Top 60 Claude Skills, Workflows, and GitHub Repos to Install in 2026

How to read this list

Four things worth knowing before you start installing.

Skill vs plugin vs repo: a Skill is a SKILL.md + optional assets that teaches a provider a specific capability. A plugin is a Claude Code bundle (hooks, slash commands, agents, MCP servers). A GitHub repo is source you clone or uvx/npx install. All three show up in this list — tagged accordingly.

Install snippets are the fast path, not the only path. Most Skills work via copy-paste too. Plugins install through the Claude Code marketplace shipped May 2026. Repos install however their README says.

"Install everything" is the wrong move. The right move is install the 6-10 that match your actual workflow, learn them, add more as needed. The 60 here are categorized so you can skip whole sections cleanly.

Links go to the Skill, repo, or plugin page. Where the Skill lives on this site, it links here. Where it's a GitHub repo, it links to GitHub. Where it's an Anthropic reference, it links to claude.com.

01Data & Spreadsheets 6 picks

The highest-ROI category for most knowledge workers. If you touch Excel or Sheets weekly, install everything here.

• Excel Formula Generator from Natural LanguageSKILL

  Why: turns plain English into working Excel formulas with LET, dynamic arrays, XLOOKUP by default. Refuses to invent column names.

  install from /skills/excel-formula-generator-from-natural-language/
• Excel Pivot Table Auto-GeneratorSKILL

  Why: natural-language pivot config to VBA, XML, or openpyxl output. The one-pass pivot workflow.

  install from /skills/excel-pivot-table-auto-generator-from-natural-language/
• Excel Conditional Formatting Auto-GeneratorSKILL

  Why: ColorBrewer-grounded rules; refuses rainbow scales and >25% highlighting. Produces data bars, icon sets, formula rules.

  install from /skills/excel-conditional-formatting-auto-generator/
• Google Sheets Chart Auto-GeneratorSKILL

  Why: honest handling of Sheets chart gaps (waterfall → stacked-bar workaround with explanation, not silent approximation).

  install from /skills/google-sheets-chart-auto-generator-from-data/
• CSV Data Cleaning and NormalizationSKILL

  Why: schema-drift detection, dedup with surfacing (never silent auto-merge), encoding fix. The pre-analysis Skill.

  install from /skills/csv-data-cleaning-and-normalization/
• Excel MCP (openpyxl-based server)REPO

  Why: MCP server that lets Claude read and write .xlsx files directly. Pairs with every Excel Skill.

  pip install mcp-server-excel

02Research & Writing 6 picks

For analysts, journalists, academics, and anyone shipping work backed by citations.

• Source Whitelist CheckerSKILL

  Why: exact-match citation validation against your whitelist. Refuses close-name-match lookalikes. The research integrity floor.

  install from /skills/source-whitelist-checker/
• URL Existence VerifierSKILL

  Why: walks every URL in a doc, flags 404s, silent redirects, quote-missing drift. 30-second pre-publication audit.

  install from /skills/url-existence-verifier/
• Academic Paper SummarizerSKILL

  Why: structured 10-field output for every paper — comparable across a batch. Marks "not stated" rather than guessing.

  install from /skills/academic-paper-summarizer/
• Multi-Step Research WorkflowSKILL

  Why: stop-and-review gates between scope, gather, synthesize. Catches the "answered a different question" failure mode.

  install from /skills/multi-step-research-and-summarize-workflow/
• Long-Form Article Writer with CitationsSKILL

  Why: inline-cite-as-you-write pattern. Every claim ties to a source; unsupported claims get flagged in-draft.

  install from /skills/long-form-article-writer-with-citations/
• web-fetch MCP (reference)REPO

  Why: the reference fetch MCP from Anthropic. Pairs with URL Verifier and research Skills. Robots.txt-respecting.

  uvx mcp-server-fetch

03Code & Engineering 6 picks

For engineers in daily agentic workflows — Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Continue.

• React Component GeneratorSKILL

  Why: matches your existing codebase conventions before writing. Honors your TypeScript strictness, test patterns, styling approach.

  install from /skills/react-component-generator/
• Regex Explainer and GeneratorSKILL

  Why: round-trip regex — English in, pattern out; pattern in, English out. Flags catastrophic backtracking risks.

  install from /skills/regex-explainer-and-generator/
• Codebase Convention MatcherSKILL

  Why: reads existing conventions and enforces them on new code. The "no, write it OUR way" Skill.

  install from /skills/codebase-convention-matcher/
• GitHub MCP (official)REPO

  Why: read repos, issues, PRs; comment; merge (if scoped). The baseline connector for any engineering agent.

  github.com/github/github-mcp-server
• Postgres MCP (official reference)REPO

  Why: read-only SQL access to Postgres. The database MCP most teams install first.

  npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres
• Filesystem MCP (reference)REPO

  Why: scoped filesystem read/write for agents. Essential for Claude Desktop file workflows.

  npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem

04Personal Productivity 6 picks

Email, meetings, notes, calendar — the recurring work that eats weeks.

• Email Reply DrafterSKILL

  Why: three variants + polite-decline, refuses to invent commitments. The 20-min reply becomes a 60-sec review.

  install from /skills/email-reply-drafter/
• My Writing StyleSKILL

  Why: voice-profile companion. Feed it 10-15 of your own emails; drafts start sounding like you.

  install from /skills/my-writing-style/
• Meeting Notes to Action ItemsSKILL

  Why: extracts decisions, action items, owners, and dates from raw notes. Feeds into weekly reports.

  install from /skills/meeting-notes-to-action-items/
• Voice Memo to Structured NotesSKILL

  Why: transcribed-rant in, structured notes out. For post-meeting brain-dumps and shower-thought capture.

  install from /skills/voice-memo-to-structured-notes/
• Calendar Time-Block OptimizerSKILL

  Why: finds genuine focus time in a cluttered calendar. Respects stated energy patterns.

  install from /skills/calendar-time-block-optimizer/
• Gmail MCP (official connector)REPO

  Why: read, draft, send through Gmail. Pairs with Email Reply Drafter for end-to-end inbox workflow.

  connector in Claude Desktop settings

05Business Operations 6 picks

For ops teams, founders, and anyone running a function on process.

• Weekly Report GeneratorSKILL

  Why: turns a week's raw inputs (PRs, Slack, notes) into a structured report. Refuses to invent progress.

  install from /skills/weekly-report-generator/
• Cold Outreach Email DrafterSKILL

  Why: short pitch + warm-up + decline variants. Skip-this-prospect refusal for weak-fit leads.

  install from /skills/cold-outreach-email-drafter/
• Contract Review PlaybookSKILL

  Why: walks a contract against your playbook; flags off-standard terms + missing clauses. Refuses general "is this good" opinions.

  install from /skills/contract-review-playbook/
• Company Research Profile GeneratorSKILL

  Why: structured one-page profiles with cited fields and band estimates. For diligence, outreach prep, deal prep.

  install from /skills/company-research-profile-generator/
• Slack MCP (community)REPO

  Why: community-maintained Slack MCP after Anthropic archived the reference. The best current pick for Slack workflows.

  npm install @korotovsky/slack-mcp-server
• Notion MCP (official)REPO

  Why: native Notion endpoint with EMA support. For teams that live in Notion for docs and ops.

  connector in Claude Desktop settings

06Design & Visual 6 picks

For designers, PMs doing design-adjacent work, and anyone shipping visual artifacts.

• Figma MCP (community)REPO

  Why: read Figma files, extract components, inspect design tokens. The go-to for design-to-code workflows.

  github.com/GLips/Figma-Context-MCP
• Design System Documentation GeneratorSKILL

  Why: walks a design system and produces consistent component docs. Catches undocumented variants.

  install from /skills/design-system-documentation-generator/
• UI Copy ReviewerSKILL

  Why: reviews UI strings for voice, length, clarity, i18n hazards. Shipped-with-the-design discipline.

  install from /skills/ui-copy-reviewer/
• Accessibility Audit WorkflowWORKFLOW

  Why: WCAG 2.2 audit from a screenshot or URL; flags color contrast, focus, semantic issues.

  install from /skills/accessibility-audit-workflow/
• Puppeteer MCP (reference)REPO

  Why: browser automation MCP for visual regression, screenshots, dynamic page rendering.

  npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer
• Icon Picker SkillSKILL

  Why: picks the right icon from Lucide, Heroicons, Phosphor for a described intent. Beats guessing.

  install from /skills/icon-picker/

07Claude Code Plugins 6 picks

Plugins ship from the Claude Code marketplace (shipped May 2026). Each bundles hooks, slash commands, agents, or MCP servers.

• anthropic/code-reviewPLUGIN

  Why: Anthropic's first-party code review plugin. Pre-commit hook + /review slash command.

  /plugin install anthropic/code-review
• anthropic/deploy-safetyPLUGIN

  Why: blocks unsafe deploy commands outside production hours, requires confirmation for destructive actions.

  /plugin install anthropic/deploy-safety
• community/test-drivenPLUGIN

  Why: enforces test-first discipline — writes tests before implementation, won't ship unless tests pass.

  /plugin install community/test-driven
• community/secret-scan-hookPLUGIN

  Why: pre-commit hook that blocks commits containing secrets. The GitGuardian problem solved locally.

  /plugin install community/secret-scan-hook
• community/branch-opsPLUGIN

  Why: slash commands for the branching patterns your team uses — /branch feature, /pr draft, etc.

  /plugin install community/branch-ops
• anthropic/skill-doctorPLUGIN

  Why: diagnoses Skill issues — wrong invocation triggers, over-broad descriptions, failing evals.

  /plugin install anthropic/skill-doctor

08Slash Commands 6 picks

Built-in slash commands that pay off repeatedly in daily workflow.

• /compactCOMMAND

  Why: compacts conversation context mid-session without losing the gist. Essential for long sessions.

  type /compact in Claude Code
• /planCOMMAND

  Why: enters planning mode — agent produces a plan before taking actions. Steer-first workflow.

  type /plan in Claude Code
• /mcpCOMMAND

  Why: inspect and manage connected MCP servers; authenticate OAuth servers; list available tools.

  type /mcp in Claude Code
• /skill-doctorCOMMAND

  Why: runs eval reports on your installed Skills. Diagnoses which Skills aren't triggering when they should.

  type /skill-doctor in Claude Code
• /reviewCOMMAND

  Why: structured code review on current diff or named files. Pairs with code-reviewer agent.

  type /review in Claude Code
• /rememberCOMMAND

  Why: saves a fact or preference to persistent memory. The one-line way to teach your setup.

  type /remember in Claude Code

09Agent SDK Repos 6 picks

For engineers building their own agents on top of Claude or multi-provider SDKs.

• anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-pythonREPO

  Why: official Python SDK for building custom agents with Skills, MCP, and Claude Code internals.

  pip install claude-agent-sdk
• anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-typescriptREPO

  Why: TypeScript sibling of the Python Agent SDK. Same primitives; different ecosystem.

  npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk
• anthropics/anthropic-sdk-pythonREPO

  Why: raw Messages API SDK + Tool Runner for lightweight agentic loops over your own tools.

  pip install anthropic
• openai/openai-agents-pythonREPO

  Why: OpenAI's agentic SDK. Useful for multi-provider agents or when you're on GPT.

  pip install openai-agents
• BerriAI/litellmREPO

  Why: unified OpenAI-shaped interface across 100+ providers. For provider-agnostic agent plumbing.

  pip install litellm
• block/gooseREPO

  Why: Block's open-source agent framework, now Agentic AI Foundation. Alternative stack to Agent SDK.

  github.com/block/goose

10MCP Server Repos 6 picks

The MCP servers that most teams end up installing beyond the reference set.

• modelcontextprotocol/serversREPO

  Why: the official reference-server collection. Fetch, filesystem, git, memory, puppeteer, sequential-thinking, more.

  github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers
• microsoftdocs/mcpREPO

  Why: Microsoft Learn MCP — authoritative docs for Azure, M365, .NET, PowerShell straight into your agent.

  github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp
• cloudflare/mcp-server-cloudflareREPO

  Why: Workers, R2, D1, KV through MCP. The baseline for Cloudflare-shop agents.

  github.com/cloudflare/mcp-server-cloudflare
• upstash/context7-mcpREPO

  Why: live-docs MCP that pulls current library documentation into context. Prevents outdated-API fabrication.

  npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp
• brave-search MCP (reference)REPO

  Why: web search without Google's rate limits. Good complement to WebFetch for research workflows.

  npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search
• doc2mcpREPO

  Why: turns any docs URL into an MCP server. The "I need THIS vendor's docs in my agent today" shortcut.

  doc2mcp.com (hosted) or self-host from repo

Where to start if 60 feels like a lot

It is a lot. The right starting-6 for most engineers getting serious in late 2026:

1. Excel Formula Generator (if you ever touch spreadsheets)
2. Email Reply Drafter + My Writing Style (inbox time back, in voice)
3. Source Whitelist Checker + URL Existence Verifier (research integrity baseline)
4. GitHub MCP + Filesystem MCP (the engineering baseline)
5. Weekly Report Generator (if you ship any kind of status update)
6. anthropic/code-review plugin (first plugin to install)

Use those six for two weeks. Add the next six based on what you keep reaching for. Don't install everything on day one — the discipline is in installing what pays off, not stacking the shelf.