Stop downloading Claude skills
Phillip Twyford
There's a growing library of downloadable Claude skills online, including marketing, SEO, copywriting, and social media. Drop one into Claude, and it sounds like a shortcut to better output. I'd argue it's actually three problems in one.
The security risk nobody talks about
AI skills are instruction files. When Claude reads one, it follows what's inside. That's the whole point. But it also means a badly built or deliberately malicious skill file can contain hidden instructions, ones designed to change how Claude behaves without you knowing.
This is called prompt injection. It's a real and documented risk. The AI isn't lying to you, it's doing exactly what it was told. You just didn't write the instructions.
It's not a reason to avoid skills altogether. It is a reason to be careful about where they come from and who wrote them.
Generic skills give you generic output
Download a marketing skill built for a general audience, and that's exactly what you'll get: general output. It doesn't know your business. It doesn't know your clients, your tone, what you charge, why customers choose you over someone else, or how you like to communicate.
We've all seen AI slop, content that's technically correct and completely hollow. Skills don't fix that problem. Used carelessly, they make it worse. A packaged SEO skill applied to a professional services firm in Dublin isn't going to write like someone who understands that firm. It's going to be written like every other firm using the same skill.
I think we're about to start hearing the term skill slop. It's the same problem, one layer deeper.
The competitive advantage is in building your own
Here's the thing: skills aren't hard to create. I have an Instagram reel where I walk you through building your first one in under 90 seconds. A skill is a set of instructions, and you already know more about your business than any pre-packaged file ever will.
When you write a skill yourself, you put in your tone of voice, your brand values, the way you talk to clients, and the things you never want to say. That context doesn't exist in a downloaded file. It only exists in your head, and a custom skill is how you get it into your AI.
The businesses that will get the most from AI aren't the ones downloading the most tools. They're the ones taking the time to build something that actually fits.
Where to start
If you haven't created a skill yet, start small. Pick one task you do repeatedly, a type of email, a social post format, or a client report, and write a short instruction file for it. Describe the output you want, the tone, and what to avoid. That's it.
You can always edit it as you learn. The version you write today will be better than anything you download, because it's yours.
I've got a full walkthrough on here if you want to see the process step by step.
FAQ'S
Q1: Are downloadable AI skills safe to use?
A: Not always. AI skills are instruction files, and a poorly built or malicious one can contain hidden instructions that change how your AI behaves without you realising. This is called prompt injection. Skills from reputable, known sources carry less risk, but it's worth understanding what you're installing before you run it.
Q2: Why doesn't a downloaded AI skill work well for my business?
A: Pre-built skills are designed for a general audience, so they produce general output. They don't know your tone, your clients, your pricing, or how you communicate. The result is content that's technically fine but feels hollow. A skill only performs well when it has the context of your specific business built into it.
Q3: How do I create my own AI skill?
A: Start with one task you repeat regularly — a type of email, a social post, or a report format. Write a short instruction file describing the output you want, the tone to use, and what to avoid. That's the core of a skill. You can refine it over time, and even a basic custom skill will outperform a downloaded one because it reflects your business.
Q4: What's the difference between a custom AI skill and a downloaded one?
A: A custom skill contains your business context — your voice, your values, your client language. A downloaded skill contains someone else's best guess at what a business like yours might need. The gap between those two things shows up in every piece of output the skill produces.