[BUG] unclear how to make CC discover skills

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Skills in ~/.claude/skills/ that are not user-invokable are listed in /skills and highlighted in blue when
referenced by name (e.g., /review-checklist) in messages. However:

1. The blue highlighting doesn't load the skill contents into context — Claude sees plain text
2. Since the skill isn't user-invokable, typing /review-checklist as a command errors out
3. @ file references only list project directory files, so ~/.claude/skills/ files can't be referenced that way

This creates a dead end: the terminal visually signals that the reference is recognized, but there's no mechanism
to actually get the skill contents into context.

How the issue manifests

When referencing a non-invokable user-level skill in natural language (e.g., "Please review branch BUG-1234
according to /review-checklist"), Claude does not load the skill. Instead it either treats the reference as plain
text and proceeds without the skill's guidance, or searches the codebase for the concept (e.g., searching for
"review checklist" in files) and may coincidentally find the skill file — but this is unreliable and not
guaranteed.

The blue highlighting in the terminal gives the impression the reference is understood, so the user may not
realize the skill wasn't loaded until they notice Claude's output doesn't follow the skill's instructions.

Workaround for project-level skills: .claude/skills/ files can be referenced via @. No equivalent workaround
exists for user-level skills.

What Should Happen?

Expected behavior: Either the blue highlighting should load the skill into context, or there should be another
mechanism (e.g., @ support for user-level files) to reference them.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Reproduction:

1. Create a non-invokable skill at ~/.claude/skills/review-checklist.md
2. In a message, reference it naturally: "Please review branch BUG-1234 according to /review-checklist"
3. Observe that /review-checklist is highlighted in blue in the terminal
4. Observe that Claude does not load or follow the skill's contents

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.96

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Running CC in a ZED Terminal