Glossary
What is an agent skill?
An agent skill is a packaged set of instructions, and optionally scripts and reference files, that teaches an AI agent how to do a specific task, such as writing a report in a house style or running a launch workflow. Anthropic's Agent Skills load a skill's instructions only when a task needs them.
What a skill contains
- A description of when to use it.
- Step-by-step instructions.
- Optional scripts the agent can run.
- Optional reference files: templates, data, examples.
In Anthropic's format, a skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file; the agent sees a short description and loads the full instructions only when a task matches.
Why skills help
Agents start each session without your process in mind. A skill captures it once: how you write release notes, how you check a page for SEO, how to submit to a directory. Every session can then follow the same steps.
Examples
- A statistics-page skill that researches, verifies sources and builds a page.
- A glossary skill that writes answer-first definitions with links between terms.
- A launch skill that matches directories to a product and submits with recorded paths.
Example
A founder writes a skill describing how her team writes changelog entries. Any agent session asked to "write this week's changelog" now follows the same format and tone.
FAQ
Are agent skills the same as prompts?
Bigger: they can include files and scripts, and load only when relevant.
Which agents support skills?
Claude's products support Agent Skills; other agents use similar instruction files.
Can I share skills?
Yes, as folders or plugins.