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Skills teach an agent how to perform specialized tasks — querying a database, triaging an alert, following an escalation playbook, or drafting release notes. A skill is a directory in a git repository rooted at a SKILL.md file. Register skills once under Settings → Skills, then attach them by name when you create an agent.

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Registering a skill

Open Settings → Skills, pick a starter skill from the catalog, or add your own GitHub/GitLab repository (URL, optional path, and ref). Pin a tag or commit SHA for production stability.
The starter skills in the catalog come from the shipped skill catalog — see Initial Setup for how catalogs work and how to change what the UI offers.

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What a skill contains

SKILL.md has YAML frontmatter (name, description) and a markdown body of instructions. The description is what the agent sees upfront; the full body and supporting files load only when the agent picks the skill (progressive disclosure).

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Runtime requirements

Skills require the agent’s sandbox to be enabled. The skill repository is cloned into the sandbox, and the agent reads SKILL.md (and can run bundled scripts) there. Two skills cannot share the same name on one agent.
At runtime:
  1. The harness exposes each attached skill’s name and description.
  2. When the model decides a skill is relevant, the repo is materialized under /opt/tfy/skills/{name}.
  3. The agent follows SKILL.md and uses supporting files as needed.

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Skills + MCP tools

  • Skills define how to handle a task (procedure, decision logic, formatting).
  • MCP tools provide the actions and data to execute it.
Example: a CRM follow-up skill sets tone and escalation rules; MCP tools look up the record, update the ticket, and notify Slack.

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Authoring tips

  • Keep the description sharp — it is the only thing the model sees before loading the skill.
  • Write SKILL.md like instructions to a competent teammate.
  • Put heavy reference material in supporting files the skill links to.
  • Prefer several focused skills over one sprawling pack.