> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://alludium.gitbook.io/alludium-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://alludium.gitbook.io/alludium-docs/administration/10.-skills.md).

# Skills

A **skill** is a portable, reusable playbook that teaches an agent **how** to approach a specific type of task. While tools give agents the ability to *do* things — call APIs, search the web, send emails — skills give agents the knowledge of how to do those things *well*, following a structured process and producing consistent output.

An agent with a search tool produces ad-hoc results. The same agent with a "competitive analysis" skill uses that search tool in a structured, repeatable way — following a proven methodology and producing consistently formatted output.

Location: Administration -> Skills

Skills are part of the agent configuration path. Most Members experience skills through the agents, tasks, and project workflows that have already been configured for the workspace.

***

#### Key Concepts

| Concept              | Definition                                                                                                                                                                           |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Skill**            | A markdown-based playbook centered on a SKILL.md entry file. Teaches an agent how to approach a specific task using structured instructions.                                         |
| **SKILL.md**         | The entry file of a skill — markdown with YAML frontmatter. Follows the open [agentskills.io](https://agentskills.io) standard, making skills portable across 26+ AI platforms.      |
| **Skill Assignment** | The act of attaching a specific skill to a specific agent. Agents can only use skills that have been explicitly assigned to them.                                                    |
| **Skill Activation** | The process by which an agent loads one of its assigned skills into context — either automatically when the task is relevant, or because the user asks for a specific skill by name. |
| **Skill Library**    | The workspace-visible collection of all available skills — including platform-provided skills, workspace-created skills, and skills imported from GitHub.                            |

***

#### How Skills Work

Skills follow an **assignment-first** model. An agent only knows about and can activate the skills that have been explicitly assigned to it. There is no global pool of skills available to every agent.

When you assign a skill to an agent, the agent receives a lightweight description of each assigned skill as part of its context. The full skill instructions are only loaded when the skill is **activated** — either automatically by the agent when a relevant task is detected, or explicitly when the user asks for a specific skill.

**Activation Modes:**

* **Auto** — The agent decides when to activate the skill based on the conversation context. If a user asks about competitive analysis and the agent has a "Market Map" skill assigned, the agent will activate it automatically.
* **Always** — The skill is loaded into context on every turn. Use this for skills that should always be active, such as formatting standards or compliance guidelines.

***

#### Skill Sources

The Skills Library can contain skills from three sources:

* **Platform** — First-party skills provided by Alludium, covering common workflows like research, analysis, and reporting. Platform skills cannot be edited directly — use the **Copy** button to create a workspace copy for customization.
* **Workspace** — Skills created within your workspace using the Create Skill flow.
* **GitHub** — Skills imported from public GitHub repositories using the Import flow. Imported skills are stored locally as snapshots — edits happen in Alludium, not back on GitHub.

***

**Next Steps**

Continue to **Skills Library** to learn how to browse, search, and manage skills in your workspace.


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