Skills
Reusable instruction modules that shape how an agent responds, and how they differ from tools.
A skill is a reusable block of instructions that gets added to an agent's context at runtime. Skills change how an agent behaves — how it formats a code answer, how it triages a support request, how it structures research.
Skills are not tools. A skill adds instructions. A tool runs something and returns data. If you want the agent to do something, you want a tool.
Using skills
- Browse — select Skills in the sidebar to see the library with categories and descriptions.
- Attach — open an agent's Skills tab and toggle on the skills you want.
- Inspect — select any skill to read the instructions it injects before you attach it.
Skills compose additively. Every attached skill's instructions are present at once, so a small, well-chosen set works better than a long list.
What skills are good for
Good uses:
- Domain behaviour: support triage, lead qualification, research structure
- Output shape: how to format code, how to structure a summary
- Task-specific method: how to approach scheduling, how to draft an email
Poor uses:
- General tone and personality. Put that in the SOUL prompt file instead. Tone in a skill is harder to predict because it competes with every other attached skill.
Custom skills
Depending on your plan, you can create your own skills in the dashboard as well as attaching ones from the library. The number of skills you can attach per agent is a plan limit — see plans and usage.
Choosing well
- Be specific. Vague instructions produce inconsistent behaviour.
- Watch for conflicts. Two skills can give contradictory instructions; test combinations in the Widget Sandbox.
- Fewer is better. Every attached skill takes up context the agent could be using for your knowledge content.