docx Skill (Anthropic): Create and Edit Word Documents

Lets Claude create, read and edit Word documents, including tracked changes and comments, then render them to check the result.

Installs: 211.1K; on skills.sh
Stars: 186.4K; on GitHub
Files: 60+; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

The skill picks an approach by task. New documents are written as a script with the docx npm library. Existing files are unzipped, their XML edited, and zipped again. Reading uses pandoc to convert to Markdown. It lists the known pitfalls of docx-js, such as A4 being the default page size, table widths and bullet lists.

For edits it includes scripts to merge fragmented text runs, validate the file against schemas, accept tracked changes and add comments. After writing a file it tells Claude to render it to PDF and images to look at the result. It needs pandoc, LibreOffice and Poppler. The license is proprietary.

Good for

People who need Word reports, memos or templates built by Claude
Lawyers and editors who need real tracked changes and comments
Developers automating .docx edits

Install docx

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the docx skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/skills --skill docx

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

From its listing on skills.sh. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Use this skill whenever the user wants to create, read, edit, or manipulate Word documents (.docx files) or Word templates (.dotx files). Triggers include: any mention of 'Word doc', 'word document', '.docx', '.dotx', or requests to produce professional documents with formatting like tables of contents, headings, page numbers, or letterheads. Also use when extracting or reorganizing content from .docx or .dotx files, inserting or replacing images in documents, performing find-and-replace in Word files, working with tracked changes or comments, or converting content into a polished Word document. If the user asks for a 'report', 'memo', 'letter', 'template', or similar deliverable as a Word or .docx file, use this skill. Do NOT use for PDFs, spreadsheets, Google Docs, or general coding tasks unrelated to document generation.

Sections in SKILL.md

Creating with docx-js — gotchas
Verify the output
Editing existing documents
Comments
Dependencies

Key facts

Author: Anthropic
License: Proprietary; see LICENSE.txt in the skill folder
Installs on skills.sh: 211,105 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 186,362 for the anthropics/skills repo (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Oct 28, 2026
What installs: 60 files: SKILL.md, LICENSE.txt, 15 Python files (editing, comments, validators, helpers), 39 XSD schemas and 5 XML files
Needs: Node with the docx package (the SKILL.md says it is preinstalled), pandoc, LibreOffice and pdftoppm

What it includes

Writes a Node script using the docx library; lists page, table and list pitfalls
Covers US Letter vs A4, landscape, table widths, shading, bullets, images, page breaks and tables of contents.
Runs code · Create with docx-js
Converts a .docx to Markdown with pandoc
Runs code · Read with pandoc
Renders to PDF with LibreOffice, then to images with pdftoppm for a visual check
Uses scripts/office/soffice.py.
Runs code · Verify the output
Unzips, runs merge_runs.py, edits document.xml, rezips, then validates
Legacy .doc files are converted first. Symlinks are stripped because files from others are untrusted.
Runs code · Edit existing documents
Checks the file against XSD schemas; --auto-repair fixes common issues
With --author it also reports edits not wrapped in tracked-change tags.
Runs code · validate.py
Produces a clean copy with all tracked changes accepted
Uses LibreOffice.
Runs code · accept_changes.py
Adds comments and replies, writing the six linked files for you
Works on an unpacked folder or a .docx directly.
Runs code · comment.py

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

The skill runs Node, Python, LibreOffice and zip tools on your documents. Keep copies of originals.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It runs scripts, LibreOffice and zip tools on your files
Approve commands in your client and keep copies of originals.
Documents from others are treated as untrusted
The skill strips symlink entries from unzipped files. Still open unknown files with care.
Socket shows warn on skills.sh
Gen Agent Trust Hub and Snyk show pass. Check the audit page before you install. skills.sh

Questions

What does the docx skill do?

It lets Claude build and edit Word documents and templates, including tracked changes and comments, and then render them to check the layout.

How do I install it in Claude Code, the Claude app or Codex?

Use the install box above. The anthropics/skills README also lists a Claude Code plugin route (/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills) and says its example skills are already available to paid plans in Claude.ai.

Does it need an API key?

SKILL.md mentions none. It runs local tools and lists pandoc, LibreOffice and Poppler (pdftoppm) as the tools to have for reading and rendering.

Is it free to use?

The SKILL.md lists the license as proprietary and points to LICENSE.txt. The repo README calls the document skills source-available, not open source. Read LICENSE.txt before you reuse the skill.

Is it safe?

It runs Node, Python, LibreOffice and zip tools on your files and writes new documents. When editing an unzipped file it deletes symlink entries (find unpacked -type l -delete) because documents from outside parties are untrusted. Keep copies of originals.

Can it make tracked changes and comments?

Yes. It has a validator that checks every edit is tracked, a script that accepts changes, and a helper that adds comments and replies.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: anthropics/skills
Folder: skills/docx

anthropics/skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 2

anthropics/skills docx SKILL.md · github.com
anthropics/skills README · github.com