Teach repeatable behavior with Skills

A skill is a reusable set of instructions, with the tools it needs, that an agent loads when a conversation calls for it. Use skills for procedures you want followed the same way every time: handling a return, qualifying a lead, booking an appointment.

Create a skill#

1. Open Skills and select New skill.
2. Under Skill, enter a Name of 2 to 120 characters and check the Reference key. The key is filled in from the name, uses lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens (up to 80 characters), and can't be changed after the skill is created.
3. Write the Description, between 10 and 500 characters. This is how the model decides the skill is relevant, so say what it covers and when to use it.
4. Write the Instructions in Markdown, at least 40 characters.
5. Under Behavior, choose Loading (On demand unless you change it) and any Tools the skill brings with it.
6. Keep Enabled on and select Create skill.

To call an API from a skill, add the HTTP Request tool and, in the instructions, name the integration that signs in to it. The integration itself comes from the agent, deployment or AI Chat that uses the skill. See Give your agent tools and integrations.

On demand or always in context?#

Attach it to an agent#

In AI Agents, open the row's actions menu (⋯), select Edit and add the skill in the Skills field. Only enabled skills are listed. Select Save changes.

To add a skill for one deployment only, pick it under Skills in this chat in the deployment's Features. It's added to the agent's own skills there.

The agent reads a skill's current version on every turn, so when you edit a skill, conversations already under way pick up the change.

In AI Chat you can also pick skills under Chat settings → Skills. Your pick stays on for your chats until you change it. Agent test chats always use the agent's own skills.

Find your skills#

The Skills list has a search box and shows each skill's Status, Loading, Tools, Quality and Updated. A row's actions menu has Edit and Delete.

Example#

## Return requests
1. Ask for the order number and the item being returned.
2. Check the return window in the returns policy.
3. Inside the window: explain how to send the item back.
4. Outside the window: don't refuse or approve. Offer to connect the customer with the team.

Write skills that get used#

• Make the Description specific. "Use when a customer wants to return or exchange an item" works better than "Returns".
• Write steps, not essays.
• Keep facts such as return windows in Library, and tell the skill where to look.