Anthropic Knowledge Hub

Workflow: Agent Skills Lifecycle ​

Updated: 2026-05-26

End-to-end skill lifecycle: create, version, invoke, and update.

flowchart TD
    A[Admin Creates Skill] --> B[Set Name, Description, Instruction]
    B --> C[Create Skill Version 1]
    C --> D[Agent Invokes Skill in Request]
    D --> E[Claude Applies Skill Instructions]
    E --> F[Enhanced Response]

    C --> G[Create Skill Version 2]
    G --> H[Update Instruction]
    H --> D

    D --> I{Need New Version?}
    I -->|Yes| G
    I -->|No| F

    subgraph Setup
        A
        B
        C
    end

    subgraph Runtime
        D
        E
        F
    end

    subgraph Updates
        G
        H
    end

Phases ​

Phase 1: Create Skill ​

Define a skill with a unique name, description, and detailed instruction. The instruction shapes how Claude behaves when the skill is active.

Phase 2: Version the Skill ​

Skills are immutable. Create a new version whenever you update the instruction. Version numbers increment automatically. Reference a specific version ID in requests.

Phase 3: Invoke in Request ​

Include the skill ID and version in the skills array of your Messages API request. Claude loads the skill instruction as additional context before processing the message.

Phase 4: Update When Needed ​

If the skill instruction needs improvement, create a new version. Existing versions remain unchanged, so old integrations continue to work with the version they reference.

See Also ​