Creating Skills
Build custom skills that teach your AI exactly how to handle specific tasks.
When the built-in skills don't cover what you need, you can create your own. Custom skills let you teach the AI exactly how to handle a specific task — from writing in a certain style to following a multi-step process.
The quick way: ask in chat
You can create skills by chatting with your assistant or an agent. Just describe what you need:
"Create a skill called 'Bug Report Summarizer' that takes bug reports and outputs a 3-sentence summary with the issue, root cause, and fix."
Your assistant will draft the skill — name, description, and instructions — and ask you to confirm before saving. You can also manage skills through chat: "Disable the Bug Report Summarizer skill" or "Assign the Meeting Notes skill to my Support Agent."
This is often the easiest way to get started, especially if you're not sure how to phrase the instructions.
Using the skills page
If you prefer to write and configure everything yourself, you can use the skills page directly.
What a skill needs
Every skill has three essential parts:
- Name — A clear label that describes what the skill does. Keep it short and specific, like "Bug Report Summarizer" or "Meeting Notes Formatter."
- Description — A brief explanation the AI reads to decide when to use this skill. Write it from the AI's perspective: "Use this skill when the user asks you to summarize a bug report."
- Instructions — Step-by-step guidance telling the AI how to perform the task. This is where you include formatting rules, tone preferences, required sections, or any other specifics.
Creating a new skill
Open the skills page
Navigate to Skills in the sidebar and click the Create Skill button.
Fill in the basics
Give your skill a name and description. The description matters more than you might think — it's how the AI decides whether to use this skill for a given request.
Write your instructions
This is the most important part. Tell the AI exactly what to do when this skill is activated. Be specific and concrete. Include examples if it helps.
Here's what good instructions look like:
- "Always start with a one-sentence summary"
- "Use bullet points for key findings"
- "Include a 'Next Steps' section at the end"
- "Keep the tone professional but approachable"
- "If information is missing, ask the user before proceeding"
Choose the scope
Decide who should have access to this skill:
- Organization — Share it with your entire team
- Agent — Assign it to a specific agent only
Save and test
Save your skill, then test it by asking the AI to perform the task the skill covers. Check that the output matches your expectations.
Tips for effective skills
Be specific in your instructions. Vague instructions lead to inconsistent results. Instead of "write a good summary," say "write a 3-sentence summary that covers the main issue, the root cause, and the recommended fix."
Write a clear description. The AI uses the description to decide when to activate a skill. If the description is vague, the AI might use the skill at the wrong time — or not use it when it should.
Start simple and iterate. Create a basic version of your skill, test it, and then refine the instructions based on the results. It's easier to improve a working skill than to get everything perfect on the first try.
You can copy an existing skill and modify it as a starting point. This is a great way to create variations without starting from scratch. See Managing Skills for details.