How to use the Handbook Update Reviewer agent skill

What is an agent skill and what does handbook-updates do?

An agent skill is a folder of instructions and files that an AI agent loads when a task matches the skill's description. This one is built for changing a company employee handbook policy. Handbook changes tend to have ripple effects: changing a PTO policy can affect a final pay calculation, a leave policy cross-reference, and several state supplements.

• Diffs the proposed new wording against the current handbook section and shows the changes.
• Searches the handbook for other policies, defined terms and state supplements that refer to the changed section, and flags any that break.
• Checks each state supplement listed in your config to see whether it is still valid, obsolete, or needs a new supplement.
• Warns when a change reduces something the old version promised, because some states treat handbook policies as contractual.

How do you install the handbook-updates skill?

Download the ZIP for the skill from this page. The skill is distributed as a folder containing SKILL.md. You can install it in one of two ways, depending on where you use Claude.

For Claude Code, unzip the download into your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it available only in that project. In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What setup does the skill need before it runs?

The skill reads your practice-level configuration before it works. You need a CLAUDE.md file at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/employment-legal/. That file should state where your handbook is stored, which state supplements exist, and your update cadence. The skill cannot reason about jurisdictions or policies beyond what those files describe, so the file and the handbook files must be accurate and complete.

• A practice-level CLAUDE.md at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/employment-legal/ with the handbook location, state supplements list and update cadence.
• Access to the handbook files and state supplements that the config points to.
• Optional: matter workspace setup, if you want outputs saved to a matter folder. If matter workspaces are disabled, which is the default for in-house users, the skill skips this step.

How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?

The skill loads when your request matches its description. Phrases such as 'update the handbook', 'add this to the handbook' or 'handbook change' fit well, and so does simply having a policy ready for insertion. Include the section name and the new language in the same message so the agent can start the diff immediately.

If you have a matter workspace enabled and no active matter, the skill will ask which matter the work is for. You can switch matters with the command shown here or answer 'practice-level'.

• Example: 'Update the handbook: the PTO accrual section is changing. Here is the new wording: ...'
• Example: 'I have a policy ready for insertion into the remote work section. Check it against the current handbook.'
• Example: 'Handbook change for the holiday pay policy. Reason: a legal requirement update.'

What does the output look like?

The skill asks you for the section being changed, the new language and the reason for the change (legal requirement, policy decision or cleanup). It then reads the current section and shows a diff. The report that follows has four parts: a cross-reference impact table, a state supplement impact table, a promise check, and a publishing checklist.

• Cross-reference impact: each referring section, whether it is still accurate, and the fix needed.
• State supplement impact: each state, what its supplement says now, whether it is still valid, obsolete or needs updating, and the action.
• Promise check: if the change reduces a benefit, a flag with a note on jurisdictional risk. The skill flags this but does not block it.
• Ready-to-publish checklist: cross-references, state supplements, notice or consideration if a benefit is reduced, version number and date, and acknowledgment process if required.

What are the safety notes and limits?

The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. It works from the files you give it. Its output depends on your CLAUDE.md and handbook files being accurate, so review the diff and the state supplement findings yourself.

The skill does not approve handbook changes; HR or legal leadership decides. It does not communicate changes to employees and does not track acknowledgments. Some states treat handbook promises as binding, so the benefit-reduction flag is a prompt for legal review, not a conclusion.

• Does not approve changes. Final decisions belong to HR or legal leadership.
• Does not communicate changes to employees or track acknowledgments.
• Does not run scripts and does not use the network.
• Relies entirely on the accuracy of your configured files.

What tips help you get better results?

Give the agent the full new wording and the reason for the change at the start. Keep your CLAUDE.md current, especially the state supplements list, because the state impact check only covers supplements it can find there. If you maintain several matters, keep matter workspaces separate so one matter's files are not mixed into another's output.

• Paste the complete section, not just the sentence you edited, so the diff is accurate.
• List every state supplement in your config, even those you think are unaffected.
• Run the check before leadership review so the ready-to-publish checklist is complete when decisions are made.