Skip to main content

​
What Are Skills?

Skills are reusable capability modules that agents can discover and run at runtime. Each Skill has a name, description, prompt instructions, and configured automation tools. Instead of wiring every automation into each agent manually, you build Skills once in the Skills Directory; agents then find and use them dynamically based on context.

​
When to Use Skills vs Tools

Agents can take action through both tools and Skills. The right choice depends on how tightly coupled the capability is to a single agent versus how broadly it needs to be shared.
ConsiderationToolsSkills
ScopeConfigured directly on one agentCreated once in the Skills Directory, available to many agents
SetupAdmin adds and configures each tool on the agentAdmin builds the Skill once; agents discover it at runtime
ReusabilityMust be recreated on every agent that needs itShared across any agent with Skills enabled
MaintenanceUpdate each agent individually when logic changesUpdate the Skill once and all agents pick up the change
Best forCapabilities specific to a single agent’s purposeCommon capabilities used across multiple agents or apps
Start with tools when an agent needs a one-off capability. Promote a tool to a Skill when you find yourself configuring the same automation on multiple agents.

​
Create a Skill

App admins create and manage Skills under Intelligence → Skills.
  1. Open Intelligence in your app.
  2. Click the Skills tab at the top of the page.
  3. Enter a name, description, prompt instructions, and applicable automation tools.
  4. Click Create Skill.
Skill fields:
  • Name and Description — How the Skill is identified and when it should be used
  • Prompt instructions — Instructions the agent follows when executing the Skill
  • Automation tools — One or more automations (e.g., On-Demand) that implement the Skill’s behavior
Lifecycle status:
StatusBehavior
DraftNot available to agents; use for work-in-progress
ActiveAvailable to agents when Skills are enabled
DisabledTemporarily hidden from agents; can be re-enabled
Only Active Skills appear when agents search or use Skills at runtime. Draft Skills never appear in search.

​
Add Skills to an Agent

  1. In Intelligence, select an agent.
  2. Click Configure.
  3. Choose the Skills you’d like the agent to have access to (including All App Skills).
  4. Click Save.
If you know an agent will always need a specific Skill, add up to 3 preloaded Skills the agent can access immediately — skipping the runtime search step.
The Enabled Skills setting controls the agent’s access level:
ModeBehavior
NoneAgent has no Skills (default for new agents)
AllAgent can discover and use all active Skills in the app
SelectedAdmin picks specific Skills from a checkbox table
In Selected mode, use the checkbox table to choose exactly which Skills the agent can use. This gives fine-grained control when you have many Skills but want each agent to use only a subset.

​
Runtime Behavior

When Skills are enabled (any mode other than None), the agent automatically receives discovery tools — no manual tool setup is required. At runtime, the agent uses Skills in three steps:
  1. Search — The agent calls the Skill search tool to find Skills relevant to the user’s request.
  2. Details — For a chosen Skill, the agent retrieves the name, description, instructions, and automation wiring.
  3. Execute — The agent runs the Skill’s behavior by invoking the underlying automation(s) through the Run Automation tool.

​
Operational Notes

  • Only Active Skills surface at runtime; Disabled Skills do not.
  • New agents default to None; enable Skills explicitly if you want the agent to use them.
  • After changing a Skill’s status or an agent’s Enabled Skills mode, allow a moment for the agent to see the updated set.