Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Related Community Skill Surfacer agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The related-skills-surfacer is an agent skill for the claude-for-legal plugin set. It checks what you have recently been doing in other Claude for Legal plugins against a registry of community-built skills, and mentions a skill only when it is a strong match. This guide explains what it does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where its limits are, so you can decide whether it fits your practice.

Quick start

1Download the ZIP. Download the skill ZIP from the directory page and unzip it so the folder contains SKILL.md.
2Place the folder. Move the unzipped folder into ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
3Check your configuration. Confirm the CLAUDE.md file exists at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md with your practice profile.
4Ask a natural question. Ask something like "is there a community skill for this?" after finishing a task.
5Review any suggestion. If a match is shown, read its description and check it yourself before using it.
6Install only if you choose. Run the legal-builder-hub skill-installer command with the skill name if you want to try it.

What is an agent skill and what does this one do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that gives Claude extra instructions for a specific kind of task. This skill is named related-skills-surfacer. Its job is to look at recent work in other Claude for Legal plugins and check a registry of community-built skills for a close match.

If a strong match exists, the agent briefly mentions that skill and suggests you could try it. If nothing strong matches, it stays silent. It also tracks what you dismissed so it does not repeat the same suggestion.

Download the ZIP file for the skill from the directory page and unzip it. The skill folder should contain SKILL.md. Then place the folder in one of these locations: ~/.claude/skills/ for your personal use, or .claude/skills/ inside a project folder if you want it limited to that project.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
Project only: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Set up the requirements

The skill depends on three things. It reads the Claude for Legal plugin configuration file at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md, which holds your practice profile and installed skills. It also needs a registry cache from the registry-browser component. Finally, suggestions point to the legal-builder-hub skill-installer command, which is how you actually install a suggested skill.

If the configuration file or registry cache is missing, the skill cannot do its matching work. Set up the Claude for Legal plugins first.

Claude for Legal plugin configuration file (CLAUDE.md under legal-builder-hub)
A registry cache from the registry-browser component
The legal-builder-hub skill-installer command

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You can invoke the skill directly by asking questions such as "is there a community skill for this", "what else is out there", or by asking for skill recommendations. The skill description lists these phrases as triggers.

The skill also runs passively as part of other plugins' workflows, but only if those plugins are set up to call it. The source says this hook-based pattern is not wired by default. Without that wiring, invoke the skill directly.

"Is there a community skill for this?"
"What else is out there for this kind of task?"
"Can you recommend skills for my contract review work?"

What a suggestion looks like

When a strong match is found, the output takes this form: a short note that the community has a skill for the task, the skill's name and registry, its description, and the command to try it. The suggestion appears at the end of a task, not in the middle of one.

The skill also has a user-control setting in your CLAUDE.md file. You can choose to surface all matches, only matches that fit your practice profile (the default), or turn the skill off entirely.

Surface all matches
Matching practice profile only (default)
None: the skill is off

Safety notes: scripts, network and third-party skills

This skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. It states that it does not install anything. Any installation happens only if you run the legal-builder-hub skill-installer command yourself.

Community skills are third-party. The source gives no vetting or review detail for them, so review any suggested skill before relying on it for client work.

Runs scripts: no
Uses network: no
Installs nothing on its own

Tips for getting useful suggestions

The skill only surfaces matches above a strictness threshold, so it may miss relevant skills. Treat an empty result as "nothing strong found", not "nothing exists". Dismissed suggestions are recorded in references/surfaced.json so you are not shown the same skill twice. Keep your practice profile in CLAUDE.md accurate, since the skill uses it to filter out poor-fit matches such as litigation skills for a transactional lawyer.

Keep your practice profile current so filtering works
Expect silence when matches are weak; that is intended
Use direct requests to search when you want a broader look

What people use it for

After drafting a contract in a Claude for Legal plugin, ask whether the community has a related skill for that clause type.
Ask what else is out there for a task you are about to start, so you can see if a skill already exists.
Have a team lead browse the registry through suggestions to find low-noise recommendations for a shared practice.
Review your dismissed suggestions in references/surfaced.json to see what you have already declined.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the related-skills-surfacer skill?

Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Is the related-skills-surfacer skill free?

The source file lists the skill under the Apache-2.0 licence. The source does not mention pricing, so check the directory page for any cost details.

What does the related-skills-surfacer need to work?

It needs the Claude for Legal configuration file at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md, a registry cache from the registry-browser component, and the legal-builder-hub skill-installer command to install suggested skills.

Does the skill install community skills automatically?

No. The skill states that it does not install anything. You run the legal-builder-hub skill-installer command yourself if you want to try a suggested skill.

Why does the skill sometimes show nothing?

It only surfaces strong matches above a strictness threshold and stays silent otherwise. This is intended to avoid noise, but it means it can miss relevant skills.

Are community skills safe and reviewed?

The source gives no vetting or review detail for community skills. They are third-party, so check any suggestion yourself before using it for legal work.

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Our verdict

This skill suits legal professionals who use the claude-for-legal plugins and want occasional, low-noise pointers to community skills. It is a poor fit if you want automatic installation, a complete catalogue, or verified legal quality, since it does not install anything, can miss matches, and gives no vetting of community work.

Download the skill