Chapter 18: Skills — teach the AI new skills

A Skill is a "skill pack" containing a manual (SKILL.md) and supporting files. Once installed, the AI opens that manual when a related task comes up and works by its instructions.

Reading time: about 15 minutes.

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18.1 What is this? — skill books for the AI

Analogy: the default AI is "a capable-but-generic intern"; a Skill is a job training manual — install the "novel writing" skill and it knows how to write novels according to your outline.

• Each Skill has its own name and description, which decide whether the AI loads it;
• The AI reads SKILL.md first to judge relevance, then reads internal files as needed — it doesn't load everything at once (saves tokens).

18.2 How to install a Skill (three ways)

1. zip package: import a skill pack file others sent you (e.g. novel-skill.zip);
2. A single SKILL.md: just one manual document — import the Markdown file;
3. Git repository link: paste a GitHub / Gitee / GitLab repository address.

You can also manually edit SKILL.md in the app to create a skill from scratch. Very large skill packs may be rejected by the app.

18.3 What does SKILL.md look like? (standard structure)

---
name: my-skill              # skill name
description: one sentence: what this skill does and when it triggers
---

# Instructions

(How the AI should act after reading this: steps, rules, output format, caveats)

## Reference files

- prompts/template.md
- scripts/process.py

Two key points:

• name and description decide whether the AI loads it — describe clearly "when to use this";
• The AI reads SKILL.md first to judge relevance, then reads internal files as needed — it doesn't load everything at once (saves tokens).

18.4 How to write a great Skill (advanced)

• Describe with "when the user wants to do X" phrasing to reduce false triggers;
• Put stable workflows (steps, formats, checklists) into SKILL.md so the AI doesn't rediscover them each time;
• Put large scripts/templates in sub-files; SKILL.md is just the index + how to call them;
• Note environment assumptions (some desktop/cloud tools may not exist on Android; the AI adapts);
• Never put secrets in Skill files (they get read along with the skill).

18.5 Enabling & managing

• Each Skill can be individually enabled/disabled — disabled skills aren't auto-loaded;
• Use the config manager to list, update and delete Skills;
• When packaging, keep the structure right: SKILL.md at the root, sub-files referenced by relative paths;
• Typing / at the start of the input box also steers the AI to read a specified Skill.

18.6 Beginner FAQ

Q: Are Skills viruses? Any risk? A: A Skill is essentially text instructions + files. But don't install Skills from unknown sources — they might teach the AI dangerous operations. Only use trusted (official/well-known author) ones.

Q: Will many Skills slow things down? A: The AI reads on demand, not everything at once. But vaguely described Skills may trigger accidentally — write clear descriptions.

Q: Can a Skill replace my prompts? A: Yes. Once a routine is solidified into a Skill, just say "start" and the AI knows the whole flow.

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End of chapter · Next: Memory & Instructions — let the AI remember you and follow your rules