How to Clone the patent-disclosure-skill Repository for Claude Code

To clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository for Claude Code, create a .claude/skills/ directory in your project root and execute git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill.git .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill, then verify the CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR environment variable resolves to the skill's absolute path.

The patent-disclosure-skill is an Agent Skill designed specifically for Claude Code that automates patent document analysis, PDF extraction, and disclosure workflows. According to the handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill source code, Claude Code expects skills to reside within a .claude/skills/ hierarchy and relies on the CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR environment variable to resolve resource paths to prompts and tools. This guide provides the exact commands and file structure requirements needed to install the skill correctly.

Prerequisites

Before cloning the repository, ensure you have the following:

• Git installed on your local machine
• Claude Code with Agent Skill support enabled
• A project directory where you want the skill available

Step-by-Step Clone Procedure

Create the Skills Directory

Claude Code discovers skills under the .claude/skills/ path. Create this directory if it does not already exist:

mkdir -p .claude/skills

Clone the Repository

Execute the clone command to download the repository directly into the Claude Code skill path. The target directory name must exactly match the skill name defined in SKILL.md:

git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill.git \
    .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill

This command downloads the complete repository tree including SKILL.md (skill metadata), the prompts/ directory containing chat prompts such as patent_plain_reader.md, the tools/ directory with Python utilities for patent reading and CAD handling, and the assets/ folder with Obsidian templates.

Verify the Installation

Start a Claude Code session and confirm the environment variable points to the correct path:

echo $CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR

The output should display the absolute path ending in .../.claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill. When correctly configured, Claude Code resolves references like ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/prompts/reader/patent_plain_reader.md defined in the skill configuration.

Alternative Installation Methods

Copy from Existing Local Clone

If you have already cloned the repository elsewhere, copy the entire folder into the skills directory:

cp -r /path/to/patent-disclosure-skill .claude/skills/

Ensure the folder name remains exactly patent-disclosure-skill to match the name: field specified in SKILL.md.

Understanding the Repository Structure

After cloning, your .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill/ directory contains these critical components:

• SKILL.md — Core metadata file defining the skill name, description, and entry points for Claude Code
• INSTALL.md — Official installation guide covering Claude Code, Cursor, and other AI assistants
• prompts/ — Chat prompts used by the skill, including the reader workflow configurations
• tools/patent_reader/ — Python utilities implementing the extract → analyze → vault tool chain
• assets/ — Obsidian templates and CSS for optional vault integration
• docs/ — User guides including obsidian-setup-guide.md and example screenshots

The presence of SKILL.md in the repository root is mandatory; without it, Claude Code cannot recognize the directory as a valid Agent Skill.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If Claude Code cannot locate the skill after cloning:

1. Check the directory name — The folder must be named exactly patent-disclosure-skill, not patent-disclosure-skill-main or any variant with branch suffixes
2. Verify the path depth — Ensure the skill resides directly under .claude/skills/ and not nested in additional subdirectories like .claude/skills/dev/patent-disclosure-skill/
3. Confirm SKILL.md exists — Run ls .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill/SKILL.md to verify the metadata file is present and readable

Summary

• Clone the repository into .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill to ensure Claude Code automatically discovers the skill via the standard hierarchy
• The SKILL.md file in the repository root defines skill metadata and must not be renamed or removed
• Verify installation by checking that CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR resolves to the skill's absolute path inside your project
• The repository includes prompts/, tools/patent_reader/, and assets/ directories that support automated patent document analysis and Obsidian vault integration
• Alternative installation involves copying an existing local clone while preserving the exact directory name required by the skill configuration

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the patent-disclosure-skill?

The patent-disclosure-skill is an Agent Skill for Claude Code that automates the extraction, analysis, and organization of patent documents. According to the handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill repository, it includes specialized tools for PDF extraction, CAD file handling, and Office Action (OA) support, utilizing prompts stored in prompts/reader/patent_plain_reader.md to process patent text.

Why must the repository be in .claude/skills/?

Claude Code follows a specific convention where Agent Skills must reside within a .claude/skills/ hierarchy. The runtime automatically sets the CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR environment variable to point to this location, allowing the skill to resolve relative paths to prompts in the prompts/ folder and tools in the tools/ directory as defined in SKILL.md.

How do I update the skill after cloning?

Navigate to the skill directory and pull the latest changes from the main branch:

cd .claude/skills/patent-disclosure-skill
git pull origin main

Restart your Claude Code session to reload any modifications to SKILL.md, prompts, or tool configurations.

Can I install the skill globally instead of per-project?

Yes. While Claude Code primarily looks for skills in the current project's .claude/skills/ directory, you can place skills in your home directory under ~/.claude/skills/ for global access across all projects. The CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR resolution mechanism functions identically regardless of whether the skill is installed locally in a project or globally in your home directory.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}