> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.maiagent.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.maiagent.ai/maiagent-user-guide/maiagent-user-guide-en/skills/skill-overview.md). # Skills Feature Overview ## What Is a Skill? A skill is like a **professional certification** for an AI assistant — each skill learned gives the AI assistant an additional professional capability. If tools are the "screwdrivers in the AI assistant's toolbox," then skills are "a complete set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)" that not only tell the AI assistant what tools to use, but also **when to use them, how to use them, and how to respond after using them**. Imagine you're running a customer service center: **Without skills:** * Customer: "I want to return an item" * AI agent: "Sure, what's your order number?" *(can only handle basic Q\&A)* **With skills:** * Customer: "I want to return an item" * AI agent: "Sure!" *( automatically activates the return process skill)* → Query order → Verify return eligibility → Generate return form → "Your return request has been created. The return number is RT-20260324, and processing is expected to complete within 3-5 business days." ### Core Components of a Skill Each skill consists of three parts: ``` Skill = Instructions + Attached Tools + Resource Files │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ SOP Process Callable Reference (How to do it) External Attachments Capabilities ``` * **Instructions**: Detailed instructions in Markdown format, like an SOP that guides the AI assistant through task completion step by step * **Attached Tools**: Tools required by the skill (MCP tools, API tools, etc.) that enable the AI assistant to perform actual operations * **Resource Files**: Attachment data that the skill can reference during execution (only available for skills created via upload) ## How Skills Work A complete skill workflow is as follows: 1. **Create a skill:** * Define the skill's name and description (the description determines when the AI triggers this skill) * Write detailed instructions (SOP in Markdown format) * Bind the required tools 2. **Bind to an AI assistant:** * Select the skills to use in the AI assistant's settings * An AI assistant can have multiple skills bound to it 3. **User asks a question:** * The user makes a request to the AI assistant in natural language * *Example:* "Check how many vacation days I have left" 4. **AI assistant evaluates and activates the skill:** * The AI assistant matches the user's question against the descriptions of bound skills * Determines which skill should handle the question * Automatically expands the complete instructions for that skill 5. **Execute instructions and call tools:** * The AI assistant follows the steps in the skill instructions one by one * Automatically calls the skill's attached tools when needed (querying databases, calling APIs, etc.) 6. **Generate the final response:** * The AI assistant consolidates the results returned by tools * Generates a structured response according to the reply format defined in the skill instructions ## Key Advantages of Skills ### Standardize Complex Tasks * **Without skills**: The AI assistant can only answer based on general knowledge, resulting in inconsistent quality * **With skills**: Every execution follows the SOP, ensuring consistent response quality ### Precise Triggering and Task Division * Through trigger conditions in descriptions, the AI assistant can automatically determine when to use which skill * Different skills handle different tasks, achieving modular capability division ### Reusable and Shareable * A single skill can be bound to multiple AI assistants * Skills can be exported as `.skill` files and shared with other organizations ### Encapsulated Instructions and Tools * Bundle "what to do" (instructions) and "what to use" (tools) together * No need to repeatedly write extensive process details in the AI assistant's role instructions ## Differences Between Skills and Tools | Comparison | Tools | Skills | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Nature** | A single external capability (API, MCP) | A complete execution workflow | | **Contents** | API endpoint / MCP server | Instructions + Tools + Resources | | **Analogy** | Screwdriver | Assembly manual + Screwdriver | | **Trigger method** | AI decides on its own whether to call it | Matched based on trigger conditions in the description | | **Use cases** | Single actions (check weather, send email) | Multi-step workflows (return processing, vacation calculation) | {% hint style="info" %} Skills and tools are complementary: skills invoke tool capabilities through "attached tools," while tools provide the actual execution capabilities that skills need. {% endhint %} ## Practical Application Scenarios ### Enterprise Customer Service ``` Skill: Return Processing Workflow Trigger: When a customer requests a return or exchange Steps: Query order → Verify return eligibility → Create return form → Reply with processing result Attached tools: Order Query API, Return System API ``` ### Government Agencies ``` Skill: Vacation Day Calculation Trigger: When a user asks about vacation days or annual leave days Steps: Confirm personnel category → Search regulatory examples → Compare and calculate → Produce result Attached tools: Knowledge base search ``` ### E-commerce Platforms ``` Skill: Customer Data Collection Trigger: When a customer expresses purchase intent or requests a quote Steps: Guide them to provide name/company/contact information → Write to CRM Attached tools: Google Sheet API, CRM tool ``` ### Marketing Teams ``` Skill: Email Sending Service Trigger: When a user requests to send an email or contact a customer Steps: Confirm recipient → Compose email content → Send Attached tools: Gmail MCP tool ``` --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.maiagent.ai/maiagent-user-guide/maiagent-user-guide-en/skills/skill-overview.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.