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Handbook Update Reviewer

Diffs a handbook change, finds ripple effects and state supplement impacts before publishing

Source Download skill
Repository
anthropics/claude-for-legal
Stars
9,870
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
1 file

What it does

When you want to change a company employee handbook policy, this skill makes the agent compare the proposed new wording against the current version and show the differences. It then searches the rest of the handbook for other policies, defined terms, and state-specific supplements that refer to the changed section, and flags anything that would become inconsistent. It also warns if a change reduces a benefit, since some states treat handbook promises as binding.

Great for

  • In-house HR or legal staff updating an employee handbook
  • Employment lawyers reviewing policy changes before they go to leadership
  • Teams that maintain multi-state handbook supplements and need consistency checks

Skip it if

  • Final legal approval: the skill itself states it does not approve changes, and HR or legal leadership must decide.
  • Communicating changes to employees or tracking acknowledgments: the skill explicitly does not do these.
  • Jurisdictions or situations beyond what the user's own CLAUDE.md and handbook files describe, since the output depends on those files being accurate and complete.

Try asking

  • “Update the handbook: change the PTO accrual section to the new language I've drafted and check what else it affects.”
  • “Add this to the handbook: here is a new remote work policy, show me the diff against the current one.”
  • “Handbook change: we're reducing the parental leave top-up, check the promise risk and the state supplements.”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Handbook Update ReviewerInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    handbook-updates.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip handbook-updates.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip handbook-updates.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Provide the exact old and new language and the reason for the change (legal requirement, policy decision, or cleanup) so the diff and risk flags are accurate.
  • Make sure your employment-legal CLAUDE.md lists every state supplement, or the state impact check will miss them.
  • Treat the promise check as a prompt for legal review, especially for benefit reductions, since jurisdictional rules on contractual handbooks vary and the skill does not provide definitive law.

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from anthropics/claude-for-legal under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.