Creating a Skill

Draft step-by-step playbooks with imperative instructions, worked examples, and edge cases.

57.2k|7.0k|Updated Dec 28, 2025

Search Tags:#task automation #skill authoring #instruction design #workflow documentation #playbook creation

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/HKUDS/DeepTutor --skill creating-a-skill-hkuds

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: Creating a Skill
Source: https://github.com/HKUDS/DeepTutor/tree/main/deeptutor/capabilities/creator/prompts/en
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/HKUDS/DeepTutor --skill creating-a-skill-hkuds

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Authoring playbooks for repeatable tasks is time-consuming and requires clear structure. This Skill guides you through drafting actionable, well-organized Skill units that can be executed reliably by an AI agent. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Structured Playbook Creation: Generate step-by-step imperative instructions with concrete examples and edge case handling. - Clear Scope Definition: Distinguish Skills (task playbooks) from Personas (voice presets) and organize long reference material into separate files. - Use Case: You need to create a Skill for analyzing customer feedback at scale. Rather than writing ad-hoc instructions, use this Skill to produce a polished, reusable playbook with worked examples and known limitations. ## Quick Start Draft a Skill that takes a user's core task description and desired use cases, then produce a complete step-by-step playbook with at least two worked examples and a clear section identifying when not to use this approach.

Frequently Asked Questions about Creating a Skill

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

What is the difference between a Skill and a Persona?▼

A Skill is an imperative step-by-step playbook for a specific task that the agent reads on demand. A Persona is a voice or behavior preset injected into every system prompt. Skills describe what to do; Personas describe how to sound.

How long should a Skill playbook be?▼

Keep the main body to roughly 500 lines or fewer. Long reference material—schemas, large examples, lookup tables—should go in `references/*.md` files, not the body. The body should reference when to read which file.

When should I move content to a references file?▼

Move content to `references/` if it is a lookup table, detailed schema, extended example, or reference material longer than a paragraph. The main Skill body should stay focused on the imperative workflow.

Can a Skill include descriptions of what it does instead of step-by-step instructions?▼

No. A Skill must be an imperative playbook with concrete steps, not a description. If the user actually needs a voice preset, that is a Persona, not a Skill.

What goes in the Skill description field?▼

The description is the trigger for discovery. State what the Skill does and when to use it, concretely enough that a future turn recognizes when it applies. Only `name` and `description` sit in every system prompt.