skill

in English: agent skill

advancedspreading

A skill is a packaged guide that the AI agent only retrieves when it needs it for a specific type of task.

In plain terms

Imagine a new colleague arriving at the office: smart and quick to learn, but unaware of how you prepare quotes or which template the monthly report goes into. So you hand them a training folder with steps, examples, and pitfalls. A skill is that same folder, but for an AI agent.

A skill is therefore neither a new program nor retraining the model. It is documented expertise: a text guide accompanied, as needed, by templates, sample files, and ready-made small programs. The agent does not become smarter because of it, but it will know how to perform a specific task for you.

The essence is thrift. The agent does not keep the full content of all folders in its head, only a line or two of description about what each is for. It reads the details only when the task truly requires it, so even several dozen skills can fit side by side.

A well-written skill is reusable: it can be shared with the team and provides the same working method every time, without needing to be explained again and again.

How it works

Someone creates a folder containing a text file named SKILL.md. The file begins with the skill's name and a short description of what it is for and when to use it.
At startup, the agent receives only these brief descriptions of all installed skills, like a table of contents.
When you make a request, the agent compares your request with the descriptions and, if it finds a match, loads its full guide.
If the guide references additional files (detailed description, template, ready program), the agent opens or runs them only when it reaches that step in the work.
It performs the task according to the guide, using its own tools: it reads and writes files, runs commands, and then hands over the result.

An everyday example

You ask the AI assistant to create a presentation from your notes using your company's branding. The agent notices it has a skill for this, reads the rules regarding colors, fonts, and slide structure from it, and works accordingly. You do not have to explain every time what a corporate slide looks like.

Who is affected

employeeFor recurring tasks (reporting, summarizing, tabulating), you need to describe them well once; afterward, the agent always performs them the same way. → Work & HR

entrepreneur, executiveThe company's proven working methods can be recorded as skills, so knowledge does not remain in individual employees' heads, and the agent works uniformly.

developerThe coding agent learns the project rules, installation steps, or checklist from the skills. You write and maintain these. → Code

marketerBrand voice, visual identity rules, and text templates packaged as a skill ensure consistency across all produced materials. → Marketing

A common misconception

MythA skill is like a mobile app: you install it, and the AI gains a new capability from it.

In realityA skill is mostly a written guide and a few helper files. The model does not change because of it, and it runs the attached small programs using its existing tools, for example via command execution. It is only as good as the precision of its writing.

Limits and risks

By default, the agent itself decides when to use a skill. If the description is inaccurate, it may fail to use it or use it at the wrong time. In some tools, the user can also launch it by name.
A skill can also contain instructions and executable programs, so you should not install a skill downloaded from an unknown source without verification, just as you would not install an unknown program.
A skill is not a guarantee of flawless work: the agent may misunderstand or skip a step, so you still need to review the result.
The guide can become outdated: if the workflow or template changes, the skill must also be updated, otherwise the agent will continue working in the old way.
To use skills fully, the agent needs access to files and program execution. Where this is not available, for example in a simple chat interface, they work only in a limited way.

Similar, but not the same

tool – A tool is a specific operation an agent can invoke (such as search or file writing). A skill describes how and in what order the agent uses its tools to complete a task.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) – MCP connects the agent to external systems and data. A skill is not a connection, but knowledge of what to do with them.
system prompt – The full system prompt text remains present throughout every conversation. From a skill, only the short description is visible from the start; the full guide loads only when the task requires it.

Related concepts

Broader

AI-agent, agentic AI, context engineering

Narrower

SKILL.md, progressive loading

On the edge

tool use, MCP (Model Context Protocol), system prompt, context window, coding agent

A brief history

The Agent Skills solution was launched by Anthropic in October 2025 for its Claude products. In December 2025, it was released as an open standard so that agents from other manufacturers could use the same format.

Where things stand

By the end of 2026, skills are an established solution in the world of coding agents and general AI assistants, with multiple manufacturers' tools supporting the open format. However, beyond developers and advanced users, few people create their own.

Status: 2026 November

In the news

Appears in 160 Agent Age stories; the curve shows weekly occurrence in the news magazine.

HR backs AI reskilling, but half of firms still hire outside for AI skillsNov 5, 2026 · Work & HR
European Commission unveils education and skills package, with AI literacy certificate for 15-year-olds planned from 2027/28Nov 5, 2026 · Education & Family
Survey: four in five industrial players face skills shortages; two-thirds of AI users also use personal devicesNov 4, 2026 · Ipar
Hungary's 2026 national competence assessment shows sharp decline in pupils' basic skillsNov 3, 2026 · Education & Family
Google's AI agent can propose new drug molecules within hours, DeepMind saysNov 3, 2026 · Health
AI is rewriting entry-level work, putting the junior talent pipeline and career ladder at riskNov 2, 2026 · Work & HR
Demand for AI skills grows across professions, and employers pay for themNov 2, 2026 · Work & HR
India: Karnataka to train 5,000 teachers in AI, Telangana offers 1 lakh students free AI training, Delhi launches AI programmeNov 2, 2026 · Education & Family

Also known as

skill · agent skill · Agent Skills · Claude Skills · SKILL.md · skill · agent skill · agent skill

Sources

This entry was machine-edited and has undergone machine expert review; the “In the news” section updates automatically from Agent Age stories.