b998688dbd\">yourname@MacBook ~ %<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cursor blinks after the % or $ symbol, waiting for your input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8155300a193ce771dcd5ad328e6e0273\"><strong>Windows \u2014 How to open PowerShell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Windows has two command-line tools: Command Prompt and PowerShell. Use <strong>PowerShell<\/strong> \u2014 it&#8217;s more powerful and better supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Method 1: Start Menu Search (recommended)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click the <strong>Windows icon<\/strong> in the bottom-left corner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type <strong>PowerShell<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Windows PowerShell<\/strong> in the results<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Method 2: Right-click the Start button<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Right-click the <strong>Windows icon<\/strong> in the bottom-left corner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select <strong>Windows PowerShell<\/strong> from the menu<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you&#8217;ll see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Windows PowerShell<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-afd515e6f030bb8eeb5e02c5e038f0e5\">Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9c193493726b3d85fd3ccb551fa1ae55\">PS C:\\Users\\YourName&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cursor blinks after the &gt; symbol, waiting for your input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-1-install-node-js\"><strong>Step 1 \u2014 Install Node.js<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claude Code is built on Node.js, a widely used JavaScript runtime. You install it once and never think about it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mac-os\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>macOS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visit<a href=\"https:\/\/nodejs.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> nodejs.org<\/a>, click <em>Get Node.js<\/em>, download the macOS .pkg installer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Double-click the downloaded file and follow the wizard (keep all defaults).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open <strong>Terminal<\/strong> (\u2318 + Space \u2192 type &#8220;Terminal&#8221; \u2192 Enter) and verify:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b37f1677fbd42e1584231cc03037df0c\">node -v<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-efaa6a467567edc436614ae8610cf9cf\">npm -v<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both commands should print a version number (e.g. v22.4.1 and 10.7.0). \u2713<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"windows\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Windows<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Visit<a href=\"https:\/\/nodejs.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> nodejs.org<\/a>, click <em>Get Node.js<\/em>, download the Windows .msi installer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run the installer. When prompted about &#8220;Tools for Native Modules,&#8221; check that box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Close and reopen PowerShell<\/strong>, then verify:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b37f1677fbd42e1584231cc03037df0c\">node -v<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-efaa6a467567edc436614ae8610cf9cf\">npm -v<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both commands should print version numbers. \u2713<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Seeing &#8220;command not found&#8221;?<\/strong> Close your terminal\/PowerShell completely, reopen it, and try again. If the problem persists, restart your computer \u2014 this resolves most PATH-related issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-2-install-claude-code\"><strong>Step 2 \u2014 Install Claude Code<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Node.js in place, installing Claude Code is a single command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b4d22a75f525cab5149908ca0c9f445d\">npm install -g @anthropic-ai\/claude-code<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll see lines of output scroll past \u2014 that&#8217;s normal. When your prompt returns, installation is done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verify-the-installation\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Verify the installation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-116baf66fcdb3fb30eef7cb3dccfe6e9\">claude &#8211;version<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A version string confirms success. Now launch Claude Code: claude<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On first launch you&#8217;ll be asked to accept the terms of service and optionally log in with an Anthropic account. If you don&#8217;t have one \u2014 or prefer a different model \u2014 skip the login step for now; we&#8217;ll connect a model in the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udca1 Slow download or connection errors?<\/strong> Claude Code&#8217;s npm package is hosted on Anthropic&#8217;s servers. In some regions, a VPN may be needed to complete the installation. Once installed, you can use domestic LLM providers without one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-3-configure-your-language-model\"><strong>Step 3 \u2014 Configure Your Language Model<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claude Code is the body; a large language model is the brain. You tell Claude Code which AI service to use via two pieces of information: an <strong>API Base URL<\/strong> (the service&#8217;s address) and an <strong>API Key<\/strong> (your personal access token).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"recommended-tool-cc-switch\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Recommended tool: CCSwitch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/farion1231\/cc-switch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CCSwitch<\/a> is a free open-source utility that gives you a friendly interface for managing Claude Code&#8217;s model configuration \u2014 no manual file-editing required. Download the release for your OS from the GitHub releases page, install it, then run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1cca1810c9031b75a9067005fefb9168\">ccswitch<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"option-a-domestic-providers-recommended-for-beginners\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Option A \u2014 Domestic providers (recommended for beginners)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These services work without a VPN and have generous free tiers or low-cost plans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Provider<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Model<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>API Key URL<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>MiniMax<\/td><td>MiniMax-M2.1<\/td><td>platform.minimaxi.com<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Moonshot (Kimi)<\/td><td>kimi-k2-turbo-preview<\/td><td>platform.moonshot.cn<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Alibaba Qwen<\/td><td>Qwen3-Coder-Plus<\/td><td>bailian.console.aliyun.com<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Zhipu AI (GLM)<\/td><td>GLM-4.5<\/td><td>bigmodel.cn<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After getting your key, use CCSwitch to add a new configuration \u2014 paste the key, select the provider, and save. Or configure manually:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3c5634c64223338517bf15e630ad3551\"><strong>macOS (MiniMax example):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=&#8221;https:\/\/api.minimaxi.com\/anthropic&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=&#8221;your-api-key-here&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=&#8221;MiniMax-M2.1&#8243;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make these permanent, append the same lines to ~\/.zshrc then run source ~\/.zshrc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-10fc53fe35b68dc62162282cbafeb87f\"><strong>Windows (MiniMax example):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>$Env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=&#8221;https:\/\/api.minimaxi.com\/anthropic&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>$Env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=&#8221;your-api-key-here&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>$Env:ANTHROPIC_MODEL=&#8221;MiniMax-M2.1&#8243;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For permanent settings, add these variables via <em>System Properties \u2192 Environment Variables<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"option-b-anthropic-official-claude-ai-subscribers\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Option B \u2014 Anthropic official (claude.ai subscribers)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have an active Claude.ai subscription or API account, start Claude Code and choose &#8220;Log in&#8221; \u2014 a browser window opens for OAuth authentication. Once authorised you&#8217;re ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verify-your-model-is-connected\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Verify your model is connected<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Launch Claude Code and ask a simple question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c77d6e9ba359eb3acaef699dce752c79\">claude<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-green-cyan-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3326c79931ea31d1b850110f7c8984ad\">&gt; Hello! What model are you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the AI responds coherently, you&#8217;re set. \ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Common errors:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Invalid API Key<\/em> \u2014 re-copy your key (no trailing spaces)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Connection refused<\/em> \u2014 check the Base URL<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Insufficient quota<\/em> \u2014 top up your account balance on the provider&#8217;s dashboard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"skills-vs-prompts-whats-the-real-difference\"><strong>Skills vs. Prompts: What&#8217;s the Real Difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might wonder: couldn&#8217;t I just write a detailed system prompt and get the same result? Technically, yes \u2014 for a single session. But Skills solve a different problem: <em>repeatability at scale<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/difference-between-the-skill-and-the-prompt-1024x560.webp\" alt=\"difference between the skill and the prompt\" class=\"wp-image-1835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/difference-between-the-skill-and-the-prompt-1024x560.webp 1024w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/difference-between-the-skill-and-the-prompt-300x164.webp 300w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/difference-between-the-skill-and-the-prompt-768x420.webp 768w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/difference-between-the-skill-and-the-prompt.webp 1404w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"when-to-use-a-plain-prompt\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>When to use a plain prompt<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One-off, exploratory tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You&#8217;re not sure what you want yet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simple tasks needing no expertise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No plan to repeat the task<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"when-to-use-a-skill\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>When to use a Skill<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tasks you repeat regularly<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Work requiring domain expertise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consistent output quality matters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You want to share the capability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"five-dimensional-comparison\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Five-dimensional comparison<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Dimension<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Ad-hoc Prompt<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Skill<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Reusability<\/td><td>One session only<\/td><td>Install once, use forever<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Coverage<\/td><td>What you remember<\/td><td>Systematically complete<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Knowledge source<\/td><td>Your expertise<\/td><td>Domain expert&#8217;s expertise<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Output consistency<\/td><td>Variable<\/td><td>Stable and predictable<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Context efficiency<\/td><td>Consumes tokens<\/td><td>Optimised loading<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The analogy that sticks: prompts are like telling a chef verbally what to cook each time. A Skill is the recipe book \u2014 every dish, every technique, every plating note, written down once and available whenever you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"where-skills-live-on-your-computer\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Where Skills live on your computer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claude Code stores Skills in a hidden folder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0fb03bd8a73e2812902fbf83e0c5ec71\"><strong>macOS:<\/strong> ~\/.claude\/skills\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3c94ab9ed73ca8439548096881adea6b\"><strong>Windows:<\/strong> %USERPROFILE%\\.claude\\skills\\<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each Skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file \u2014 the &#8220;operations manual&#8221; the AI reads when you invoke that Skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-4-download-use-your-first-skill\"><strong>Step 4 \u2014 Download &amp; Use Your First Skill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready-made Skills are published on<a href=\"https:\/\/skills.fan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> skills.fan<\/a>, a community catalogue for knowledge workers. Think of it as an app store for AI capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-1-find-a-skill\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Step 1: Find a Skill<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit<a href=\"https:\/\/skills.fan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> skills.fan<\/a>, browse or search the catalogue, and open a Skill page. For this walkthrough we&#8217;ll use <em>Topic Generator<\/em> \u2014 a Skill that produces content ideas for creators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-2-download-and-unzip\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Step 2: Download and unzip<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click <strong>Download<\/strong> on the Skill&#8217;s detail page. You&#8217;ll get a .zip file. Extract it \u2014 you&#8217;ll find a folder named something like topic-generator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-3-copy-the-folder-to-your-skills-directory\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Step 3: Copy the folder to your Skills directory<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Move or copy the unzipped folder to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-60f66950808d392f3a484dd555d9b82c\"><strong>macOS:<\/strong> ~\/.claude\/skills\/topic-generator\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3b2f0ffa48b42813be8c2abca38e2511\"><strong>Windows:<\/strong> %USERPROFILE%\\.claude\\skills\\topic-generator\\<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, ask Claude Code to install it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Install the skill in my Downloads folder named topic-generator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-4-invoke-the-skill\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Step 4: Invoke the Skill<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Launch Claude Code and describe your task naturally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m an AI blogger. The Skills feature is trending \u2014&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>use the topic-generator Skill to give me some content ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should see: Skill(topic-generator) \u2014 Successfully loaded skill<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2728 Pro tip:<\/strong> If a Skill asks you follow-up questions (audience, goal, quantity\u2026) and you just want to see what it can do, reply: <strong>&#8220;Go ahead and generate.&#8221;<\/strong> Good Skills are designed to work with sensible defaults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"example-output-from-topic-generator\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Example output from Topic Generator<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s a condensed sample of what the Skill produced in one session for an AI blogger wanting content around Skills:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>High-potential topics (prioritise this week)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>#1<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;Anthropic drops a game-changer: Skills turns AI into your dedicated specialist&#8221; \u2014 Hot take \u00b7 Publish now \u00b7 Easy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>#2<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;I tested 50 Skills over 3 days \u2014 here are the 10 that changed how I work&#8221; \u2014 Curated list \u00b7 1\u20132 wks \u00b7 Medium<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>#3<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;Stop rewriting the same prompt. One Skill replaces 100 instructions.&#8221; \u2014 Pain-point hook \u00b7 2 wks \u00b7 Easy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Growth topics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>#4<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;Build your first Skill from scratch: zero-to-publish tutorial&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>#5<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;How I automated 80% of my content workflow with 6 Skills&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>#6<\/strong> \u2014 &#8220;Skills vs GPTs vs Coze: the honest comparison&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each card came with a difficulty rating, recommended publish timing, required assets, and a unique angle \u2014 all from a single, natural-language request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bonus-take-it-further-with-gaga-ai-the-all-in-one-ai-video-generator\"><strong>Bonus: Take It Further with Gaga AI \u2014 The All-in-One AI Video Generator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your Claude Code workflow is running smoothly, the natural next step is adding a visual and audio layer to your content. <a href=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/en\/\"><strong>Gaga AI<\/strong><\/a> is an all-in-one AI video creation platform that pairs powerfully with Skills-driven workflows \u2014 turning your text and image outputs into polished, production-ready video content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"623\" src=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-1024x623.webp\" alt=\"gaga ai video generation\" class=\"wp-image-1426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-1024x623.webp 1024w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-300x183.webp 300w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-768x467.webp 768w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-1536x935.webp 1536w, https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gaga-ai-video-generation-2048x1246.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s what Gaga AI brings to the table:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"image-to-video-ai\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Image to Video AI<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upload any still image and Gaga AI animates it into a fluid, high-quality video clip. Whether it&#8217;s a product photo, an illustrated scene, or an AI-generated image from your Claude Code workflow, the engine adds motion, depth, and cinematic life \u2014 no editing skills required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"http:\/\/gaga.art\/app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Generate Video Free<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/gaga.art\/\">Learn Gaga AI<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-and-audio-infusion\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Video and Audio Infusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gaga AI lets you layer custom audio directly onto existing video footage. Drop in background music, sound effects, or a voiceover track and the platform syncs everything automatically. The result is a cohesive, broadcast-ready clip that sounds as good as it looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ai-avatar\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>AI Avatar<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose from a library of photorealistic AI avatars \u2014 or generate one built around your own likeness. The avatar delivers your script on camera with natural gestures and lip-sync, making it ideal for explainer videos, product walkthroughs, and social content without ever needing to appear on screen yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ai-voice-clone\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>AI Voice Clone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Record a short sample of your voice and Gaga AI builds a personal voice model from it. From that point on, any text you feed the system is read back in your own voice \u2014 same tone, same cadence, same personality. Useful for scaling narrated content without recording new audio every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"text-to-speech-tts\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Text to Speech (TTS)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No voice sample? No problem. Gaga AI&#8217;s TTS engine converts written text into natural-sounding speech across dozens of languages and voice styles. Pick a voice profile that fits your brand and generate professional voiceovers in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it fits your Skills workflow:<\/strong> Generate a structured script or content brief with a Claude Code Skill \u2192 paste it into Gaga AI \u2192 select an avatar and voice \u2192 export a finished video. The entire pipeline from idea to publishable video can run in under 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2728 Tip:<\/strong> Use a Claude Code writing Skill to draft your video script first \u2014 consistent structure, the right word count, and a clear call to action \u2014 then hand it off to Gaga AI for production. The two tools are designed for exactly this kind of handoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7446319ae05f26b8dc6b74c9fc3f44d4\"><strong>Q. Do I need to pay to use Claude Code?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claude Code itself is free to download. You do need an account with an LLM provider (Anthropic, MiniMax, Moonshot, etc.) \u2014 most offer generous free tiers. You pay for API usage, not for Claude Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a970d5179e2881fe180c1b4453878227\"><strong>Q. Can I use Claude Code on Windows?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. This guide covers both macOS and Windows throughout. The commands differ slightly (PowerShell vs Terminal) but the process is identical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1e27adbc0a9034a0295452456e981588\"><strong>Q. Is it safe to paste my API Key into the terminal?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your key is stored locally in your environment variables or the CCSwitch config file \u2014 it never leaves your machine except when making authorised calls to the API provider you chose. Treat it like a password: don&#8217;t share it or commit it to public repositories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b94946d765efba3fc3fb93447176dd90\"><strong>Q. Where can I find more Skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary catalogue is<a href=\"https:\/\/skills.fan\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> skills.fan<\/a>. Skills are also shared on GitHub and community forums. Because a Skill is just a folder with a markdown file, you can also create your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8edd5d44d7178f30910d64fbd39f3a65\"><strong>Q. What&#8217;s the difference between a Skill and a custom system prompt?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A system prompt is a one-time, in-session instruction. A Skill is a persistent, shareable, version-controlled knowledge package. Skills are also structured to be reusable across multiple LLMs and sessions, whereas a system prompt lives only in the conversation you paste it into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8920e0472d97faca4095b3d71dace5a0\"><strong>Q. Can I use Skills with models other than Claude?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes \u2014 Claude Code supports any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint. Skills work the same way regardless of which model is powering Claude Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"you-now-have-a-specialist-ai-assistant\"><strong>You now have a specialist AI assistant.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past hour you installed Claude Code, connected it to a language model, and ran your first Skill. The next step is to visit <strong>skills.fan<\/strong>, find a Skill that matches something you do regularly, and actually use it \u2014 once is enough to feel the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each Skill might save you 5\u201310 minutes per task. Stack ten of them and run them daily, and the compound effect becomes significant. More importantly, you stop fighting the tool and start relying on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to install Claude Code, connect a language model, and use AI Skills to automate repetitive tasks \u2014 step-by-step guide for complete beginners, no coding required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1837,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833\/revisions\/1837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gaga.art\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}