Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Disable Community Skill agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The disable skill temporarily switches off a community skill that was installed through the claude-for-legal hub, without deleting it. This guide is for people who have never installed an agent skill before as well as those who have. By the end you will know what the skill changes, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and how to bring a disabled skill back.
Disable Community Skillanthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the disable skill ZIP from our page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Extract it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill.
- 4Run the disable command. Enter /disable followed by the community skill's name, such as /disable contract-review.
- 5Confirm the paths. Review the files shown for renaming and reply yes only if they are correct.
- 6Re-enable when ready. Run the same command again with the same skill name to reverse the rename.
What the disable skill does
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that Claude can discover and use. The disable skill targets one community skill that was installed through the claude-for-legal hub and stops Claude from treating it as active. It renames the skill's SKILL.md file to SKILL.md.disabled, so Claude no longer discovers it. Files, references, templates and config stay where they are.
- If the skill ships hooks in hooks/hooks.json, that file is renamed to hooks.json.disabled so automatic triggers stop firing.
- The action is logged to ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/install-log.yaml.
- Disabling does not delete anything. It is meant for pausing a skill, not removing it.
Install the disable skill
Download the ZIP for this skill from our page. Unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it available only in that project.
You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You can invoke the skill with the command /disable followed by the skill name, or describe what you want in ordinary language. The skill is designed to respond to requests such as disabling a community skill temporarily, stopping its hooks from firing while keeping its config, or re-enabling a skill you previously disabled.
The skill takes a skill name as its argument. Before anything is renamed, it shows you the paths involved and waits for an explicit yes.
- "Disable the contract-review skill for now."
- "Stop this skill's hooks from firing but keep its config."
- "Re-enable the contract-review skill I turned off last week."
/disable [skill name]What the skill needs
The workflow needs access to the claude-for-legal install log and the CLAUDE.md installed-skills table, because it checks both before acting. It also loads the skill-manager reference skill, which contains the actual disable, uninstall and re-enable steps. The disable skill does not run scripts and does not use the network.
Safety rules to know about
The skill follows three rules. It only disables community skills installed through this hub, using the same check as the uninstall workflow against the install log and CLAUDE.md table. It never disables a first-party plugin's skill. And it asks for confirmation before renaming anything.
Because the skill renames files rather than running code, the main risk is changing the wrong file. Read the paths shown in the confirmation step before answering yes.
Re-enable a disabled skill
To turn a skill back on, run the command again with the same skill name. The skill-manager workflow recognizes a disabled skill and reverses the rename, so SKILL.md.disabled becomes SKILL.md again and any hooks.json.disabled file is restored to hooks.json.
/disable [skill name]Tips for using it well
Use disable when you want to pause a skill and keep its configuration. If you suspect a particular skill is causing unexpected behavior, disabling it is a quick way to test that. If you want the skill gone for good, use the uninstall workflow instead.
- Disable one skill at a time when troubleshooting, so you can tell which one made a difference.
- Keep the skill name handy; the command needs it.
- Check the install log if you are unsure whether a skill was installed through the hub.
What people use it for
- Pausing a community skill for a few days while a legal team reviews its output.
- Testing whether a specific skill is causing unexpected behavior by turning it off and seeing what changes.
- Stopping a skill's automatic hooks from firing while keeping its templates and config for later.
- Re-enabling a skill that was paused earlier, without reinstalling it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the disable skill?
Download the ZIP from our page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
Does disabling a skill delete it?
No. The skill renames SKILL.md to SKILL.md.disabled and, if present, hooks.json to hooks.json.disabled. Files, references, templates and config stay in place, so you can re-enable the skill later by running the command again.
Can I disable any skill on my computer?
No. It only works on community skills installed through the claude-for-legal hub, and it checks the install log and the CLAUDE.md installed table first. It will not disable first-party plugin skills.
What requirements does the disable skill have?
It needs access to the claude-for-legal install log and the CLAUDE.md installed-skills table. It also loads the skill-manager reference skill for the actual steps. It does not run scripts and does not use the network.
How do I re-enable a disabled skill?
Run the disable command again with the same skill name. The skill-manager workflow recognizes the disabled skill and flips the rename back.
What is the difference between disabling and uninstalling a skill?
Disabling pauses a skill and keeps its files and config so it can be turned back on. Uninstalling is for removing a skill permanently, and that is handled by the uninstall workflow instead.
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Our verdict
Use the disable skill if you are a legal team member or developer who wants to pause a community skill installed through the claude-for-legal hub, or who needs to test whether one skill is causing odd behavior. Pick something else if you want a skill removed permanently, want to disable a first-party plugin skill, or are working with skills that were not installed through the hub.
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