SOP 005: Pass Arguments to Skills

Fresh

Field	Value
SOP ID	005
Version	1.0
Status	Active
Last Updated	2026-02-14

Purpose

Pass dynamic data into skills using argument placeholders, including single arguments, positional access, and the session ID.

Argument Flow

Substitution Reference

Variable	Description	Example Input	Result
`$ARGUMENTS`	All arguments	`/skill foo bar`	`foo bar`
`$ARGUMENTS[0]`	First argument	`/skill foo bar`	`foo`
`$ARGUMENTS[1]`	Second argument	`/skill foo bar`	`bar`
`$0`	Shorthand for `$ARGUMENTS[0]`	`/skill foo bar`	`foo`
`$1`	Shorthand for `$ARGUMENTS[1]`	`/skill foo bar`	`bar`
`${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}`	Session ID	N/A	`sess_abc123`

Procedure

Step 1: Single Argument

Use $ARGUMENTS for the entire argument string:

yaml

---
name: fix-issue
description: Fix a GitHub issue
disable-model-invocation: true
---

Fix GitHub issue $ARGUMENTS following our coding standards.

1. Read the issue description
2. Understand the requirements
3. Implement the fix
4. Write tests
5. Create a commit

Usage: /fix-issue 123 becomes "Fix GitHub issue 123..."

Step 2: Positional Arguments

Use $ARGUMENTS[N] or $N for specific positions:

yaml

---
name: migrate-component
description: Migrate a component from one framework to another
---

Migrate the $0 component from $1 to $2.
Preserve all existing behavior and tests.

Usage: /migrate-component SearchBar React Vue

$0 = SearchBar
$1 = React
$2 = Vue

Step 3: Session-Scoped Logging

Use ${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID} for unique file/log naming:

yaml

---
name: session-logger
description: Log activity for this session
---

Log the following to logs/${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}.log:

$ARGUMENTS

Step 4: Handle Missing $ARGUMENTS

Auto-Append Behavior

If you invoke a skill with arguments but the skill doesn't include $ARGUMENTS, Claude Code appends ARGUMENTS: <your input> to the end of the skill content.

Verification Checklist

[ ] $ARGUMENTS placeholder present in skill content
[ ] Positional arguments use correct 0-based indexing
[ ] Tested with expected argument patterns
[ ] Handled edge case of no arguments provided
[ ] argument-hint frontmatter set for autocomplete guidance

SOP 005: Pass Arguments to Skills ​

Purpose ​

Argument Flow ​

Substitution Reference ​

Procedure ​

Step 1: Single Argument ​

Step 2: Positional Arguments ​

Step 3: Session-Scoped Logging ​

Step 4: Handle Missing $ARGUMENTS ​

Verification Checklist ​

See Also ​

SOP 005: Pass Arguments to Skills

Purpose

Argument Flow

Substitution Reference

Procedure

Step 1: Single Argument

Step 2: Positional Arguments

Step 3: Session-Scoped Logging

Step 4: Handle Missing $ARGUMENTS

Verification Checklist

See Also