paywalls Skill for Claude: Design Paywalls and Upgrade Screens

Makes Claude design in-app paywalls, upgrade screens and feature gates that convert free users without tricks.

Installs: 74.2K; on skills.sh
Stars: 57.9K; on GitHub
Files: 3; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

paywalls makes Claude act as a paywall and upgrade-screen expert. It decides what triggers an upgrade prompt, lays out the screen, sets timing and frequency, and plans tests.

It triggers on paywall, upgrade modal, feature gate, trial expiration screen and freemium conversion. It lists dark patterns to avoid. The folder bundles two reference files and an evals file, and no scripts.

Good for

SaaS teams turning free or trial users into paying ones
Mobile subscription app teams designing a paywall inside onboarding
Product managers deciding what to gate and when to prompt

Install paywalls

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

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

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

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 create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates. Also use when the user mentions "paywall," "upgrade screen," "upgrade modal," "upsell," "feature gate," "convert free to paid," "freemium conversion," "trial expiration screen," "limit reached screen," "plan upgrade prompt," "in-app pricing," "free users won't upgrade," "trial to paid conversion," or "how do I get users to pay," "mobile app paywall," "subscription app paywall," or "App Store subscription pricing." Use this for any in-product moment where you're asking users to upgrade. Distinct from public pricing pages (see cro) — this focuses on in-product upgrade moments where the user has already experienced value. For pricing decisions, see pricing.

Sections in SKILL.md

Initial Assessment
Core Principles
1. Value Before Ask
2. Show, Don't Just Tell
3. Friction-Free Path
4. Respect the No
Paywall Trigger Points
Feature Gates
Usage Limits
Trial Expiration
Time-Based Prompts
Paywall Screen Components
Specific Paywall Types
Feature Lock Paywall
Usage Limit Paywall
Trial Expiration Paywall

Key facts

Author: Corey Haines (coreyhaines31)
Repo: coreyhaines31/marketingskills
License: MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 74,162 (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

Upgrade context, product model, user journey
Asks what upgrades you want, what is free versus paid and when the prompt appears.
Initial assessment
Four rules
Value before the ask, show do not just tell, a friction-free path and respect the no.
Core principles
Four triggers
Feature gates, usage limits, trial expiration and time-based prompts.
Paywall trigger points
Seven parts
Headline, value demonstration, feature comparison, pricing, social proof, call to action and an escape hatch.
Screen components
Feature lock, usage limit, trial expiration
A layout and copy approach for each.
Specific paywall types
When to show, when not to, frequency rules
Includes moments to avoid interrupting.
Timing and frequency
From paywall to payment, then post-upgrade
Covers the path from the paywall to payment and what happens right after.
Upgrade flow optimization
What to test and which metrics to track
Points to references/experiments.md for more ideas.
A/B testing
Dark patterns and conversion killers
Hiding the close button, fake countdowns, asking before value, too frequent prompts and blocking critical flows.
Anti-patterns
A reference for consumer iOS and Android apps
Covers paywall inside onboarding, yearly-first plans, trials and reminders, store fees and web checkout.
Mobile subscription paywalls

From the official docs

Questions

How do I install paywalls?

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.

Does it cover mobile subscription apps?

Yes, through the reference file mobile-subscription-paywalls.md. It covers paywalls inside onboarding, yearly-first plans, trials and reminders, store fees and web checkout.

Does it recommend dark patterns?

The SKILL.md lists them as anti-patterns to avoid: hiding the close button, confusing plan selection, guilt-trip copy and fake countdowns or limited offers with no real deadline.

Which skills does it point to?

churn-prevention for cancel flows, cro for the public pricing page, onboarding for reaching the aha moment before upgrade, and ab-testing for testing. They are separate, optional skills in the same repo.

Does paywalls 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 paywalls 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 paywalls 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/paywalls

coreyhaines31/marketingskills skills.sh

Sources

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

Show all 4

paywalls SKILL.md · github.com
coreyhaines31/marketingskills README · github.com
paywalls on skills.sh · skills.sh
coreyhaines31/marketingskills · github.com