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Official agent skill

Matter Update

by anthropics in anthropics/claude-for-legal

Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes.

OfficialApache-2.0Auto-check passedLegal & Compliance

Install Matter Update

skills CLI
$ npx skills add anthropics/claude-for-legal --skill matter-update -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install anthropics/claude-for-legal matter-update --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/litigation-legal/skills/matter-update .claude/skills/matter-update && 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
matter-update
GitHub stars
9.6k
Used in
3 other repos
Token cost
~2k tokens
SKILL.md length
884 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
147
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes.

  • Works in 5 steps: Event type → Date → Summary → …
  • The user wants to log an update on a matter
  • SKILL.md covers Purpose, Load context, Input and The update, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Matter Update is an agent skill from anthropics/claude-for-legal, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes. Use when the user wants to log an update on a matter, note a development, or record a status change against the portfolio.

Its SKILL.md is about 2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Legal & Compliance, covering Legal research. The repository describes itself as: A suite of plugins for legal workflows. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • The user wants to log an update on a matter
  • Note a development
  • Record a status change against the portfolio

Example prompts

  • “/matter-update”

Workflow steps

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

  1. Event type
  2. Date
  3. Summary
  4. Log field changes
  5. Seed doc prompt (optional)

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 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

Matter Update loads about 2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 81 tokens; SKILL.md has 884 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~81
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2k

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). 884 words, ~2,010 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/matter-update/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
matter-update
description
Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes. Use when the user wants to log an update on a matter, note a development, or record a status change against the portfolio.
argument-hint
[slug] [brief event description]

/matter-update

  1. Follow the workflow and reference below.
  2. Confirm slug exists in ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/ and _log.yaml.
  3. Prompt for event type, date (default today), summary, and any log field updates (risk change, status change, next deadline shift, materiality reclassification).
  4. Append dated entry to ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md.
  5. Update _log.yaml — set last_updated to today, apply any field updates.
  6. Confirm.

Matter Update

Purpose

The portfolio only stays useful if it stays current. This skill makes logging an update cheap — two minutes of structured capture, no freeform drift.

Load context

  • ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/_log.yaml — find the row
  • ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md — append target
  • ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/matter.md — reference (don't rewrite)
  • ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md — risk calibration (if re-assessing risk)

Conflicts gate — unbypassable. Before logging an update, check _log.yaml for the matter slug. If the matter is not in _log.yaml, refuse and route:

"I don't see [matter slug] in the matter log. Run /litigation-legal:matter-intake first so the conflicts check runs and the matter workspace exists. I won't append history to an unmanaged matter — the conflicts check is the gate, and there's no history.md to append to until the matter is intaken."

Input

Slug (required). If not provided, ask — with a short list of recently updated matters to pick from.

The update

1. Event type

Offer categories:

  • Procedural — motion filed/received, order issued, hearing held, deadline set
  • Discovery — production made/received, depositions taken, subpoena served
  • Substantive — new facts, key document surfaced, ruling on merits
  • Strategy — posture shift, settlement offer made/received, authority update
  • Risk re-assessment — severity or likelihood changed
  • Stakeholder — new person looped in, outside counsel change
  • Administrative — engagement letter executed, budget adjusted, hold refreshed

Or freeform if none fits.

2. Date

Default today. Accept an override (e.g., capturing an event from last week).

3. Summary

One-paragraph narrative. What happened, what it means, any immediate implication.

4. Log field changes

Walk through potentially affected fields:

  • status: — has the stage shifted (e.g., pleadings → fact discovery)?
  • stage: — substage update
  • risk: — reassessment required?
  • materiality: — any change (new facts might trigger reserve or disclosure)?
  • exposure_range: — revise if new information
  • next_deadline: — new upcoming date, if any
  • outside_counsel: — change?
  • internal_owners: — anyone new or removed?
  • legal_hold: — refreshed, expanded, released?

Only prompt for fields likely affected by the event type. Procedural updates usually touch stage and next_deadline only; a settlement offer might touch materiality, exposure_range, status.

4pre. Settlement-acceptance gate

If the Strategy update is a settlement acceptance (the company is accepting a settlement offer, executing a settlement agreement, or authorizing acceptance in principle — not merely logging an offer made or received): Read ## Who's using this in ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md. If the Role is Non-lawyer:

Accepting a settlement has legal consequences — it resolves claims, typically requires a release, and can affect insurance, tax, and related matters. Have you reviewed this with an attorney? If yes, proceed. If no, here's a brief to bring to them:

[Generate a 1-page summary: the matter, proposed settlement terms (dollar, structural, release scope, confidentiality, non-disparagement), exposure at stake, authority ladder status (see ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md settlement authority), what could go wrong, what to ask the attorney before accepting.]

If you need to find a licensed attorney, solicitor, barrister, or other authorised legal professional in your jurisdiction: your professional regulator's referral service is the fastest starting point (state bar in the US, SRA/Bar Standards Board in England & Wales, Law Society in Scotland/NI/Ireland/Canada/Australia, or your jurisdiction's equivalent).

Do not log the acceptance or flip materiality on acceptance basis without an explicit yes. Logging offers or counters does not require the gate — acceptance does.

Show full SKILL.md (321 more words)Show less
4a. Materiality trigger — explicit prompt

Certain event types force a materiality re-check. When the event type is in this list, always prompt — don't let the user move on without an explicit answer:

Event typeMateriality trigger prompt
Substantive (new facts, key document, merits ruling)"This event is substantive. Does it push materiality? Current: [current]. Options: reserved / disclosed / monitored / none. Change?"
Strategy (posture shift, settlement offer made or received)"Settlement activity often triggers materiality reclassification. Current: [current]. If the offer, counter, or acceptance moves exposure or shifts from contested to probable-and-estimable, reclassify."
Risk re-assessment (severity or likelihood changed)"Risk moved. Materiality should track. Current: [current]. Reclassify?"
Regulatory / enforcement development"Regulator action (subpoena, CID, enforcement notice) usually triggers disclosure analysis. Current: [current]. Change?"

Acceptable answers include no change — but no change must be explicit, not implied by silence. Capture in the history entry:

markdown
**Materiality check:** [no change / changed from X to Y]
**Reasoning:** [one sentence]

If materiality moves to reserved or disclosed, and the matter did not previously carry a reserve or disclosure, flag the event as requiring finance / audit-committee notification per ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/CLAUDE.md materiality thresholds.

5. Seed doc prompt (optional)

If the update references a document (order, filing, correspondence), ask if there's a path to link. Not pushy.

Writing

Append to ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/litigation-legal/matters/[slug]/history.md

Most recent at top, directly under the --- that follows the header.

markdown
## [YYYY-MM-DD] — [Event type]: [short title]

[Paragraph summary.]

**Fields changed:**
- [field]: [old → new]
- [field]: [old → new]

**Related doc:** [path, if provided]

If no fields changed, omit the "Fields changed" block.

  • Apply any field changes.
  • Set last_updated: [today] (or the event date if the user overrode — the log tracks when the record was last touched).

Confirm

Show the user the history entry and the yaml diff before writing:

Here's what I'll append and update. Good to commit?

What this skill does not do

  • Edit past history entries. Corrections are new entries that reference and correct prior ones.
  • Silently change the log. Every field change is shown to the user before write.
  • Decide whether a new development warrants reserve/disclosure. It surfaces the question ("this might push materiality — want to reclassify?"), the user answers.

© 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 litigation-legal/skills/matter-update of anthropics/claude-for-legal.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4a6c651

Used in 3 other repositories

We found 3 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 3 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

Matter Update 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.

Matter Update compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Matter Update this skillanthropics/claude-for-legal9.6k3 repos~2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Tw Legal RAGaa0101181514/tw-legal-rag328—~580Automated safety check: PassCustom licence
Design Award SearchSeanJ1ang/design-judge-skills712—~3kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
China Lawyer AnalystCSlawyer1985/china-lawyer-analyst196—~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Billing And Litigation BudgetTHUYRan/Legal-Skills-Chinese873—~5kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Legal Issue ResearchGolden2002/legal-research-skill156—~6.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Matter Update

What does Matter Update do?

Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes. Matter Update is an agent skill from anthropics/claude-for-legal, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Append a dated event to a matter's history file and refresh the log row — captures new developments, status changes, risk re-assessments, deadline shifts, and settlement authority changes.

When should I use Matter Update?

Matter Update fits situations like: the user wants to log an update on a matter; note a development; record a status change against the portfolio.

How do I install Matter Update in Claude Code?

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

How do I install Matter Update in Codex?

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

Can I use Matter Update 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 matter-update -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/matter-update, .gemini/skills/matter-update, .github/skills/matter-update and .opencode/skills/matter-update in your project.

What does Matter Update need to run?

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

Does Matter Update 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 Matter Update 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 Matter Update use?

Matter Update 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 Matter Update use?

About 2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8k 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 Matter Update?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Matter Update: Tw Legal RAG (aa0101181514/tw-legal-rag, 328 stars), Design Award Search (SeanJ1ang/design-judge-skills, 712 stars), China Lawyer Analyst (CSlawyer1985/china-lawyer-analyst, 196 stars) and Billing And Litigation Budget (THUYRan/Legal-Skills-Chinese, 873 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Matter Update?

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.