Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Free Tool Strategy agent skill (free-tools)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Free Tool Strategy skill (free-tools) is a set of instructions that turns your AI agent into a strategist for engineering-as-marketing: building a useful free tool, such as a calculator, generator or website grader, to attract visitors, leads and backlinks. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it with plain requests and what to check before you rely on it. By the end you will be able to ask the agent to evaluate a tool idea and understand what it will and will not produce.
Free Tool Strategycoreyhaines31/marketingskills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the free-tools ZIP from the skill's page in the directory.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Extract it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder to limit it to that project.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. If you use the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- 4Describe your idea. Ask in plain language, for example asking whether you should build a free ROI calculator to generate leads.
- 5Answer the context questions. Tell the agent about your business, goals and resources so it can tailor the advice.
- 6Review the score and scope. Check the scorecard result, recommended tool type and build approach, and the minimum viable scope.
What the free-tools skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. This one covers planning and evaluating free marketing tools. Once it is loaded, the agent asks about your business, goals and resources before it suggests anything.
It recommends a tool type (for example a calculator, generator, analyzer or interactive tool) and a build approach: custom, no-code or embedded. It scores candidate ideas against an eight-factor checklist rated 1 to 5, and it warns about common pitfalls such as over-building and tracking vanity metrics. The skill does not build the tool for you from these files.
- Asks about business context, goals (leads, SEO traffic, brand awareness or product education) and resources
- Suggests tool types and build options
- Scores tool ideas on search demand, audience match, uniqueness, product path, feasibility, maintenance burden, link potential and shareability
- Flags pitfalls: over-engineering, weak product integration, maintenance and security debt, and vanity metrics
Install the free-tools skill
You can install the skill in one of two ways. Download the ZIP file from the skill's page in the directory and unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/, so it is available in all your projects. To limit it to one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.
If you use the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills rather than unzipping it yourself.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project
- Claude apps: upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills
~/.claude/skills/How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill loads when your request matches its description. The description lists phrases such as 'free tool', 'marketing tool', 'calculator', 'lead gen tool', 'ROI calculator', 'grader tool', 'audit tool' and 'should I build a free tool'. Plain sentences work just as well.
If the skill does not seem to engage, use one of those phrases directly. For downloadable content such as ebooks, checklists or templates, the description points to a separate lead-magnets skill instead.
- 'Should I build a free ROI calculator to generate leads for my SaaS product?'
- 'Help me evaluate a website grader as a link-building asset for my agency.'
- 'Score these three tool ideas for lead generation.'
- 'Scope a minimal first version of a free savings calculator.'
Examples of what you can ask and what you get back
A useful request names your business, your audience and your goal. The agent will ask follow-up questions if those are missing. Typical outputs include a recommended tool type, a short list of candidate ideas with scores, a build approach and a minimum viable scope.
The skill also covers lead capture. It suggests a clear value exchange, email-only capture where possible and an optional qualifying question. It recommends keeping the first version to core functionality, basic lead capture and a clear output, and skipping accounts, saved results and perfect design.
- Tool-idea scorecard: eight factors rated 1 to 5, with 25+ as a strong candidate, 15 to 24 as promising and under 15 as reconsider
- Build vs. buy guidance: custom build, no-code options (Outgrow, Involve.me, Typeform, Tally, Bubble, Webflow) or embedding an existing tool
- Gating options: fully gated, partially gated, ungated with an optional form, or ungated entirely
- Minimum viable scope checklist
What the skill needs and what it does not do
The skill lists no required tools or packages. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. It reads its own reference files and, if present, a product marketing context file at .agents/product-marketing.md or .claude/product-marketing.md. It works from your answers, so the quality of its advice depends on the context you give it.
The skill is a judgment aid. Its reference material notes that case studies such as Unsplash or HubSpot's Website Grader do not establish conversion rates, customer acquisition costs or revenue for other tools.
- Requires: nothing listed
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Files: SKILL.md, references/tool-types.md, references/tool-benchmarks.md, evals/evals.json
Safety notes on scripts and network access
Because the skill runs no scripts and makes no network calls, installing it adds instructions rather than executable code. Review the files after unzipping if your policy requires it.
The pitfalls section is relevant to the tool you build, not the skill. Tools that scrape data, call APIs or accept user input need ongoing upkeep and can become security risks, so budget for maintenance before you launch.
- No scripts are run by the skill
- No network access is listed for the skill
- Budget upkeep and security review for any tool that takes input, scrapes or calls APIs
Tips for getting useful results
Give the agent real numbers where you have them: audience size, current lead volume, budget and how many hours your team can spend on maintenance. Ask it to score two or three specific ideas instead of asking for a general opinion.
Decide in advance how you will measure success. The skill recommends tracking leads, qualification rate and trial or signup conversion in your own funnel, rather than visits or usage alone.
- Name the audience, goal and resources in the first message
- Compare two or three concrete ideas side by side
- Plan measurement in your own funnel before building
- Use the scorecard as a discussion tool, not a forecast
What people use it for
- Deciding whether a free ROI or savings calculator could generate leads for a software product
- Comparing a website grader against a paid acquisition channel for a small agency
- Scoping a minimal first version of a free generator to test demand
- Choosing between a custom build and a no-code tool such as Typeform or Bubble
- Checking an idea for link-building potential before any development starts
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the free-tools agent skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill's page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the free-tools skill require?
The listing names no required tools or packages. It runs no scripts and uses no network access, according to its listing.
Is the free-tools skill free to use?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on its listing. Check the licence file in the repository for the full terms.
Are there alternatives to the free-tools skill?
The skill's description points to a separate lead-magnets skill for downloadable content such as ebooks, checklists and templates. For building the tool itself, the skill mentions no-code options such as Outgrow, Involve.me, Typeform, Tally, Bubble and Webflow.
Why isn't the skill triggering for my request?
The skill loads when your request matches its description. Use one of the listed phrases, such as 'free tool', 'lead gen tool' or 'ROI calculator', and check that the folder is in the correct skills location.
Will a free tool guarantee leads or traffic?
No. The skill's references note measurement limits, and the scorecard is a judgment aid rather than a proven predictor of results.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are a marketer, founder or developer deciding whether a free calculator, grader or generator is worth building, and you want a structured set of questions and a scoring checklist. Pick something else if you need downloadable content like ebooks or checklists, which the skill says belongs to the lead-magnets skill, or if you expect the skill to build the tool or guarantee results.
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