Skills
What is inside an AI agent skill?
A skill is a reusable, packaged capability an AI agent loads when it needs it: a folder built around a single instructions file, with optional scripts, references, and assets alongside.
A skill is a reusable, packaged capability that an AI agent loads when it needs it. In practice it is a folder built around a single instructions file (SKILL.md), with optional scripts, reference material, and assets alongside.[1] Where a prompt is something you type, a skill is something the agent keeps and reaches for.
The instructions file has a small piece of front matter, usually a name and a description, followed by the body that tells the agent how to do the task. Around it, a skill can bundle:
- Scripts the agent can run.
- References it can read for detail.
- Assets like templates or examples.
This structure is what makes a skill portable: it travels as a folder, not as a paragraph buried in a chat.
References
- Agent Skills — Overview — Anthropic