What are skills?
Skills are reusable instructions that tell an AI how you want something done.
It's like asking an AI for good dinner ideas vs. asking, while sharing a recipe book by Anthony Bourdain.
When to use Skills
- To specify taste, design style, or writing voice while avoiding generic work.
- To apply world-class expertise and judgment to a task.
- To encode workflows you repeat and stop re-explaining them.
- To reduce the agent's freedom to cut corners.
- To share and adopt other people's taste, ideas, and workflows.
Some examples
- "Use /swiftui-pro to create an iOS app signup screen following Apple's best practices."
- "Use the /grill-me skill to ask me questions until I fully explain my idea."
- "Use the /ad-creative skill to generate 10 ad alternatives for my Instagram campaign."
When not to use Skills
- One-off tasks: just prompt it.
- Things the model already does well.
- Live data or system access: those are connections, not instructions.
How to use a Skill
Install them by sharing a GitHub link with your agent, or using the omgskills app.
Use them automatically, they just work. Or you can type /skill-name during a chat session with your prompt.
How to find good Skills
Most people host them on GitHub and share them on X, Twitter, and Reddit.
You can use tools like omgskills.com, skills.sh, or others to make finding, reading, installing, and sharing them easier.
How to make a Skill
Ummmm... just ask your agent. He gotcha.
But skills are just markdown files
Yup, we agree. And even so, skill use keeps growing.
As models improve, skills simply get more general. We will always want to specify the outcomes we want from them.
Skills vs plugins vs MCP
They compose: a skill can teach the agent how to use an MCP server well.
Are skills safe?
Mostly, but not all.
Skills are instructions, not code, but agents act on instructions. Like other software, it is best to use skills by trusted creators with large user bases, or ones you create yourself or with your team.
Why skills?
Are skills free?
Yes. Skills are open-source markdown files on GitHub. All 49,000+ indexed here are free.
Find skills faster
Browse 49,000+ free skills and install the ones you want from your Mac menu bar.