How to Add Skills to Claude (Works on Any Plan)

You just read about Claude Skills being useful, and now you want to actually turn one on — but you can't quite find where the button is. The UI isn't hidden, but it's also not obvious the first time. This guide walks you through every step with zero ambiguity.

Before You Start: Two Things to Know

First, you need a Claude.ai account. A free account works for some Skills; a Claude Pro account ($20/month) unlocks the full catalog. If you're not sure what's available at each tier, check the free Claude Skills guide first.

Second, Skills are not available in Claude API integrations or third-party apps that embed Claude — only on claude.ai directly. So you'll need to be in the main web app.

The Complete Step-by-Step: Adding Any Claude Skill

1. Open claude.ai and log in.

   Navigate to claude.ai in any modern browser and sign into your Anthropic account. If you don't have one, create a free account first.

2. Click your profile icon.

   In the top-right corner of the interface you'll see your avatar or initials. Click it to open the account dropdown menu.

3. Select Settings.

   In the dropdown, click Settings. This opens the full Settings panel.

4. Click Integrations in the left sidebar.

   The Settings panel has a left-side navigation. Click Integrations to open the Skills library. You'll see all available Skills listed here, organized by category.

5. Find the Skill you want and click Connect.

   Browse the list or use the search field at the top. When you find the Skill you want — say, Web Search or Gmail — click the Connect button next to it.

6. Complete the authorization (for app-connected Skills).

   Skills that connect to external apps — Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, Shopify — will redirect you to that app's login and authorization screen. This is standard OAuth. You'll see a list of permissions; review them, then click Allow or Authorize.

   Built-in Skills like Web Search and Code Execution enable immediately — no external authorization needed.

7. Confirm the connection in Settings.

   After authorizing, you're returned to Claude.ai. Go back to Settings → Integrations. The Skill should now show a green Connected badge. You're done.

How to Use a Skill Once It's Enabled

Claude uses Skills contextually — you don't have to invoke them with a special command. But explicit prompts work best, especially at first. Here are some examples:

• With Web Search: "Search the web for the latest AI regulation news from this week and summarize it in bullets."
• With Gmail: "Check my inbox for any unread emails from customers and summarize what they need."
• With Calendar: "What meetings do I have tomorrow, and is there any gap I could use for a 1-hour focus block?"
• With Notion: "Open my 'Product Roadmap' Notion page and add a new item: 'Redesign onboarding flow — Q2 priority.'"

The more specific your prompt, the more reliably Claude will pull in the right Skill. Vague prompts like "check my email" still work, but you might get a clarifying question first.

Adding Multiple Skills at Once

You're not limited to one Skill. Go through the same process for each Skill you want to add — each one gets its own Connected status in the Integrations panel. There's no known limit on how many you can enable simultaneously.

Turns out the setup time for all twelve top Skills is under 15 minutes total. Most of that is the OAuth flows, which are just "log in with Google" style prompts you've done a hundred times before.

How to Disconnect a Skill

If you want to revoke Claude's access to a connected app, go to Settings → Integrations, find the Skill, and click Disconnect. This immediately removes Claude's ability to access that service.

For extra thoroughness — especially for sensitive services like Gmail — also revoke the access token from the third-party app directly. In Google, that's myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party apps with account access. Find Claude/Anthropic in the list and remove it.

Troubleshooting: What If the Skill Doesn't Show Up?

A few things can cause a Skill to not appear or not work after enabling it. Check the full troubleshooting guide for Claude Skills, but here are the most common fixes:

• Refresh the page after connecting — sometimes the UI needs a reload to reflect the new Skill status.
• Check that you completed the full OAuth flow — if you closed the popup early, the authorization didn't complete.
• Make sure you're on a plan that supports the Skill — some are Pro-only.
• Try in a private/incognito window if you suspect a browser extension is interfering.

Adding Skills on Mobile

Claude.ai has a mobile web experience, and Skills work the same way on mobile. The Settings menu is accessible from the same profile icon in the top-right corner. The OAuth flows will open in your mobile browser — just authorize like normal and you'll be returned to Claude.

The native Claude iOS and Android apps may have a slightly different UI path, but Settings → Integrations is consistent. If you're on the Claude app, look for a gear icon or your account menu for the same path.

What Comes Next

Once you've got a few Skills enabled, you might want to look at how Claude Projects work alongside Skills — Projects give Claude persistent memory so you don't have to re-explain your context every session. Together, Projects and Skills get you very close to a dedicated AI assistant that knows your work.