How to use the SWOT Strategy agent skill (swot-strategy)

What the swot-strategy skill makes the agent do

The skill is a single SKILL.md file that tells the agent how to run a strategy analysis. Its description is: run SWOT, PEST and competitive-landscape analysis on a company or product and turn it into actionable recommendations, delivered as a Word document.

Before analysing anything, the agent first asks what business decision you are trying to make, such as entering a market, exiting, raising prices, raising funding or pivoting. It then gathers internal facts from you (product, channels, costs, team, financials) and external facts, which may be filled in with web search, with sources and dates tagged.

• PEST: 2 to 4 factors per dimension (political, economic, social, technological), each tagged opportunity, threat or neutral.
• SWOT: 3 to 5 items per quadrant, each a fact plus its implication for your decision.
• Competitive landscape: 3 to 5 direct competitors in a comparison table, plus a judgement on concentration, entry barriers and substitution threat.
• Strategy matrix (SO / WO / ST / WT) that turns the SWOT into candidate actions, filtered to up to five priority actions.
• A Word document titled '<Subject> Strategy Analysis', mostly tables, with assumptions to verify at the end.

Install the swot-strategy skill

Download the ZIP for this skill from this page. It contains SKILL.md. Then choose one of the following routes.

For a personal install, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ so the skill folder sits there. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.

In the Claude apps, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal: ~/.claude/skills/ (available across your projects).
• Project: .claude/skills/ inside that project's folder.
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload.

Check what you need before you start

The skill needs a Word document creation tool available to the agent. The skill refers to 'document tools available here' without naming one, so the agent must have a tool that can produce .docx output in your environment. Without it, the agent can still discuss the analysis but cannot deliver the Word file the skill specifies.

Web search is optional. Without it, the agent works only from the facts you provide and will flag external items as needing verification.

• A Word document creation tool available to the agent.
• Web search access (optional, for external facts).
• The skill itself runs no scripts, but it does use the network.

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. Describe the company or product, give the decision you face, and ask for the analysis. The skill's quick prompts suggest wording like the examples below.

Give the agent as much internal information as you can: what you sell, through which channels, at what price, who buys it, and a list of competitors. The more specific the input, the more specific the output. If you skip the decision question, expect the agent to ask for it first.

• Do a SWOT and competitive-landscape analysis for our product.
• Use the PEST framework to assess the entry opportunity in this industry.
• Run a strategy review for our pricing decision, with three direct competitors.
• Prepare a SWOT and PEST analysis for our pivot from B2C to B2B, and deliver it as a Word document.

Read and use the output

The document follows a fixed structure: an analysis summary on one page, subject and background, PEST table, SWOT four-quadrant table with numbered items, competitive comparison, strategy matrix with priority actions, then key assumptions and information to verify, followed by references.

Treat the document as a first draft. Items with weak evidence are marked 'to verify', and regulatory conclusions are marked 'subject to local rules'. After delivery, the agent points out the two assumptions its conclusions depend on most and suggests how to check them. Check those first.

• Aim for a document of roughly 6 to 10 pages.
• Each priority action states what, why, leading indicator, responsible role and timing.
• Verify external facts and their dates before relying on them.

Safety notes on scripts and network use

The skill runs no scripts. It does use the network when web search is available, to collect external facts such as policy, economic and competitor information. Only the facts you provide and the sources the agent finds go into the analysis, so review what you share, especially confidential financials or customer data.

The skill does not guarantee accuracy of external facts. It asks that they be tagged with source and date and that conflicting sources be flagged, but you must verify them yourself.

• No scripts are run by this skill.
• Web search, when used, sends queries over the network.
• Do not treat output as verified market data.

Tips for better results

Start with one clear decision. A SWOT tied to a single question produces more usable actions than a general review. Name your real competitors, because the skill compares you only against direct competitors it can identify.

Provide internal numbers where you have them. The skill does not accept a self-assessed strength until it is compared with competitors, so supplying competitor data helps the analysis hold up.

• Name one decision, such as enter, exit, price, fund or pivot.
• List three to five direct competitors.
• Supply real internal figures and mark anything you are unsure of.