How to Turn a YouTube Tutorial into a Claude Skill
How do you turn a YouTube tutorial into a Claude skill?
Paste the video's URL into SkillForge (ytskillforge.com). It reads the transcript and writes a SKILL.md file Claude can follow, plus an SOP.md for humans, a prompts.txt with every prompt the video uses, and an agent.json you can load into an agent. Free accounts get one video a day with the skill file. Pro is $9 a month and unlocks all four files.
You can also do it by hand: copy the transcript, ask Claude to rewrite it as numbered steps, add YAML frontmatter with a name and a description, and save it as SKILL.md. That takes 30 to 60 minutes per video and the description line is where most people get it wrong.
What is a Claude skill?
A Claude skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file: a short YAML header (name and a one-line description of when to use it) followed by the instructions. Claude reads the description, loads the skill when a task matches, and follows the steps. Skills work in Claude.ai, Claude Code and Cowork.
For a fuller walkthrough of the file and when Claude loads it, see What Is a Claude Skill (SKILL.md)? A Plain-English Guide.
What does SkillForge generate from one video?
SKILL.md: the procedure written as actions for Claude, not a summary of the video.
SOP.md: the same process as a standard operating procedure a VA or teammate can follow, with purpose, prerequisites, steps and a done checklist.
prompts.txt: the prompts shown or spoken in the video, cleaned up so you can paste them.
agent.json: an agent configuration with role, goals, steps and tools so you can start an agent from the tutorial.
Step by step: from YouTube URL to working skill
- Pick a tutorial with clear steps and captions.
- Paste the public URL at ytskillforge.com.
- Read SKILL.md and tighten the description so it says when to use it.
- In Claude, upload the skill as a ZIP under Customize > Skills, or drop the folder into your Claude Code skills directory.
- Ask Claude to do the task and check it followed the steps.
Which videos make good skills?
Process tutorials: setting up a tool, a marketing workflow, a coding pattern, a repeatable writing format. Talking-head opinion videos and silent screen recordings make weak skills because there are no steps in the transcript.
SkillForge vs doing it manually vs other tools
Manual takes 30 to 60 minutes and gives you one file. CLI tools like yt2skill and skillful-cli are free but need Python and your own API key. Extensions like Tube2skill give you SKILL.md only. SOP tools like TubeScribed or ScreenApp give you an SOP only. SkillForge is a web app that gives you the skill, SOP, prompts and agent config from one paste.
For a side-by-side of SOP methods, see YouTube Video to SOP: 3 Ways Compared.
Who built SkillForge?
Ryan Simpson (@ryanprompts), who runs RYDGE Media and teaches founders how to put AI to work. He built it because he kept turning the same YouTube tutorials into SOPs and Claude skills for clients by hand.
FAQ
Is SkillForge free?
Does it work on any YouTube video?
Do I need a paid Claude plan?
Can I use the skill with Cursor, Codex or other agents?
Who owns the output?
Related guides
Forge a video free. No card required.