What is a skill for an agent?
Review note: The answer refers to the original author's CV or target job offer — adapt it to your own experience.
Answer out loud or in your head first, then compare.
Answer
A skill is a package of instructions and any supporting materials for a particular kind of work. It can contain a description of the steps, examples, scripts and documentation. In tools that support the format, the key file is often SKILL.md.
For example, a data-review skill explains where to find the data, how to assess it and how to record the result. An ordinary script performs pre-programmed operations; a skill can guide the model's work and use scripts where precision is needed. That's no guarantee the model will always apply the instructions. How running and permissions are handled depends on the specific tool.
Why it matters: Directly concerns the independent project in your CV.
Possible follow-ups: Which rules are better moved into code that checks the result?
How did it go? Be honest — “Not yet” puts the question on your review list.
Further reading
- Agent Skills: Specification(opens in a new tab)Spec; accessed 22.10.2026. SKILL.md, metadata, scripts, references and resources.
- Claude Code: Extend Claude with skills(opens in a new tab)Docs; accessed 22.10.2026. The current model of skills and custom commands; depends on the host.