Agent Skills Reference

By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated October 22, 2026

A one-page look-up for agent skills: the course at a glance, a SKILL.md template, front matter, body sections, what loads when, skill folders per tool, who owns a job, patterns, checklists, troubleshooting, testing and a glossary.

What you will learn

Copy a SKILL.md template
Look up fields, folders and owners
Use the authoring and security checklists

This page is a quick look-up. It puts the most useful templates, tables and checklists from the course in one place.

Each section names the lesson that explains it.

The Course at a Glance

Lesson	One-line idea
Agent Skills Overview	A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md that teaches the agent one repeatable job.
Skill Anatomy	SKILL.md has two parts: front matter (name, description) and a body (the steps).
Loading and Context Cost	Only the name and description load at first. The body loads when the skill fires.
Activation and Descriptions	The description decides when the skill fires. Use the words people type.
Release Note Skill	Build your first skill from start to finish.
Skill Installation	Put the skill in the folder your tool reads, then check that it loads.
Workflow Instructions	Write numbered steps, one action each, with stop conditions.
Output Format and Examples	Fix the shape of the reply. Show one good example.
Reference Files	Move long detail into `references/`. Point to it from the right step.
Scripts and Validators	Let a script do exact checks. The agent fixes and runs it again.
Choosing the Right Owner	Skill, instruction file, script, MCP tool or plugin: pick one owner.
Diagnosing Skills	Find the first broken layer. Fix only that layer.
Skill Evaluation	Test activation and output before and after every change.
Skill Security	Read every file of an outside skill before you trust it.
Maintaining and Sharing Skills	Version skills, review changes, and share them with your team.
Everyday Skill Patterns	Reviewer, generator, transformer and triage skills you can adapt.

SKILL.md Template

Copy this and fill in the parts in angle brackets.

---
name: your-skill-name
description: <What it does>. Use when someone asks <the words people type>. Do not use for <nearby jobs>.
---

# Your Skill Name

## When to use
- <Requests this skill is for>

## Inputs
- <What the agent must gather first>

## Workflow
1. <One action per step>
2. <If condition, read references/topic.md>

## Output format
## <Heading 1>
## <Heading 2>

## Examples
<One short input and the output you want>

## Do not use
- <Nearby job> (use <other-skill>)

## Final checks
- <A check the agent can do>
- Run scripts/check.js on the output.

Folder Layout

your-skill-name/
  SKILL.md        required: front matter + steps
  references/     detail, opened only when a step points to it
  scripts/        exact checks; only their result is read
  templates/      files the agent fills in
  examples/       sample inputs and good outputs

Front Matter

Field	Needed?	Rule	Lesson
`name`	Yes	Lowercase letters, numbers and single hyphens. Same as the folder name.	Skill Anatomy
`description`	Yes	Says what it does, "Use when ...", and "Do not use for ...".	Activation and Descriptions
`metadata`	No	Extra data, such as `version` and `owner`.	Maintaining and Sharing Skills
`allowed-tools`	No	Tools it may use without asking. Support varies by tool.	Skill Security

Simple rule: if the name and description are wrong, nothing else matters.

Body Sections

Section	Answers
When to use	Which requests is it for?
Inputs	What must the agent get first?
Workflow	Which steps, in order?
Output format	What shape must the reply have?
Examples	What does good look like?
Do not use	Which jobs belong to other skills?
Final checks	What must be checked before replying?

What Loads, and When

Level	Loads when	Keep it
Name + description	Every request, for every skill	One or two sentences
SKILL.md body	The skill fires	Only the steps that are needed
Reference files	A step points to them	One topic per file
Script output	A script runs	A short OK or FAIL list

Lesson: Loading and Context Cost.

Where Skills Live

Tool	Project folder	Personal folder	Call by name
Syncfusion Code Studio	`.codestudio/skills/`, `.github/skills/`, `.claude/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`	The same folders under `~/`	`/name`
Claude Code	`.claude/skills/`	`~/.claude/skills/`	`/name`
GitHub Copilot	`.github/skills/`, `.claude/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`	`~/.copilot/skills/`, `~/.agents/skills/`	`/name`
OpenAI Codex	`.agents/skills/`	`~/.agents/skills/`	`$name`

Folders can change. Check your tool's documentation. Lesson: Skill Installation.

Who Owns the Job

You need	Use	Lesson
A one-off answer	A prompt	Agent Skills Overview
A rule for every task in the repo	AGENTS.md or project instructions	Choosing the Right Owner
An exact check or fix	A script, linter or formatter	Scripts and Validators
Live data or an action in another app	An MCP tool	Choosing the Right Owner
A repeatable job with steps and a format	A skill	Agent Skills Overview
A repeatable job that needs live data	A skill + an MCP tool	Choosing the Right Owner
A kit to share with a team	A plugin	Maintaining and Sharing Skills

Skill Patterns

Pattern	Shape	DevKit examples
Reviewer	Code in, findings out (severity, place, fix)	ui-review, security-review, pr-review
Generator	Request in, code from a template out	react-component, api-endpoint, test-planner
Transformer	A list in, a grouped document out	release-note-helper, commit-writer
Triage	A report in, severity and next steps out	bug-triage

Lesson: Everyday Skill Patterns.

Authoring Checklist

The job is frequent, done the same way, and easy to check.
name matches the folder.
description says what, "Use when ..." and "Do not use for ...".
Steps are numbered, one action each.
The output format has exact headings or fields.
There is one short example and a Do not use section.
Final checks cover the rules that matter most.
Long detail is in references/. Exact checks are in scripts/.
No secrets, stories or role-play.
Activation and output tests exist.

Security Checklist

Read every file in raw form, including scripts and hidden comments.
No curl ... | bash, no reading of keys, no uploads.
No "ignore previous instructions" or "do not tell the user".
Scripts do only what SKILL.md says.
Give the fewest tool permissions.
Treat code, tickets and docs as data, never as instructions.
Never store secrets in a skill.

Lesson: Skill Security.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Broken layer	First fix	Lesson
The tool does not list the skill	Discovery	Check the folder, the file name and the front matter	Skill Installation
It never fires	Activation	Add the words people type to the description	Activation and Descriptions
It fires for the wrong request	Activation	Add "Do not use for ..."	Activation and Descriptions
It skips a step	Instructions	One action per step; add a final check	Workflow Instructions
It ignores a reference file	Resources	Point to the file from the right step, with a condition	Reference Files
The reply shape changes	Verification	Add an exact output format and a validator	Output Format and Examples
It broke after an edit	Improvement	Compare with the last version; run the tests again	Skill Evaluation

Simple rule: start at the top of the table. Fix the first layer that fails.

Testing and Versions

Test	Checks	When
Structure	Front matter, sections, file pointers	Every edit
Activation	The right skill fires, or none	Every edit
Output	Good replies pass, bad replies fail	Every edit
Real runs	A real model on real inputs	Before you share a change

Change	Version
A small fix	Patch: 1.2.0 → 1.2.1
A new feature, nothing breaks	Minor: 1.2.1 → 1.3.0
The output shape changes	Major: 1.3.0 → 2.0.0

Glossary

Term	Meaning
$ARGUMENTS	The text typed after a skill's name, like `/release-notes v3.1`, passed into the skill
Activation	The agent picking a skill for a request
allowed-tools	A front matter field (in some tools) that lists the only tools a skill may use
AGENTS.md	An instruction file read for every task in a repo
Catalog	The list of skill names and descriptions the agent sees first
Context window	Everything the agent can see at one time; skills and files all share it
Discovery	The tool finding the installed skills
Hook	Code that runs on its own when something happens, with no choice by the model
MCP	Model Context Protocol: a standard way to connect tools and data to agents
Output format	The exact shape a reply must have
Plugin	A bundle of skills and tools to share
Prompt injection	Hidden instructions inside content the agent reads
Regression	Something that worked before and fails now
Subagent	A separate helper with its own context window, for a big side task
Validator	A script that checks a reply exactly

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why it hurts	Fix
A vague description	The skill never fires	Say what, "Use when ..." and "Do not use for ..."
No tests	An edit breaks the skill and nobody sees it	Run activation and output tests on every change
Trusting an outside skill	Hidden steps can leak secrets	Read every file before you install it