Skills Setup and Usage

A skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions for one kind of task, such as writing release notes or adding a database migration. BoldCreate sees each skill’s name and description, and opens its instructions when a task matches.

Skill locations

Personal skills are available to you in every project. Project skills are stored in or above the project repository and can be shared with the team.

If two skills have the same name, the project skill takes precedence over the personal skill.

Create a skill

Create a folder named after the skill, with a SKILL.md file inside:

.boldcreate/skills/
  release-notes/
    SKILL.md
    template.md

The SKILL.md file starts with YAML frontmatter containing a name and description, followed by Markdown instructions:

---
name: release-notes
description: Write release notes from the git log
---

1. Read the commits since the last tag.
2. Group them into Features, Fixes, and Other.
3. Write short, user-friendly sentences.

The skill name should match its folder name. Include a clear description so the agent can tell when to use it. Files next to SKILL.md, such as templates and examples, can be referenced by relative path.

Use a skill

Start a new chat. The skill is listed under Skills on the start screen. Ask for a task that matches the skill, or invoke it directly inside chat:

/skill:release-notes for 0.1.0

This sends the skill’s instructions with your request.

Skill errors

A skill without a name or description is skipped and listed under Skill errors on the start screen. Fix its frontmatter and start a new session.

Skills and instruction files in a repository can shape the agent’s behavior. Before working in an unfamiliar repository, review its instruction and skill files, or start in manual approval mode. See Project context and instruction files and Approvals and safety.