free-tools Skill for Claude: Plan a Free Tool for Lead Generation

Makes Claude plan, score and scope a free calculator, generator or grader that earns leads, links and traffic.

Installs: 77.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 57.9K; on GitHub
Files: 3; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

free-tools makes Claude act as an engineering-as-marketing advisor. It helps you pick a tool idea, check it against search demand and buyer fit, choose how to gate it, and scope the smallest version worth shipping.

It triggers when you mention a free tool, calculator, generator or lead-gen tool. It scores an idea on eight factors from 1 to 5. The folder bundles two reference files and an evals file, and no scripts.

Good for

SaaS founders weighing a free tool as a growth channel
Marketers who want a scorecard before engineering builds anything
Product teams choosing between building, no-code and embedding

Install free-tools

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the free-tools skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill free-tools

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

When the user wants to plan, evaluate, or build a free tool for marketing purposes — lead generation, SEO value, or brand awareness. Also use when the user mentions "engineering as marketing," "free tool," "marketing tool," "calculator," "generator," "interactive tool," "lead gen tool," "build a tool for leads," "free resource," "ROI calculator," "grader tool," "audit tool," "should I build a free tool," or "tools for lead gen." Use this whenever someone wants to build something useful and give it away to attract leads or earn links. For downloadable content lead magnets (ebooks, checklists, templates), see lead-magnets.

Sections in SKILL.md

Initial Assessment
Core Principles
1. Solve a Real Problem
2. Adjacent to Core Product
3. Simple and Focused
4. Worth the Investment
Tool Types Overview
Ideation Framework
Start with Pain Points
Validate the Idea
Lead Capture Strategy
Gating Options
Lead Capture Best Practices
SEO Considerations
Keyword Strategy
Link Building

Key facts

Author: Corey Haines (coreyhaines31)
Repo: coreyhaines31/marketingskills
License: MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 77,375 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars (whole repo): 57,855 (Nov 2, 2026)
Last commit to the repo: Oct 31, 2026
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass
Skill folder: 4 files: SKILL.md, 2 reference files and evals/evals.json (counted from the GitHub folder)
Reads: A product marketing context file if one exists (.agents/product-marketing.md or .claude/product-marketing.md)

What it includes

Asks about business, goals and resources
Reads the product marketing context first, then asks what you sell, whether the goal is leads, SEO or brand, and what you can build and maintain.
Initial assessment
Four tests for a good free tool
Solve a real problem, sit next to your product, stay simple, and be worth the investment: lead value times expected leads must beat build and upkeep cost.
Core principles
Six kinds of tool
Calculators, generators, analyzers, testers, libraries and interactive tools, each with a best use.
Tool types
Start from pain points, then validate
Checks search demand, uniqueness, lead quality and build feasibility.
Ideation framework
Four gating options
Fully gated, partially gated, ungated with an optional ask, or ungated entirely, with pros and cons.
Lead capture strategy
Keyword patterns and link potential
Landing page patterns like "[thing] calculator" and why useful tools attract links.
SEO considerations
Custom, no-code or embed
Names no-code options such as Outgrow, Involve.me, Typeform, Tally, Bubble and Webflow.
Build vs buy
Core function, essential UX, basic lead capture
Lists what to skip first: accounts, saved results, advanced features and edge cases.
MVP scope
Eight factors scored 1 to 5
25 or more is a strong candidate, 15 to 24 is promising, under 15 means reconsider.
Evaluation scorecard
Four traps
Over-engineering, poor product integration, maintenance and security debt, and vanity metrics.
Common pitfalls

From the official docs

Questions

How do I install free-tools?

Use the install box above. The repo README also documents the full marketing-skills plugin for Claude Code and Codex, and a one-skill ZIP for the Claude web app on the repo's Releases page.

Do I need the product-marketing skill first?

No. The SKILL.md only says to read a product marketing context file if one exists (.agents/product-marketing.md, .claude/product-marketing.md or the older product-marketing-context.md) and to ask you for anything it does not cover. The README calls product-marketing the foundation the other skills check first.

What kinds of free tools does it cover?

Calculators, generators, analyzers, testers, libraries and interactive tools. The reference file tool-types.md gives examples, and tool-benchmarks.md gives sourced cases such as Unsplash, HubSpot Website Grader, Buffer and Shopify.

Does free-tools build the tool for me?

It plans and scopes the tool, and helps choose between custom code, no-code and embedding. The SKILL.md describes strategy and evaluation rather than a build workflow.

Does free-tools work in the Claude app or Codex?

The README documents a Codex plugin and a one-skill ZIP for the Claude web app, uploaded under Customize, then Skills. Claude Code is covered by the skills CLI and the plugin.

Does free-tools need an API key or scripts?

The SKILL.md names no API keys, and the skill folder bundles no scripts. It holds the SKILL.md, reference notes and an evals file.

Is free-tools safe?

It is plain text instructions with no bundled scripts, so what it can do depends on your client's own permissions.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: coreyhaines31/marketingskills
Folder: skills/free-tools

coreyhaines31/marketingskills skills.sh

Sources

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

Show all 4

free-tools SKILL.md · github.com
coreyhaines31/marketingskills README · github.com
free-tools on skills.sh · skills.sh
coreyhaines31/marketingskills · github.com