Getting started

Install a skill

Each skill is a small ZIP file — a Markdown instruction file plus references. You never open it: download it once, upload it to ChatGPT or Claude, then work in plain English. You only add the ZIP once; after that the skill is available across chats.

Browse the skills Build a ChatGPT agent instead Download the PDF guide

First, what it is

What is a skill file?

A skill file is a set of written instructions that an AI assistant loads and follows. It is not a program and not a separate AI — it is a document that tells ChatGPT or Claude how to behave for a particular kind of work: what to ask you first, what steps to take in what order, what to refuse, and what to hand back.

That is why these skills can be opinionated about law study. The instruction file is where the PAUSE Rule, the Honor Code reminder, the insistence on verifying authorities, and the refusal to write your brief for you all live.

Keep the ZIP zipped. Both platforms want the packaged file. Unzipping it and uploading the contents is the most common reason an install does not work.

A set is the one thing you do unzip. The skill sets are a single ZIP holding several skill ZIPs. Open the set once, then upload each skill file inside it — and leave those zipped.

For ChatGPT

Install in ChatGPT

Download the skill ZIP. Keep it zipped.
Add it to ChatGPT: click Plugins, toggle from Plugins to Skills, click the + icon, then drop the ZIP file into the upload box.
Start with your goal in plain language, for example “Help me brief this case.”

For Claude

Install in Claude

Download the skill ZIP. Do not unzip it.
Add it to Claude: click Customize, then Add in the top right, and drag and drop the ZIP file into the upload box.
Use natural language — start with your goal and ask Claude to use the skill.

If something goes wrong

Troubleshooting

The upload is rejected: Check that you are uploading the ZIP itself, not a folder you extracted from it, and that the download completed. Re-download the file if in doubt.
The skill installed but the assistant ignores it: Name it in your first message — “use the Case Learning Coach skill” — and start a fresh chat. A skill added mid-conversation may not apply to that conversation.
You cannot find where to add skills: Both interfaces change often. If the menu does not match the recording above, email the Law Library and we will confirm the current path.
You are not sure you should be using AI for this: That is the prior question, and it has its own workflow. Work through the PAUSE Rule before installing anything.

Access and policy. Access to Law Library–provided AI tools is limited to current SLS community members and uses Stanford sign-in. Confirm your course’s AI policy with the instructor. For access, tools, legal research, or technical assistance, email library@law.stanford.edu.