Skill tool available_skills list incomplete - missing documented skills from CLAUDE.md

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Dec 27, 2025 by kpmagno Closed Feb 14, 2026

Problem

The Skill tool definition states 'Only use skills listed in <available_skills> below' but the available_skills list is incomplete and doesn't include all skills documented in Global CLAUDE.md files.

Impact

  • Other Claude instances following the strict rule will refuse to use documented skills
  • Example: session-handoff is documented in Global CLAUDE.md with invocation instructions but is NOT in the Skill tool's available_skills list
  • This creates a contradiction that blocks access to legitimate, documented functionality

Example of Conflict

Documented in Global CLAUDE.md:

  • session-handoff skill exists with instructions: ~/.claude/skills/session-handoff/session-handoff example-bot

But NOT in Skill tool available_skills:

  • The available_skills list doesn't include session-handoff
  • Claudes following the 'Only use listed skills' rule would refuse to use it

Suggested Fix

Either:

  1. Add all CLAUDE.md documented skills to the Skill tool's available_skills section
  2. Update Skill tool instructions to acknowledge that CLAUDE.md skills can be invoked independently (e.g., via Bash)
  3. Remove the 'only use listed skills' constraint for documented skills

System Info

  • Claude Code CLI
  • Affects: All Claude instances receiving this system prompt
  • Discovered: 2025-12-28

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