Skills

Skills are specialized knowledge packages that give agents domain expertise. Unlike tools that provide capabilities, skills provide context, frameworks, and best practices for specific domains.

What Are Skills?

Skills follow the Anthropic Agent Skills specification. They're markdown-based knowledge bundles that agents can query when they need specialized guidance.

Agent thinks: "This is a sales objection about pricing"
[Loads: sales-objection-handling skill]
[Gets: LAER framework, pricing scripts, response templates]
Agent: "I understand budget is important. Help me understand..."

Skills vs Tools

Aspect	Tools	Skills
Purpose	Do things (API calls, calculations)	Know things (expertise, frameworks)
Output	Action results (data, side effects)	Guidance (instructions, templates)
Loading	Always available	Loaded on-demand
Format	Code/API	Markdown + references

Available Skills

Sales & Marketing

Skill	Description
sales-objection-handling	Handle B2B SaaS objections with LAER framework. 25+ objection patterns with response scripts.

Support

Skill	Description
ticket-triage	ITIL-based ticket triage. Priority definitions, routing rules, SLA guidelines.

Engineering

Skill	Description
coding-agent	Full-stack development. File read/write/edit, search, bash execution in a sandboxed project directory. See Coding Agent.
laravel	Laravel PHP framework (11/12). Eloquent, Blade, queues, MCP server integration, FrankenPHP.
drupal	Drupal CMS development. Modules, themes, Twig, hooks, plugins, Entity API.
dsfr	French Government Design System (RGAA compliance, accessibility, UI components).

Cloud Architecture

Skill	Description
aws-architect	AWS Solutions Architect. Well-Architected Framework, IaC, security, cost optimization.
azure-architect	Azure Solutions Architect. Well-Architected Framework, Bicep, Entra ID, AKS.
gcp-architect	GCP Solutions Architect. Cloud Run, GKE, BigQuery, Terraform, Workload Identity.
multi-cloud-architect	Multi-Cloud & Hybrid. Kubernetes, Terraform, on-premises, vendor lock-in mitigation.

DevOps & Infrastructure

Skill	Description
terraform	Terraform/OpenTofu IaC. Modules, state management, CI/CD pipelines, multi-cloud providers.
kubernetes	Kubernetes orchestration. Deployments, Helm charts, RBAC, networking, troubleshooting.
postgresql	PostgreSQL database (15-18). Query optimization, indexing, replication, PL/pgSQL.
kafka	Apache Kafka event streaming. Kafka Streams, Connect, Schema Registry, event-driven.
vault	HashiCorp Vault secrets management. Dynamic credentials, PKI, Kubernetes integration.
grafana	Grafana dashboards. PromQL, Loki, Tempo, alerting, visualization.
splunk	Splunk log management. SPL queries, dashboards, SIEM, threat detection.
dynatrace	Dynatrace AIOps. Davis AI, OneAgent, DQL, synthetic monitoring.

Enterprise IT

Skill	Description
servicenow	ServiceNow ITSM/ITOM. AI Agents (Xanadu+), Now Assist, workflows, REST API, CMDB.
okta	Okta Identity. SSO/SAML, OAuth 2.0, MFA, AI Agent Security (2025+), Zero Trust.
datadog	Datadog observability. APM, logs, metrics, Bits AI, AI Agent monitoring.
pagerduty	PagerDuty incident management. SRE Agent, MCP Server, on-call, escalations.

CRM

Skill	Description
salesforce	Salesforce development. Apex, LWC, SOQL, Einstein AI, Flow.
hubspot	HubSpot CRM/Marketing. APIs, workflows, HubL, Breeze AI.

Billing & Subscriptions

Skill	Description
stripe	Stripe payments. Subscriptions, Connect, Checkout, LLM Token Billing.
zuora	Zuora subscriptions. Revenue recognition (ASC 606), quote-to-cash, ZOQL.

SaaS Business

Skill	Description
saas-metrics	SaaS metrics. LTV/CAC, NRR, Rule of 40, cohort analysis, benchmarks.
saas-pricing	SaaS pricing strategy. Value-based pricing, freemium, packaging, monetization.
saas-valuation	SaaS valuation. ARR multiples, DCF, comps, fundraising benchmarks.

Marketing

Skill	Description
strategic-narrative	Strategic narrative. Andy Raskin framework, positioning, category creation.
growth-hacking	Growth hacking. Viral loops, experimentation, PLG, AARRR metrics.
inbound-marketing	Inbound marketing. Content strategy, SEO, lead nurturing, automation.
geo-seo	GEO & SEO. AI search optimization (Perplexity, ChatGPT), citations, traditional SEO.
google-ads	Google Ads. Search, Display, Performance Max, Smart Bidding, conversion tracking.
linkedin-ads	LinkedIn Ads. ABM campaigns, Lead Gen Forms, B2B targeting, Conversion API.
analyst-relations	Analyst relations. Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Magic Quadrant, briefings.
content-management	Content management. LinkedIn, Twitter/X, blog, content calendar, engagement.
pr-communications	PR & Communications. Press releases, media relations, speaking, crisis comms.

AI Development

Skill	Description
openai-agents	OpenAI Agents SDK. Multi-agent systems, handoffs, function calling.
crewai	CrewAI orchestration. Agent crews, task delegation, collaboration.
anthropic-mcp	Anthropic MCP. Server development, tools, resources, Claude integration.
cursor-ai	Cursor AI IDE. Composer, Chat, Tab, cursorrules, AI workflows.
ml-training	ML training. PyTorch, fine-tuning, hyperparameter optimization, MLOps.
llm-finetuning	LLM fine-tuning. LoRA, QLoRA, DPO, ORPO, Axolotl, evaluation strategies.

Project Management

Skill	Description
jira	Atlassian Jira. JQL queries, Atlassian Intelligence, Rovo AI, automation, REST API.
redmine	Redmine (self-hosted). REST API, time tracking, plugins, custom workflows.

Productivity

Skill	Description
spreadsheets	Spreadsheets (Excel & Sheets). XLOOKUP, QUERY, pivot tables, Apps Script, VBA.
presentations	Presentations (Slides & PowerPoint). Deck design, data viz, narrative structure.

Design

Skill	Description
indesign	Adobe InDesign. Enterprise PDFs, whitepapers, reports, print production.
graphic-design	Graphic Design Principles. Typography, color theory, layout, visual hierarchy.

Discovering Skills

Agents can browse the full skill catalog and request skills they need using Skill Discovery. Skills are also suggested automatically when integrations are connected or during team onboarding.

Using Skills

Managing Skills in the Dashboard

The easiest way to manage agent skills is through the dashboard:

Open Agent Settings (edit an agent)
Scroll to the Skills section
Click Assign Skill to see available skills
Click a skill to assign it to the agent
Use the toggle to enable/disable a skill without removing it
Click the delete icon to unassign a skill completely

The skills section shows each assigned skill with its category, description, and enabled state at a glance.

Assigning via API

// Assign skill to agent
await client.skills.assign({
  skillId: 'sales-objection-handling',
  agentId: 'agent-123',
  config: {
    priority: 1,  // Higher = more likely to use
  }
});

Skill Loading (Progressive Disclosure)

Skills use progressive disclosure to minimize context usage:

Level 1 (System Prompt): Name + short description only
Level 2 (Query): Full instructions loaded on-demand
Level 3 (References): Detailed reference files loaded when needed

Agent system prompt includes:
- sales-objection-handling: Handle B2B SaaS objections...

Agent encounters objection:
[Tool: skill_query, skill: "sales-objection-handling"]
→ Loads full LAER framework, response templates

Agent needs competitor battlecard:
[Tool: skill_query, skill: "sales-objection-handling", reference: "COMPETITOR-BATTLECARDS.md"]
→ Loads specific reference file

Skill Query Tool

Agents use the skill_query tool to load skill content:

// Agent tool call
{
  name: "skill_query",
  arguments: {
    skillId: "ticket-triage",
    query: "How should I prioritize this production outage?",
    referenceFile: "SLA-DEFINITIONS.md"  // Optional
  }
}

Skill Structure

Skills follow a standard directory structure:

skills/
└── my-skill/
    ├── SKILL.md           # Required: frontmatter + instructions
    ├── references/        # Optional: detailed reference docs
    │   ├── GUIDE.md
    │   └── EXAMPLES.md
    ├── scripts/           # Optional: automation scripts
    │   └── classify.py
    └── assets/            # Optional: images, diagrams
        └── flowchart.png

SKILL.md Format

---
name: my-skill
description: What this skill does and when to use it. Max 1024 chars.
license: MIT
compatibility: MeetLoyd agents, Claude Code
metadata:
  author: meetloyd
  version: "1.0.0"
  category: engineering
  tags:
    - relevant
    - keywords
---

# Skill Title

## When to Use This Skill

Activate when:
- Condition 1
- Condition 2

## Main Content

Instructions, frameworks, templates...

## Reference Files

For detailed guidance:
- [GUIDE.md](references/GUIDE.md) - Detailed guide

Purchasing Skills

From the Store

Go to Store > Skills
Browse or search for skills
Click Subscribe (skills are subscription-based)
Assign to agents

Via API

// Subscribe to skill
await client.store.subscribe({
  listingId: 'skill-drupal',
  type: 'skill'
});

// List your skills
const skills = await client.skills.list();

Creating Custom Skills

1. Create Skill Directory

mkdir -p skills/my-custom-skill/references

2. Write SKILL.md

---
name: my-custom-skill
description: Custom expertise for my domain...
metadata:
  author: your-company
  version: "1.0.0"
  category: engineering
---

# My Custom Skill

## When to Use

...

3. Register with Tenant

await client.skills.create({
  name: 'my-custom-skill',
  slug: 'my-custom-skill',
  description: 'Custom expertise...',
  category: 'engineering',
  config: {
    skillPath: '/path/to/skill',
    references: ['references/GUIDE.md']
  }
});

Best Practices

1. Clear Triggers

Tell the agent exactly when to use the skill:

## When to Use This Skill

Activate when:
- Customer mentions "pricing" or "cost"
- Prospect says "too expensive"
- Discussion involves budget constraints

Do NOT activate for:
- General product questions
- Feature inquiries
- Technical support

2. Structured Content

Use tables, decision trees, and templates:

## Decision Tree

Is system down? ├── YES → P1 Critical └── NO → Is core feature broken? ├── YES → P2 High └── NO → P3/P4

3. Actionable Templates

Provide copy-paste response templates:

## Response Template

Hi [NAME],

I understand [CONCERN]. Let me address that:

[RESPONSE]

Does that help clarify things?

4. Reference Files for Depth

Keep main instructions concise, put details in references:

## Quick Reference

Priority levels: P1, P2, P3, P4

For full SLA definitions: [SLA-DEFINITIONS.md](references/SLA-DEFINITIONS.md)

Next: Learn about Skill Discovery for auto-discovery and connector-based suggestions, or the Coding Agent for giving agents development capabilities.

What Are Skills?​

Skills vs Tools​

Available Skills​

Sales & Marketing​

Support​

Engineering​

Cloud Architecture​

DevOps & Infrastructure​

Enterprise IT​

CRM​

Billing & Subscriptions​

SaaS Business​

Marketing​

AI Development​

Project Management​

Productivity​

Design​

Discovering Skills​

Using Skills​

Managing Skills in the Dashboard​

Assigning via API​

Skill Loading (Progressive Disclosure)​

Skill Query Tool​

Skill Structure​

SKILL.md Format​

Purchasing Skills​

From the Store​

Via API​

Creating Custom Skills​

1. Create Skill Directory​

2. Write SKILL.md​

3. Register with Tenant​

Best Practices​

1. Clear Triggers​

2. Structured Content​

3. Actionable Templates​

4. Reference Files for Depth​