Top 10 Free Claude Code Skills for GitHub Projects

Claude Code skills are .md files stored in ~/.claude/skills/. You invoke them with a slash command inside a Claude Code session. This list covers ten skills that add genuine value to GitHub-based development workflows — each one free to use.

How to Invoke Skills

Every skill on this list is invoked the same way: type /skill-name in your Claude Code session to activate it, then continue with your request.

/pdf
Extract the vendor name, invoice number, and total from this document: [paste content]

There is no separate marketplace install step — skills are .md files you place in ~/.claude/skills/ or that come bundled with Claude Code.

1. PDF Skill — Documentation and Document Handling

The pdf skill processes invoices, technical specifications, and documentation directly in your Claude session.

/pdf
Extract all API endpoints and their parameters from this spec PDF: [paste content or path]

The skill handles text extraction, table detection, and structured data output. Useful when reviewing PRs that reference PDF specifications or generating release notes from PDF changelogs.

2. TDD Skill — Test-Driven Development

The tdd skill generates test cases before implementation, enforcing test-first patterns.

/tdd
Write tests for this function before I implement it:

def calculate_pricing(items: list[dict]) -> float:
    """Calculate total pricing with discounts"""
    pass

Claude with tdd active will produce:

def test_calculate_pricing_empty_list():
    assert calculate_pricing([]) == 0.0

def test_calculate_pricing_single_item():
    assert calculate_pricing([{"price": 10.0}]) == 10.0

def test_calculate_pricing_negative_price():
    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
        calculate_pricing([{"price": -5.0}])

Works with pytest, unittest, and Jest across Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript projects.

3. Frontend Design Skill — UI Verification

The frontend-design skill validates UI code against design specifications and catches common React issues.

/frontend-design
Review the Button component in components/Button.tsx.
Check for missing aria attributes, prop-type issues, and useEffect dependency errors.

The skill catches problems like:

// frontend-design flags the empty dependency array
useEffect(() => {
    fetchUser(userId).then(setUser);
}, []); // Missing userId dependency

Supports React, Vue, and vanilla HTML/CSS projects.

4. Supermemory Skill — Context Across Sessions

The supermemory skill maintains project context across Claude Code sessions, so you don’t re-explain your stack every time you return to a project.

/supermemory
Remember: this repo uses React 18, TypeScript, Vite, and Tailwind.
Components are in src/components/. Custom hooks in src/hooks/.

On subsequent sessions, invoke /supermemory at the start and Claude loads your stored project context automatically.

5. Webapp Testing Skill — Playwright Integration

The webapp-testing skill drives Playwright-based browser testing through natural language instructions.

/webapp-testing
Navigate to http://localhost:3000/login
Fill the username field with "testuser" and password with "testpass123"
Click the submit button
Verify the page redirects to /dashboard

Useful for validating login flows, form submissions, and user journeys before merging PRs. Integrate into GitHub Actions by running Claude Code non-interactively with claude --print.

6. Spreadsheet Skill — Data Operations

The xlsx skill creates and modifies spreadsheets, applies formulas, and formats data.

/xlsx
Create a spreadsheet with two sheets:
- Sheet 1: Sprint metrics with columns: Story, Points, Status
- Sheet 2: Bug counts with severity levels (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
Apply conditional formatting: red background for Critical, yellow for High

Supports .xlsx, .xlsm, .csv, and .tsv with full formula support.

7. Presentation Skill — Slide Decks

The pptx skill generates PowerPoint presentations from structured content.

/pptx
Create a sprint retrospective deck from milestones.md
Use the template at templates/quarterly.pptx for branding

Integrates with existing PowerPoint templates, preserving corporate formatting and theme consistency.

8. Document Skill — Word Processing

The docx skill handles Microsoft Word document generation and editing.

/docx
Create an API reference document.
Pull endpoint definitions from openapi.yaml.
Apply heading styles automatically and include a table of contents.

The skill preserves tracked changes and comments — useful for collaborative technical writing.

9. Canvas Design Skill — Visual Assets

The canvas-design skill generates diagrams, flowcharts, and visual assets as code (SVG, canvas instructions, or structured descriptions for rendering).

/canvas-design
Generate an architecture diagram showing:
Frontend (React) → API Gateway → three microservices (auth, billing, notifications)
Include arrows and service labels. Output as SVG.

Use this for README diagrams, architecture documentation, and technical blog posts.

10. Canvas Design Skill — Visual Asset Generation

The built-in canvas-design skill generates visual assets directly from prompts.

/canvas-design
Create a banner image for our product launch.
Size: 1200x630px (Open Graph)
Style: modern, dark background, gradient accent
Text: "Launch Day — March 2026"

Useful for generating social media assets, marketing banners, and UI mockups without leaving your development workflow.

Choosing Skills for Your Workflow

Project type	Start with
Documentation-heavy	`pdf`, `docx`, `xlsx`
Web applications	`frontend-design`, `webapp-testing`, `pptx`
API development	`tdd`, `docx`
Data pipelines	`xlsx`, `canvas-design`
Long-running projects	`supermemory` (always)

Most developers find three to five skills covers the majority of daily work. Install skills by placing their .md files in ~/.claude/skills/ — official skills ship with Claude Code; community skills are available on GitHub.

Best Claude Skills for Developers in 2026 — An in-depth look at which skills deliver the most value across different development contexts and project types
Claude Skills Auto-Invocation: How It Works — How Claude decides when to trigger a skill automatically based on context, and how to configure invocation behavior
Claude Skills Token Optimization: Reduce API Costs — Strategies for getting the most out of skills like pdf, xlsx, and tdd without unnecessary API overhead

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