Documentation / Agent skills / Format

Skills format specification

The canonical format for SKILL.md—frontmatter, sections, and examples—so skills stay consistent and parseable.

← Documentation overviewAgent skills hub

This document defines the format and structure for skills on the Agentic Hosting platform. Following this specification keeps skills consistently formatted, machine-parseable, and easy to maintain.

File structure

skills/
├── SKILL.md              # Main skill definition (required)
├── README.md             # Optional skill-specific notes
├── examples/             # Optional example files
│   ├── example1.yaml
│   └── example2.json
└── assets/               # Optional assets (images, diagrams)
    └── diagram.png

SKILL.md format

Every skill must have a SKILL.md file at its root. This file contains the skill definition in Markdown with YAML frontmatter.

Required structure

---
title: "Skill Display Name"
slug: skill-slug
description: "A clear, concise description of what this skill does (1-2 sentences)."
version: "1.0.0"
author: "Your Name or Organization"
tags: ["tag1", "tag2", "tag3"]
category: "core|automation|research|ops|integration|data|security"
status: "active|draft|deprecated"
requirements:
  - "requirement1"
  - "requirement2"
---

# Skill Display Name

## Overview

Brief summary of the skill's purpose and functionality. This section should answer:
- What problem does this skill solve?
- When should I use this skill?
- What makes this skill unique?

## Usage

```yaml
# Example invocation format
skill: skill-slug
version: "1.0.0"
inputs:
  param1: "value1"
  param2: "value2"
```

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| param1 | string | Yes | Description of param1 |
| param2 | integer | No | Description of param2 (default: 10) |

## Implementation Details

### Inputs
- Describe what inputs the skill expects

### Outputs
- Describe what outputs the skill produces

### Dependencies
- List any external dependencies (APIs, libraries, etc.)

### Edge Cases
- Document how the skill handles edge cases and errors

## Examples

### Example 1: Basic Usage

```yaml
# Full example showing typical use case
skill: skill-slug
version: "1.0.0"
inputs:
  query: "What is the status of order #12345?"
```

### Example 2: Advanced Usage

```yaml
# Example with optional parameters
skill: skill-slug
version: "1.0.0"
inputs:
  query: "Summarize the latest financial reports"
  options:
    format: "json"
    max_length: 500
```

## Related Skills

- [other-skill-slug](other-skill.md) — Description of related skill
- [another-skill](another-skill.md) — Description of another skill

## Changelog

### v1.0.0
- Initial release