Desktop app Customize window doesn't show user-authored skills from ~/.claude/skills/

Resolved 💬 6 comments Opened Mar 27, 2026 by samkorn Closed May 4, 2026

Description

In the Claude Desktop app on Mac, the Code tab's Customize window does not display user-authored skills located in ~/.claude/skills/. It only shows Anthropic-published / claude.ai skills (e.g., unstick, email-drafter, pdf, etc.).

The skills are loaded and functional at runtime — they appear in the system prompt and can be invoked normally. They just don't appear in the Customize UI, which makes it look like they aren't installed.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Create custom skills in ~/.claude/skills/ (e.g., todo.md, scope.md)
  2. Open the Claude Desktop app on Mac
  3. Switch to the Code tab
  4. Open the Customize window
  5. Observe that only Anthropic-published skills are listed — user-authored skills from ~/.claude/skills/ are missing

Expected behavior

User-authored skills from ~/.claude/skills/ should appear in the Customize window alongside Anthropic-published skills, or there should be a separate section for them.

Environment

  • Platform: macOS
  • Claude Desktop app (Code tab)

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