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Best Claude skills for AI engineering

AI engineering skills help you build with models: prompt design, evals, fine-tuning, RAG, agent architecture and skill authoring itself. Hugging Face, Google and Orchestra Research publish large packs, and meta-skills help you write better skills.

606 ai engineering skills · ranked live · November 2026

The top 10. Ranked by the Alyn Score.

  1. Anthropic

    Skills

    #1
    Anthropic

    MCP Builder

    Guide for creating high-quality MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools. Use when building MCP servers to…

    Pack192k3.8MScore 93
    Details
  2. Anthropic

    Skills

    #2
    Anthropic

    Skill Creator

    Create new skills, modify and improve existing skills, and measure skill performance. Use when users want to create a skill from scratch, edit, or optimize an existing skill, run evals to…

    Pack192k3.8MScore 93
    Details
  3. #3
    Matt Pocock

    Domain Modeling

    Build and sharpen a project's domain model. Use when discussing codebase terminology, writing or editing a GLOSSARY.md, or recording or editing an ADR.

    Pack321k33MScore 92
    Details
  4. Jesse Vincent

    Superpowers

    #4
    Jesse Vincent

    Subagent Driven Development

    Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session

    Pack316k3.9MScore 92
    Details
  5. Anthropic

    Skills

    #5
    Anthropic

    Claude API

    Reference for the Claude API / Anthropic SDK — model ids, pricing, params, streaming, tool use, MCP, agents, caching, token counting, model migration. TRIGGER — read BEFORE opening the…

    Pack192k3.8MScore 91
    Details
  6. #6
    affaan-m

    Agent Architecture Audit

    Full-stack diagnostic for agent and LLM applications. Audits the 12-layer agent stack for wrapper regression, memory pollution, tool discipline failures, hidden repair loops, and rendering…

    Pack301k1.7MScore 89
    Details
  7. #7
    affaan-m

    Agentic Os

    Build persistent multi-agent operating systems on Claude Code. Covers kernel architecture, specialist agents, slash commands, file-based memory, scheduled automation, and state management…

    Pack301k1.7MScore 89
    Details
  8. #8
    affaan-m

    AI Regression Testing

    Regression testing strategies for AI-assisted development. Sandbox-mode API testing without database dependencies, automated bug-check workflows, and patterns to catch AI blind spots where…

    Pack301k1.7MScore 89
    Details
  9. #9
    JuliusBrussee

    Caveman Setup

    Wire a repository through the Caveman Cloud gateway so every LLM request is measured, with no behavior change. Use for "set up caveman" or adding LLM spend observability.

    Pack119k4.8MScore 88
    Details
  10. Corey Haines

    Marketingskills

    #10
    Corey Haines

    Marketing Psychology

    When the user wants to apply psychology to marketing, or asks why buyers behave or value things as they do, or whether a persuasion tactic is honest: biases, mental models, anchoring…

    Pack60k6.3MScore 86
    Details

What makes a great ai engineering skill.

  • Eval steps so changes are measured, not vibed.

  • Current library versions and APIs.

  • Cost and context awareness for long-running agents.

All 606 ai engineering skills.

54
tjboudreaux

thinking-jobs-to-be-done

Deciding what to build or why adoption fails. Recover the progress users hire a solution for under a circumstance, then rank by outcome and competing workarounds.

Pack1.7k20kProduct management
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-kepner-tregoe

Use when a selective defect needs IS/IS-NOT difference analysis or a consequential option choice needs must/want weighting and adverse-consequence comparison.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-model-combination

When one mental model leaves a material blind spot on a multi-domain or high-stakes problem, sequence complementary models with named roles and a conflict rule.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-opportunity-cost

Before committing scarce time, people, or money, name the best forgone use of those resources and the value delta of the chosen path versus that alternative.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-pre-mortem

Before committing to a plan or launch, assume it already failed and reason backward through concrete causes — convert failure paths into mitigations, gates, and stop checks.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-probabilistic

Use when forecasting, estimating, or sizing risk — anchor on base rates, give ranges, update prior→likelihood→posterior on evidence, and factor unmeasured quantities into order-of-magnitude…

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-red-team

For authorized security review of code, auth, or APIs you control, model the attacker, map the attack surface, and report only findings with a reproducible exploit path and verified…

Pack1.7k20kSecurity
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-scientific-method

When a symptom has several plausible causes, rank falsifiable hypotheses and run the cheapest discriminating observation first; prefer least-assumptive survivors only after evidence fit.

Pack1.7k20kScience
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-systems

When behavior is emergent across components—fixes elsewhere break, loops/delays dominate—map boundary, stocks/flows, feedback, archetypes, then rank leverage.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-thought-experiment

When a real test is too rare, large, or irreversible, run a controlled counterfactual: isolate one variable, fix conditions, trace the mechanistic chain, and bound what the result implies.

Pack1.7k20kScience
54
tjboudreaux

thinking-triz

When two design requirements seem mutually exclusive, name the contradiction, separate conflicting states, then invent a concrete no-compromise resolution.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-bounded-rationality

Use when search or investigation could run forever. Set an explicit good-enough threshold first, then stop at the first option that clears it.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-circle-of-competence

Use when a specific claim may lack grounding. Check evidence boundary, size wrongness cost, then answer, fetch, or abstain — never confabulate.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-cynefin

When the right response mode is unclear, classify the cause-effect domain first; decompose disorder.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-first-principles

When a constraint is treated as fixed, separate physics from convention, keep only independently supported primitives, and rebuild the simplest solution that satisfies real constraints.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-lindy-effect

Use when longevity of a non-perishable option matters. Treat survival duration as a remaining-life prior, then check domain drift before favoring the proven.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-map-territory

When a claim, doc, test, metric, or assumption conflicts with observed behavior, stop theorizing from the map and verify the live code or data; let territory overrule.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-margin-of-safety

When provisioning, setting a limit, or committing an estimate under uncertainty, size a buffer to residual error and the cost of breach—not to the optimistic edge.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-ooda

Use under time pressure when the situation is still changing and you must act before certainty — cycle Observe→Orient→Decide→Act on ~70% confidence, then re-observe.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-reversibility

Before heavy deliberation, classify the decision as cheap or costly to undo; decide two-way doors fast and stage one-way doors to preserve options.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-second-order

When a change has effects past the immediate fix—incentives, scale, feedback—trace consequence chains with timing and probability before committing.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-socratic

When a request is vague, assumption-laden, or "obvious," ask the few load-bearing questions that expose hidden requirements before building or committing.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-steel-manning

Before rejecting a proposal or reflexively agreeing, build the strongest faithful opposing case, state agreement conditions, then update or reaffirm.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-theory-of-constraints

When throughput or latency is pipeline-limited, identify the single binding constraint and exploit, subordinate, elevate, then recheck—ignore non-constraints.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering
53
tjboudreaux

thinking-via-negativa

Use when the reflex is to add a feature, layer, or process. Prefer removing harmful or nonessential elements first, with an irreversibility guard before deletion.

Pack1.7k20kAI engineering

BagelHole

DevOps Security Agent Skills

52
BagelHole

llm-cost-optimization

Reduce LLM API and infrastructure costs through model selection, prompt caching, batching, caching, quantization, and self-hosting strategies. Track spend by team and model, set budgets…

Pack1.2k62kDevOps

benchflow-ai

Skillsbench

52
benchflow-ai

modal-gpu

Run Python code on cloud GPUs using Modal serverless platform. Use when you need A100/T4/A10G GPU access for training ML models. Covers Modal app setup, GPU selection, data downloading…

Pack1.9k159AI engineering

BagelHole

DevOps Security Agent Skills

52
BagelHole

model-registry-governance

Establish model registry standards, governance controls, metadata schemas, approvals, and lifecycle policies for enterprise AI deployments.

Pack1.2k62kDevOps

yushui2022

MathModel Skill

52
yushui2022

paper-micro-unit-generator

按修复队列重写反复不通过的论文章节,或按明确要求生成旧版与演练草稿脚手架。当章节连续审计失败需要局部重写、或用户明确要求快速草稿而非正式论文时使用。

Pack458350Research

BagelHole

DevOps Security Agent Skills

52
BagelHole

rag-observability-evals

Monitor and evaluate RAG systems with retrieval quality metrics, groundedness checks, hallucination detection, and continuous regression testing.

Pack1.2k62kDevOps

chubbyguan

Chubbyskills

51
chubbyguan

douyin-transcribe

抖音视频 → 下载 → 转录 → 存为 Markdown 的完整工作流。 支持短链接和完整链接;优先无 cookie 直采,被风控时回退 yt-dlp + 浏览器 cookie(无需登录)。

Pack1.3k461Video

yushui2022

MathModel Skill

51
yushui2022

paper-workflow-orchestrator

编排完整的数学建模工作流,从赛题与附件出发依次完成输入预检、题意分析、模型路线、数据与图表、代码与真实运行、证据门禁、正式写作与 Word/PDF 检查。当用户要做完整篇数学建模论文、需要从零跑通或从中断处续跑整个流程时使用。

Pack458350Research

yushui2022

MathModel Skill

51
yushui2022

problem-doc-model-selector

解析赛题 PDF 或 Word 或题面文本,抽取每一问的任务、数据条件与约束,并复核公式、图片与分问标题的提取完整性。当用户提供赛题文档、需要先明确题意与分问、或题面提取结果待人工复核时使用。

Pack458350AI engineering

yushui2022

MathModel Skill

51
yushui2022

quality-assurance-auditor

审计建模证据链与论文质量,检查指标与声明是否绑定、图表是否可读取并对应真实运行、结论是否有证据支撑,产出可追踪的审计报告。当运行证据需要放行判定、章节或全文需要质量复核、或用户要求验收与查漏洞时使用。

Pack458350AI engineering

chubbyguan

Chubbyskills

51
chubbyguan

weibo-transcribe

微博视频 → 下载 → 转录 → 存为 Markdown。 支持 weibo.com 和 m.weibo.cn 链接,无需登录。

Pack1.3k461Video

chubbyguan

Chubbyskills

51
chubbyguan

xiaohongshu-ingest

小红书笔记采集 → 统一 frontmatter Markdown → 爆款拆解 + 衍生选题。 支持笔记链接和 xhslink 短链;爆款拆解按「人群×场景×痛点×情绪×钩子」生成可复用选题。

Pack1.3k461Video

AI engineering skills, explained.

Also searched as: llm skills, prompt engineering skill, fine-tuning skills, skill creator, hugging face skills.

What are the best Claude skills for AI engineering?

Right now the top-ranked ai engineering skills on Alyn are MCP Builder (Anthropic), Skill Creator (Anthropic), Domain Modeling (Matt Pocock). Rankings combine GitHub stars, installs, freshness and depth, and update live.

How do I create my own skill?

Write a folder with a SKILL.md file: YAML frontmatter with name and description, then instructions. See Alyn's guide on creating skills.

Do self-written skills help?

The SkillsBench study found curated skills raised pass rates by 16.2 points on average, while skills the model wrote for itself gave no benefit on average. Quality matters.

How do I install a ai engineering skill?

Run npx skills add owner/repo in your project, or copy the folder with SKILL.md into ~/.claude/skills. Every skill on this page has a ready-to-copy command.

Built a ai engineering skill? Get it ranked.

Submit a skill