How to use

A step-by-step guide to installing and using Power BI Skills with Claude Code in VS Code.


🔥

Quick Reference

Initialize a new project → hi

Run a skill → /skill-name [parameters]

Install a new skill → add skill

Re-detect your model → detect model

!

Before You Begin

You need the following installed on your computer:

  • VS Code (or Cursor) — code.visualstudio.com

  • Claude Code extension for VS Code — search Claude Code in the VS Code Extensions panel and install it

  • Claude account — claude.ai — a free account works; a Pro subscription is recommended since skills process model files and can consume significant context per session used frequently

  • Python 3.x — python.org

1

Step 1 — Create Your Project Folder

Create a new empty folder anywhere on your computer. This folder will contain your report files, skills, and all generated outputs.

2

Step 2 — Save Your Report as PBIP

In Power BI Desktop, save your report directly into the project folder you just created:

File → Save As → Power BI Project (.pbip)

This creates three items inside your project folder:

my-project/

├── YourReport.pbip

├── YourReport.SemanticModel/

└── YourReport.Report/

3

Step 3 — Add Your Skill Files

From the skill page, download two files separately and place both in your project folder:

  • CLAUDE.md — the project configuration file for Claude Code

  • {skill-name}.skill — the skill archive (includes INSTRUCTIONS.md with usage details)

To add a skill to an existing project instead, see Step 6.

Your folder should now look like this:

my-project/

├── CLAUDE.md

├── clone-page.skill

├── YourReport.pbip

├── YourReport.SemanticModel/

└── YourReport.Report/

Important: Do not rename CLAUDE.md and keep it in the project root. It contains the instructions Claude Code runs on startup.

Tip: You can drop multiple .skill files into the folder at once — they all install together in the next step.

Tip: If you already have export files from analysis tools, drop them into the project root as well — Claude will detect and route them automatically on first startup. Supported files:

  • .vpax — VertiPaq Analyzer export from DAX Studio

  • .json — Measure Killer usage analysis export

  • .csv — Best Practice Analyzer results from Tabular Editor 3

4

Step 4 — Open the Folder in VS Code

In VS Code: File → Open Folder and select your project folder.

Claude Code connects to the folder automatically. You will see the Claude Code icon in the sidebar or activity bar.

5

Step 5 — Initialize the Project

In the Claude Code panel, type:

hi

Claude Code will automatically run the setup sequence:

  1. Extracts all .skill archives and deletes the source files

  2. Installs each skill into .claude/skills/

  3. Creates the analysis/ and inputs/ subfolders (measure-killer/, vpax/, bpa/, data/)

  4. Moves your PBIP files into model/

  5. Routes any export files found in the root to their inputs/ subfolder

  6. Prints a confirmation report

You will see something like:

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Power BI Skills — Ready

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Model: YourReport → model/YourReport.SemanticModel

Skills (1):

• clone-page — Duplicate a report page with all visuals and bookmarks

═══════════════════════════════════════════

What would you like to do?


Note: This setup runs once. On every subsequent session, Claude Code skips straight to the ready state.

!

Adding More Skills

You can add skills to an existing project at any time without re-running the full setup.

  1. Copy the new .skill file into your project root folder

  2. In the Claude Code panel, type:

add skill

Claude will extract the archive, install the skill, and confirm:

Installed 1 new skill: last-n-months Skills now available: clone-page, last-n-months

The existing model/ folder and all previous outputs are untouched.

6

Step 6 — Run a Skill

Trigger a skill using its slash command:

/clone-page page: 00e2f3a1-bc4d-4e5f-a678-9b0c1d2e3f4a

Some skills ask configuration questions before running. Answer them and Claude proceeds automatically.

Where do results go?

  • Analysis reports and exported files → analysis/

  • Skills that modify your report (add measures, visuals, tables) → write directly to model/

Each skill has its own INSTRUCTIONS.md (inside your downloaded package) with the full list of commands, parameters, and examples.

!

Use Object IDs

Skills work fastest when you pass the object ID directly. Always use IDs — they are unambiguous and skip name-matching entirely.

Finding a page ID: In Power BI Desktop, right-click the page tab and select Copy Object Name.

Finding a visual ID: Click the visual in Power BI Desktop, then right-click and select Copy Object Name. Be careful not to click a group — select the individual visual inside it.

/clone-page 00e2f3a1-bc4d-4e5f-a678-9b0c1d2e3f4a

If you don't have the ID handy, you can use the display name as a fallback — but IDs are always preferred.

!

Provide Resource Files (When a Skill Requires Them)

Some skills analyse exports from external tools. Before running these skills, generate the export from the tool and make it available to Claude.

Skill Tool File type Target folder BPA Analysis Tabular Editor 3 .csv inputs/bpa/ VertiPaq Analysis DAX Studio .vpax inputs/vpax/ Measure Killer Measure Killer app .json inputs/measure-killer/ Blank Analysis Any source .csv inputs/data/

Two ways to add an export file:

Option A — Drop in root (auto-route): Copy the file into your project root folder, then tell Claude:

I added a file

Claude detects the file type automatically and moves it to the correct inputs/ subfolder, then offers to run the matching skill.

Option B — Drop directly: Copy the file straight into the correct inputs/ subfolder listed above, then run the skill normally.

Check the skill's INSTRUCTIONS.md for any specific file naming requirements (e.g. YourReport_bestpracticeanalysis.csv).

FAQ