Claude Skills for YouTube (2026): 10 Free SKILL.md Files for Scripts, SEO, Thumbnails and Faceless Channels

If you make YouTube videos with Claude, you probably paste the same long prompt again and again: “write a script in my tone, keep it under 8 minutes, no greetings, add B-roll notes…” Claude Skills fix that. You write the instructions once as a small SKILL.md file, upload it, and Claude picks it up automatically whenever you ask for a script, a title or a thumbnail idea. In this guide I give you ten ready-to-use YouTube skills you can download from this page, show exactly how to install them in claude.ai, Claude Code and the API, and explain the YouTube rules every AI-assisted channel has to respect in 2026.

Why Skills beat saved prompts for YouTube

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file inside. The top of the file has two fields, name and description. Claude keeps only those two lines in mind (about 100 tokens per skill) until your request matches the description. Then it loads the full instructions, plus any scripts or reference files in the folder. If you are new to the format, my complete Claude Skills guide covers every rule in detail.

For YouTube work this matters for three reasons:

• Consistency. Your channel voice, banned phrases, video length and structure live in one file. Every script and title follows them, even in a brand new chat.
• Less typing, fewer mistakes. You say “write a script about X” and the skill adds the 30 lines of rules you would otherwise forget to paste.
• Real tools, not just text. A skill can include a Python script. Claude runs it with its code execution tool, so it can count characters, check chapter timestamps or crunch your analytics export instead of guessing.

Skills are not magic, though. They do not give Claude access to your YouTube account, they do not upload videos, and they cannot see live search volumes unless a search tool is available in that chat. Think of them as a very good, reusable brief.

Where Claude Skills work (plans and apps)

This is what Anthropic’s own documentation and Help Center say as of November 2026:

Two details catch people out. First, custom skills do not sync between claude.ai, Claude Code and the API, so you install them separately in each place. Second, a skill’s name can only use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens (max 64 characters) and cannot contain the words “claude” or “anthropic”. That is why all ten skills below start with youtube- or describe the job instead. Plan prices and usage limits are in my Claude Free vs Pro vs Max vs Ultra comparison.

The 10 YouTube skills at a glance

Running a Facebook page as well? The Facebook page planner skill covers page names, bios and a 30-day Reels plan.

How to install a skill in 3 minutes

On claude.ai (web or desktop app)

1. Turn on code execution: Settings > Capabilities and switch on “Code execution and file creation” (in the newer layout it is called “Create and edit files”). On Team and Enterprise an owner enables Skills under Organization settings first.
2. Download a SKILL.md from this page and put it in a folder with exactly the same name as the skill, for example youtube-hook-writer/SKILL.md. For skills with scripts, keep the scripts/ sub-folder next to it.
3. Zip the folder (Windows: right-click > Send to > Compressed folder; Mac: right-click > Compress). The ZIP must contain the folder, not loose files.
4. Go to Customize > Skills, click +, choose Create skill, then Upload a skill, and pick the ZIP.
5. Make sure the toggle next to the skill is on. Start a new chat and ask for the task in plain words, for example “write five hooks for my video about cheap GPUs”.

In Claude Code

No ZIP needed. Copy the folder into your personal skills directory so it works in every project:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/youtube-hook-writer
# save SKILL.md into that folder, then start Claude Code
claude
# inside Claude Code you can call it directly:
/youtube-hook-writer "How I run a 70B model on two RTX 5080s"

On Windows the personal folder is C:\Users\<you>\.claude\skills\. Put a skill in .claude/skills/ inside a project folder instead if it should only apply to that channel. My Claude Code commands cheat sheet lists the other slash commands.

With the Claude API

Upload the folder with the Skills API, which returns a skill_id, then attach it in the container parameter of a Messages request that also enables the code execution tool. Skills uploaded through the API are shared with everyone in the workspace. Costs follow normal token pricing, see Claude API pricing.

The skills (copy or download)

Each skill below is complete. I validated every file against Anthropic’s naming rules and checked that the YAML header parses, and I ran both Python scripts on sample exports. The five skills that have their own deep-dive guide are linked at the end of this section.

1. youtube-channel-brief

Start here. The brief is the “memory” the other skills read: who the viewer is, what the channel promises, the tone, and the words you never want to hear in your scripts. On claude.ai, add the finished brief to a Project’s knowledge; in Claude Code, keep channel-brief.md in the channel folder.

---
name: youtube-channel-brief
description: Creates or updates a one-page YouTube channel brief (viewer, promise, tone, formats, words to avoid, upload rhythm). Use when the user starts a channel, asks to define a niche or brand voice, or when another YouTube task needs the channel voice and no brief exists yet.
---

# YouTube channel brief

Goal: one short brief that every other YouTube task follows, so titles, scripts, thumbnails and replies sound like the same channel.

## Steps
1. If the user already pasted or attached a brief, read it and only update what they ask to change.
2. Otherwise ask at most six questions, and only for what is missing:
   - What is the channel about, in one sentence?
   - Who is the viewer (age range, skill level, country, language)?
   - What should a viewer be able to do or feel after one video?
   - Which 3 channels do you admire, and what do you like about each?
   - Will you show your face, or is it a faceless channel (voiceover, screen recording, animation, stock footage)?
   - How many videos per week can you make for the next 3 months without burning out?
3. Fill in the template below. Keep it under 350 words. Plain language, no hype.
4. End by telling the user to save it as `channel-brief.md` (claude.ai: add it to the Project knowledge; Claude Code: keep it in the project folder) so other skills can read it.

## Template
```
# Channel brief: <channel name or working title>
Viewer: <one sentence>
Promise: "After watching, you will <specific result>."
Pillars (3 recurring video types):
1. <pillar> - example title
2. <pillar> - example title
3. <pillar> - example title
Format: <face / faceless type>, <typical length>, <Shorts yes/no>
Tone: <3 adjectives>, reading level <grade>, <first person or not>
Always: <2-3 habits, e.g. show the result in the first 10 seconds>
Never: <words, claims or topics to avoid>
Upload rhythm: <x long videos + y Shorts per week>
Proof we can use: <real credentials, results or experience the user confirmed>
```

## Rules
- The promise must name a concrete result, not "great content".
- Only list proof the user confirmed. Never invent subscriber counts, income or credentials.
- If the user asks how big the niche is, say this needs real data (YouTube search suggestions, Google Trends or a keyword tool) and offer to read numbers they paste.

⬇ Download SKILL.md Save it inside a folder named youtube-channel-brief

2. youtube-video-ideas

This one gives you 20 ideas in a scored table instead of a random list. The scoring forces two useful questions: would anyone type this into YouTube, and can you actually make it this week? Notice the rule against inventing search volumes. Claude does not know real volumes, so the skill tells it to say so and to re-score if you paste numbers from a keyword tool.

---
name: youtube-video-ideas
description: Generates and scores YouTube video ideas for a channel, grouped by content pillar, with a working title and the search phrase each idea targets. Use when the user asks for video ideas, a content plan, what to post next, or topics for a YouTube or Shorts channel.
---

# YouTube video ideas

## Before you start
- Look for a channel brief (`channel-brief.md`, Project knowledge, or earlier in the chat). If there is none, ask for the channel topic, the viewer and whether the channel is faceless, then continue.
- If a web search tool is available, search the 3-5 strongest ideas on YouTube or Google to check what already ranks, and mention what the top results are missing. If no search tool is available, say the ideas are unverified.

## Steps
1. Write 20 ideas spread across the channel's pillars (at least 4 per pillar).
2. For each idea give: working title (under 60 characters), the phrase a viewer would type into search, the angle that makes it different, and the format (long video, Short, or both).
3. Score every idea from 1 to 5 on four criteria:
   - Search: would people type this exact problem into YouTube?
   - Click: would the title make the target viewer curious within a second?
   - Effort: 5 = easy to make with the user's current setup.
   - Fit: does it deliver the channel promise?
4. Total the score (max 20) and sort the table from highest to lowest.
5. Under the table, recommend the first 3 videos to make and say why in one line each.

## Output format
| # | Working title | Search phrase | Angle | Format | Search | Click | Effort | Fit | Total |

## Rules
- No clickbait the video cannot pay off. The title must describe what the viewer actually gets.
- Mix evergreen ideas (useful for years) with at most 20% trend ideas, and label trend ideas.
- Never claim search volumes. Volumes need a keyword tool; offer to re-score if the user pastes real numbers.
- Avoid ideas that only rewrite or read other people's content; each idea needs an original angle (YouTube's inauthentic and reused content policies).

⬇ Download SKILL.md Save it inside a folder named youtube-video-ideas

3. youtube-hook-writer

Viewers decide in the first seconds. This skill writes five different openings so you can pick, rather than polishing one weak one. The word counts are set from normal speaking speed: about 25 to 45 words fills 10 to 15 seconds.

---
name: youtube-hook-writer
description: Writes five alternative opening hooks (first 15 seconds) for a YouTube video or Short, each using a different hook pattern, plus on-screen text for each. Use when the user asks for a hook, an intro, a cold open, or a better start for a script.
---

# YouTube hook writer

## Input
Ask for (only if missing): the video title, the single most valuable thing the video delivers, and whether it is a long video or a Short.

## Steps
1. Write five hooks, each with a different pattern:
   1. Result first: show or state the end result, then promise how.
   2. Mistake: name a common mistake the viewer is probably making.
   3. Question: a specific question the viewer already has.
   4. Contrast: before vs after, or expectation vs reality.
   5. Stakes: what the viewer loses (time, money, quality) by not knowing this.
2. Long video: each hook is 25-45 words (about 10-15 seconds spoken). Short: 8-20 words (about 3-6 seconds).
3. For each hook add a line of on-screen text (max 6 words) and a one-line visual idea for the first shot.
4. Mark the hook you would test first and say why in one sentence.

## Rules
- The hook must match the title and thumbnail promise. If the video cannot pay it off, rewrite the hook.
- No "Hey guys, welcome back", no channel intro before the hook, no "in this video I will".
- Use the channel brief tone if one is available.
- Do not invent numbers or results. If a hook needs a number, use a placeholder like [your result] and tell the user to fill it.

⬇ Download SKILL.md Save it inside a folder named youtube-hook-writer

4. youtube-comment-replier

Paste 20 to 100 comments from YouTube Studio and you get a table of categories, draft replies and actions. It also turns repeated questions into follow-up video ideas, which are often your easiest wins because the audience already asked for them. Scam comments with WhatsApp or Telegram numbers are flagged, not answered.

---
name: youtube-comment-replier
description: Sorts a batch of pasted YouTube comments and drafts short, on-brand replies, flags spam, abuse and questions worth a follow-up video. Use when the user pastes YouTube comments, asks to reply to comments, or wants ideas from their comment section.
---

# YouTube comment replier

## Steps
1. Read every comment the user pasted. Keep the commenter name if given.
2. Put each comment in one category: Question, Praise, Feedback/criticism, Correction, Spam/scam, Abuse, Other.
3. Draft a reply for Question, Praise, Feedback and Correction comments:
   - 1-3 sentences, in the channel brief tone if available.
   - Answer the question directly. If the answer is not in the video or the user's notes, write [check: ...] instead of guessing.
   - For a valid correction, thank the person and say what will be fixed (pinned comment or description).
4. Do not draft replies to Spam/scam or Abuse. Recommend: remove, hide user, or report.
5. List up to 5 follow-up video ideas from repeated questions.

## Output
| # | Commenter | Category | Draft reply | Action |
Then: "Follow-up video ideas" as a short list.

## Rules
- Never promise giveaways, discounts, collaborations or timelines the user has not confirmed.
- Never ask commenters for personal details, and flag any comment that shares a phone number, crypto wallet, or "contact me on WhatsApp/Telegram" as a likely scam.
- Keep replies human and specific; avoid copy-paste replies like "Great video!".

⬇ Download SKILL.md Save it inside a folder named youtube-comment-replier

5. youtube-analytics-review

This skill has two files. The SKILL.md explains how to read the numbers, and scripts/summarize.py does the counting so Claude does not have to eyeball a big CSV. The script uses only Python’s standard library, so it runs in claude.ai’s code sandbox and in Claude Code without installing anything. It handles thousands separators, percentages and durations like 0:03:41, and skips the “Total” row Studio adds.

---
name: youtube-analytics-review
description: Reads a YouTube Studio analytics CSV export, ranks videos by views, watch time, CTR and average view duration, and turns the numbers into 3-5 concrete actions. Use when the user uploads or pastes YouTube Studio data, asks why videos underperform, or asks what to make next based on analytics.
---

# YouTube analytics review

## Getting the data
If the user has no file yet, tell them: YouTube Studio > Analytics > Advanced mode > pick the date range and the Content tab > Export current view > Comma-separated values (.csv). The download is a ZIP; upload the file named like "Table data.csv".

## Steps
1. If a code tool is available, run `python scripts/summarize.py "<path to Table data.csv>"` from this skill's folder. It prints totals, the top 5 and bottom 5 videos and channel medians. If no code tool is available, read the CSV directly and compute the same figures.
2. Compare each video to the channel median, not to other channels:
   - Low impressions CTR + normal retention: the title/thumbnail is the problem.
   - Normal CTR + low average view duration: the hook or pacing is the problem.
   - Both low: the topic is weak for this audience.
   - Both high: make a follow-up or a series on the same topic.
3. Give 3-5 actions, each tied to a specific video and number.
4. Suggest which existing video to re-title or re-thumbnail first and give 3 title options.

## Rules
- Only use numbers from the file. If a column is missing (exports differ by tab and language), say which one and continue with what exists.
- Do not compare with other channels' "average CTR" figures; they vary by niche and traffic source.
- Do not promise outcomes like "this will double your views".

⬇ Download SKILL.md Save it inside a folder named youtube-analytics-review

Save the script as youtube-analytics-review/scripts/summarize.py:

"""Summarise a YouTube Studio 'Table data.csv' export. Standard library only."""
import csv
import statistics
import sys

ALIASES = {
    "title": ["video title", "content", "title"],
    "views": ["views"],
    "hours": ["watch time (hours)"],
    "ctr": ["impressions click-through rate (%)", "impressions ctr (%)"],
    "avd": ["average view duration"],
    "impr": ["impressions"],
}


def find(header, key):
    lower = [h.strip().lower() for h in header]
    for alias in ALIASES[key]:
        if alias in lower:
            return lower.index(alias)
    return None


def num(value):
    value = (value or "").replace(",", "").replace("%", "").strip()
    if ":" in value:  # average view duration like 0:03:41
        seconds = 0
        for part in value.split(":"):
            seconds = seconds * 60 + float(part or 0)
        return seconds
    try:
        return float(value)
    except ValueError:
        return None


def main(path):
    with open(path, newline="", encoding="utf-8-sig") as handle:
        rows = list(csv.reader(handle))
    header, data = rows[0], rows[1:]
    cols = {k: find(header, k) for k in ALIASES}
    if cols["title"] is None or cols["views"] is None:
        sys.exit("Need at least a title and a Views column. Columns found: " + ", ".join(header))
    videos = []
    for row in data:
        if not row or row[0].strip().lower() == "total":
            continue
        item = {"title": row[cols["title"]]}
        for key in ("views", "hours", "ctr", "avd", "impr"):
            item[key] = num(row[cols[key]]) if cols[key] is not None and cols[key] < len(row) else None
        if item["views"] is not None:
            videos.append(item)
    print(f"Videos: {len(videos)}  Total views: {sum(v['views'] for v in videos):,.0f}")
    print("Columns used: " + ", ".join(k for k, v in cols.items() if v is not None))
    for key, label in (("views", "views"), ("ctr", "CTR %"), ("avd", "avg view duration (s)")):
        values = [v[key] for v in videos if v[key] is not None]
        if values:
            print(f"Median {label}: {statistics.median(values):,.1f}")
    ranked = sorted(videos, key=lambda v: v["views"], reverse=True)
    groups = [("Top 5", ranked[:5])]
    if len(ranked) > 5:
        groups.append(("Bottom 5", ranked[max(5, len(ranked) - 5):]))
    for name, chunk in groups:
        print("\n" + name)
        for v in chunk:
            print(f"- {v['title'][:60]} | views {v['views']:,.0f} | CTR {v['ctr']} | AVD {v['avd']}")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
        sys.exit("Usage: python summarize.py <Table data.csv>")
    main(sys.argv[1])

⬇ Download summarize.py Save it inside a folder named youtube-analytics-review/scripts

To test it in Claude Code, export a CSV from Studio and run python ~/.claude/skills/youtube-analytics-review/scripts/summarize.py "Table data.csv". It prints the totals, the median views, CTR and average view duration, then your top and bottom five videos. Column names differ a little between languages and tabs; if a column is missing, the script tells you which ones it found.

6 to 10. The skills with their own guides

These five are bigger, so each has a full guide with the skill file, worked examples and the platform rules for that job:

• faceless-niche-validator: 60+ faceless channel ideas grouped by production style, and a scorecard that rejects niches YouTube is likely to demonetise.
• youtube-script-writer: retention structure, word-count maths, and a text-to-speech friendly voiceover column.
• youtube-seo-pack: titles, description, chapters and tags, with a script that checks the 100-character title, 5,000-character description, 500-character tag and chapter rules.
• youtube-thumbnail-brief: three concepts per video and prompts for image models, with YouTube’s current thumbnail specs.
• shorts-repurposer: clip finder with ffmpeg commands that crop 16:9 footage to 1080×1920.

A weekly workflow that chains the skills

Skills work best as a pipeline where each step feeds the next. Here is a simple week for one long video and three Shorts. In claude.ai, run it inside one Project that holds your channel brief.

If a skill does not trigger by itself, name it: “use the youtube-seo-pack skill on this transcript”. In Claude Code you can type /youtube-seo-pack directly.

YouTube rules your skills must respect

Skills make it easy to produce a lot of content fast, and that is exactly what YouTube’s monetisation rules watch for. These are the official points, from YouTube Help, that I built into the skills:

YouTube also says it does not care which tools you use. A faceless, AI-assisted channel is fine when each video teaches, explains, tells a story or adds commentary a viewer cannot get from the next upload in the feed.

Community YouTube skills worth a look

There is now a lively scene of shared skills. A few that are relevant for creators:

• anthropics/skills on GitHub: Anthropic’s official repo, including the skill-creator skill that interviews you and writes a new skill for you. Good for adapting my skills to your niche.
• AgriciDaniel/claude-youtube (MIT licence, marked beta): a Claude Code skill with 14 commands such as audit, seo, script, hook, thumbnail, shorts and calendar.
• Skill directories such as skills.sh and claudskills.com list faceless and YouTube automation skills. Quality varies a lot.

Anthropic’s advice applies here: only use skills from sources you trust, and read every file before installing, especially scripts and anything that fetches web pages. A skill runs with the same access you give Claude, so treat it like installing software.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Are Claude Skills free to use for YouTube?

The skills on this page are free text files. To upload your own skills on claude.ai, Anthropic’s documentation lists the Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans with code execution on. The Help Center says Free accounts can use skills as well, so open Customize > Skills and see whether the upload button appears for you. In Claude Code, skills work on whatever plan or API key you use Claude Code with. Long scripts and big transcripts use up limits fast, which is when Pro or Max pays off.

Can a Claude Skill upload videos or read my YouTube analytics directly?

Not by itself. A skill is instructions plus optional scripts. To touch your channel directly you need a connector or an MCP server for YouTube, which is a separate setup. The analytics skill works from the CSV you export from YouTube Studio.

Will YouTube demonetise videos written with Claude?

Not for using AI. YouTube’s policies target mass-produced, repetitive or reused content, not specific tools. Videos with real research, commentary, teaching or storytelling, and a disclosure label for realistic synthetic media, are within the rules.

What is the difference between a skill and a Claude Project?

A Project holds knowledge (your brief, past scripts, style examples) for chats inside that project. A skill holds a procedure and works in any chat once enabled. They combine well: keep the brief in the Project, and let the skills do the jobs.

Can I use these skills with ChatGPT or Gemini?

The SKILL.md format is published as an open standard (Agent Skills), and several other agents and coding tools can read it. In plain ChatGPT or Gemini chats you can still paste the body of a skill as instructions, you just lose the automatic triggering and scripts.

How many skills can I have turned on at once?

Each enabled skill only costs about 100 tokens until it is used, so ten YouTube skills are fine. The bigger risk is overlapping descriptions; keep each one focused on one job.

How do I change a skill for my niche?

Edit the SKILL.md in any text editor: add your channel’s rules, examples of titles you like, or banned words. On claude.ai upload the new ZIP; in Claude Code the change is picked up in the next session. Or ask Anthropic’s skill-creator skill to adapt it for you.

Final Thoughts

The real gain from Claude Skills is not speed, it is consistency: every script, title and thumbnail brief follows the same channel promise without you re-explaining it. Start with the channel brief and two skills you will use every week (I would pick the script writer and the SEO pack), then add the rest as your process settles. If you want to go deeper on the format, read the Claude Skills guide; for voices and music for your videos, see ElevenLabs alternatives and the best AI music generators.

Sources

• Anthropic: Agent Skills overview
• Claude Help Center: Use skills in Claude
• Claude Code docs: Skills
• YouTube Help: Channel monetization policies (inauthentic and reused content)
• YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility
• YouTube Help: Expanded YouTube Partner Program
• YouTube Help: Video chapters
• YouTube Help: Hashtags
• GitHub: anthropics/skills