Agent skills
A skill is a playbook for one kind of work: how to set markup, how to receive a delivery, how to close the month, how to review a contract. It lays out step by step where to take the data from, what to account for, which exceptions exist and what shape the result should take.
Memory answers "what does the agent know", a skill answers "how does it do this job". A skill exists so the agent doesn't work out the method again each time and does repeating work the same way.
The agent keeps only the list of its playbooks in mind: names and short descriptions. It opens the playbook itself when it takes on matching work, and follows it from there.
Skills are collected under Settings → Skills.
Skill, memory, agent instructions: what's the difference
The word "instructions" is easy to mix up: people use it for several different places. Here is what lives where.
| What | What to keep there | When the agent reads it |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Short facts and rules: "markup is 30%", "no refunds", list of legal entities | Always, in every chat |
| Agent instructions | Who the agent is and how it behaves: role, tone, general restrictions | Always, it is its character |
| Skill | The detailed procedure for one job: steps, exceptions, formulas, result format | When it takes on that job |
| Task | What to do and when: "send the report every Monday" | When it runs |
| File in a chat | A document you sent | Only in that chat and only when asked about it |
A simple rule: if it's one line, put it in memory; if it's a page-long procedure, make it a skill.
A file in a chat isn't a skill yet
If you sent "Pricing_instructions.md" to a chat, it's a file, not a skill. In the next chat the agent won't see it. To turn it into a skill, ask: "save this file as the skill 'Markup'".
How to create a skill
From a chat, the fastest way. Do the work once together with the agent, correct the result, and then say:
Save how we just calculated markup as the skill "Markup by supplier".
Say "save as a skill": on "remember" the agent writes it to memory. After saving, open Settings → Skills and check that the skill appears in the list.
In settings. Under Skills, click Create Skill:
- Create with AI opens a chat where the agent helps you write the skill from your description;
- Create manually: you write the name, description and the playbook text yourself;
- Import a skill file: if you already have the skill as a file (.skill, .zip or .md).
From the catalog. The skills page collects ready-made skills: contract review, letters, calculations, marketplace work. Use them as is or as a starting point for your own.
How to make the agent follow a skill
The agent picks a skill by its description. To make sure it takes the right one:
- Pick the skill with "/" in the message field, and the agent reads it before answering.
- Or name it in words: "follow the skill 'Markup by supplier'".
- In a scheduled task, add the line "follow the skill '…'" so every run goes by the same playbook. More: Scheduled tasks.
When the agent opens a skill, the step "Reading skill" shows up in its work.
The description decides whether the agent finds the skill on its own
A skill's description answers "when should I be used". Not "Markup", but "Calculates the retail price from the purchase price: markup by supplier and category, rounding, exceptions for promotions". The closer the description is to how you usually ask, the more often the agent takes the skill without a hint.
How to fix a skill
Say in a chat: "update the skill 'Markup by supplier': markup for supplier Alpha is 25%". Or open the skill under Settings → Skills and edit the text.
Edit the skill itself, not memory and not a file in a chat: otherwise the rule ends up in two places, and the agent may take the old one.
A deleted skill can be restored within 24 hours.
Who can see a skill
By default a skill is visible only to you. With Share skill you can open it to the whole organization, so colleagues find it in the catalog and can use it, or to anyone with the link.
Frequently asked questions
How is a skill different from memory?
Memory holds short facts the agent always keeps in mind: "markup is 30%", "we don't do refunds". A skill is a detailed playbook for one kind of work: how to calculate markup step by step, with exceptions and the result format. The agent opens it when it takes on that work.
Why didn't the agent use my skill?
The agent sees a list of skills with their names and descriptions and decides which one to open. If the description doesn't match your request, it may not open it. Pick the skill with "/" in the message field or write "follow the skill 'Name'", and it will read it for sure.
Is an instructions file in a chat a skill?
No. A file in a chat is just a file. Skills live under Skills. Ask "save this file as the skill 'Name'" and check that it appears in the list.