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Official agent skill

Handbook Updates

by anthropics in anthropics/claude-for-legal

Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts.

OfficialApache-2.0Auto-check passed

Install Handbook Updates

skills CLI
$ npx skills add anthropics/claude-for-legal --skill handbook-updates -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install anthropics/claude-for-legal handbook-updates --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/anthropics/claude-for-legal.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/employment-legal/skills/handbook-updates .claude/skills/handbook-updates && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
handbook-updates
GitHub stars
9.6k
Used in
2 other repos
Token cost
~917 tokens
SKILL.md length
339 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
147
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts.

  • Works in 5 steps: Get the change → Diff against current → Find cross-references → …
  • User says update the handbook
  • SKILL.md covers Matter context, Purpose, Load context and Workflow, plus 2 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Handbook Updates is an agent skill from anthropics/claude-for-legal, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts. Use when user says "update the handbook", "add this to the handbook", "handbook change", or has a policy ready for insertion.

Its SKILL.md is about 920 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

The repository describes itself as: A suite of plugins for legal workflows. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • User says update the handbook
  • Add this to the handbook
  • Handbook change
  • Has a policy ready for insertion

Example prompts

  • “update the handbook”
  • “add this to the handbook”
  • “handbook change”
  • “/handbook-updates”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Get the change
  2. Diff against current
  3. Find cross-references
  4. State supplement impact
  5. Promise check

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4a6c651. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are diff and markdown).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Handbook Updates loads about 917 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 63 tokens; SKILL.md has 339 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~63
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~917

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from anthropics/claude-for-legal at commit 4a6c651, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© anthropics). 339 words, ~917 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/handbook-updates/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
handbook-updates
description
Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts. Use when user says "update the handbook", "add this to the handbook", "handbook change", or has a policy ready for insertion.

Handbook Updates

Matter context

Matter context. Check ## Matter workspaces in the practice-level CLAUDE.md. If Enabled is ✗ (the default for in-house users), skip the rest of this paragraph — skills use practice-level context and the matter machinery is invisible. If enabled and there is no active matter, ask: "Which matter is this for? Run /employment-legal:matter-workspace switch <slug> or say practice-level." Load the active matter's matter.md for matter-specific context and overrides. Write outputs to the matter folder at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/employment-legal/matters/<matter-slug>/. Never read another matter's files unless Cross-matter context is on.

Purpose

Handbook changes have ripple effects. Change the PTO policy and you've affected the final pay calculation, the leave policy cross-reference, and three state supplements. This skill finds the ripples before they become inconsistencies.

Load context

~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/employment-legal/CLAUDE.md → handbook location, state supplements list, update cadence.

Workflow

Step 1: Get the change
  • What section is changing?
  • What's the new language?
  • Why? (Legal requirement, policy decision, cleanup)
Step 2: Diff against current

Read the current handbook section. Show the diff:

diff
- [old language]
+ [new language]
Step 3: Find cross-references

Search the handbook for references to the changed section:

  • Other policies that cite this one ("see the PTO policy for accrual rates")
  • Defined terms that this section uses or defines
  • State supplements that modify this section

Each cross-reference: does it still make sense after the change? Flag any that break.

Step 4: State supplement impact

For each state supplement in ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/employment-legal/CLAUDE.md:

  • Does this supplement modify the section being changed?
  • Does the change make the supplement obsolete, wrong, or incomplete?
  • Does the change create a need for a new supplement in a state that didn't need one before?
Step 5: Promise check

Is the change reducing something the old version promised?

If yes: that's a risk. Some states treat handbook policies as contractual. Reducing a benefit may need more than just updating the document — advance notice, consideration, or in some cases it can't be done retroactively.

Flag this. Don't block it — but flag it.

Output

markdown
## Handbook Update: [Section name]

### Change

[diff]

### Cross-reference impact

| Section | References changed section | Still accurate? | Fix needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | [how] | ✅/⚠️ | [what] |

### State supplement impact

| State | Current supplement | After change | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| [state] | [what it says] | [still valid / obsolete / needs update] | [none / update / new supplement needed] |

### Promise check

[If reducing a benefit: flag + jurisdictional risk note]

### Ready to publish

- [ ] Cross-references updated
- [ ] State supplements updated
- [ ] [If benefit reduction: notice/consideration addressed]
- [ ] Version number and date updated
- [ ] Acknowledgment process (if required)

What this skill does not do

  • Approve handbook changes. HR/legal leadership does.
  • Communicate changes to employees.
  • Track acknowledgments.

© anthropics, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in employment-legal/skills/handbook-updates of anthropics/claude-for-legal.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4a6c651

Used in 2 other repositories

We found 2 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 2 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in anthropics/claude-for-legal, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Handbook Updates next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Handbook Updates compared with similar skills
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Handbook Updates this skillanthropics/claude-for-legal9.6k2 repos~917Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
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Docs Update from DiffQwenLM/qwen-code28k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Flagsvercel/next.js143k—~746Automated safety check: PassMIT
Geo Proposalsickn33/agentic-awesome-skills47k1 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Better Proposals AutomationComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills77k3 repos~764Automated safety check: PassNone

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Questions about Handbook Updates

What does Handbook Updates do?

Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts. Handbook Updates is an agent skill from anthropics/claude-for-legal, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Diff a proposed handbook change against the current version, flag ripple effects and state supplement impacts.

When should I use Handbook Updates?

Handbook Updates fits situations like: user says update the handbook; add this to the handbook; handbook change; has a policy ready for insertion.

How do I install Handbook Updates in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add anthropics/claude-for-legal --skill handbook-updates -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (employment-legal/skills/handbook-updates in anthropics/claude-for-legal) into .claude/skills/handbook-updates in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Handbook Updates in Codex?

Run `npx skills add anthropics/claude-for-legal --skill handbook-updates -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (employment-legal/skills/handbook-updates in anthropics/claude-for-legal) into .agents/skills/handbook-updates in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Handbook Updates in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add anthropics/claude-for-legal --skill handbook-updates -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/handbook-updates, .gemini/skills/handbook-updates, .github/skills/handbook-updates and .opencode/skills/handbook-updates in your project.

What does Handbook Updates need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Handbook Updates is instructions for the agent only.

Does Handbook Updates access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Handbook Updates safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Handbook Updates use?

Handbook Updates is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Handbook Updates use?

About 917 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Handbook Updates?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Handbook Updates: Diffs (openclaw/openclaw, 392k stars), Docs Update from Diff (QwenLM/qwen-code, 28k stars), Flags (vercel/next.js, 143k stars) and Geo Proposal (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Handbook Updates?

anthropics (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in anthropics/claude-for-legal, which has 9,629 GitHub stars. The repository holds 147 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 29, 2026.

Source: anthropics/claude-for-legal on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.