Frontmatter

A few lines of settings at the start of a file, between two “---” lines. They give, for example, a skill’s name and description.

How it appears in the course

The top part, between the two --- lines. It’s called frontmatter (the skill’s “ID card”). It’s like the label on a jar: name, what’s inside, when you use it. Each line has the form key: value.
What does a SKILL.md file look like? · Module 05, Skills: reusable recipes
The top part, between ---, is the frontmatter: the skill’s name, description and rules.
Key takeaways · Module 05, Skills: reusable recipes
The part between the --- lines is called frontmatter (a label at the start of the file).
How do you split the rules by topic? The .claude/rules/ folder · Module 02, CLAUDE.md: your project’s memory

Where you learn it

In module 05 · Skills: reusable recipes, in the Claude Code for Beginners course.

Related terms

Learn Claude Code from zero, in plain English

12 modules with 1–2 minute lessons, which you can also do on your phone. The first two modules are free.