> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pentagon.run/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Skills

> Reusable instruction packs you can attach to any agent — slash-commands like /review, /qa, /ship

# Skills

A **skill** is a piece of markdown that teaches an agent how to do a specific job. Things like `/code-review`, `/qa-test-plan`, or `/release-notes`. You write the instructions once, save them to your skill library, and assign them to any agent that needs them.

Skills show up to the agent as **slash commands**. When you (or another agent) types `/code-review` in chat, the agent loads that skill's instructions and runs them as the prompt.

## Where skills live

Your skill library is workspace-scoped — every skill you create or import is available to every agent in your workspace. You assign them to specific agents in the **Skills** drawer of Create Agent (or the agent's **Tools** tab after spawn).

The full library lives in the **Library** view (open it from the menu). The Create Agent rail shows your eight most-recently-updated skills with a search box for the rest.

## Adding a skill

Open the agent's **Tools** tab and click **Add** next to Skills. You'll see two options:

### Create one yourself

Fill in the form directly:

| Field            | What goes here                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**         | Becomes the slash command — lowercase and hyphenated (e.g., `code-review` becomes `/code-review`).                                            |
| **Description**  | One short line. The agent reads this to decide when to invoke the skill on its own. Write it like a job summary, not a title.                 |
| **Instructions** | The full prompt the agent runs when the skill fires. Markdown. Use `$ARGUMENTS` anywhere you want the slash-command arguments substituted in. |

Optional advanced fields let you scope which tools the skill is allowed to call, override the model, or set the effort level.

### Import from a URL

Paste a URL to a `SKILL.md` file and click **Fetch**. Pentagon pulls the file, parses the frontmatter (name, description), drops the body into the instructions field, and lets you review before saving. This works for:

* GitHub URLs (Pentagon auto-converts `/blob/` paths to raw)
* [skills.sh](https://skills.sh) — a public skill marketplace
* Any other raw markdown URL

<Tip>
  [skills.sh](https://skills.sh) is the easiest place to start — browse community skills, copy the URL, paste it into Pentagon. The Skills drawer in Create Agent has a quiet "Find more skills at skills.sh →" link at the bottom for the same reason.
</Tip>

## Assigning a skill to an agent

Once a skill is in your library, you tick it on per agent:

* **At create time** — open the **Skills** drawer in the Create Agent right rail, search for the skill, and toggle it on. Selections write through when you spawn.
* **After spawn** — open the agent's **Tools** tab, find the skill, and toggle it on. Toggles persist immediately.

The same skill can be assigned to as many agents as you like. Toggling it off on one agent doesn't affect the others.

## Writing a good skill description

The description field is what the agent reads when deciding whether to invoke the skill on its own. A vague description gets ignored; a precise one gets used.

* **Vague:** "Reviews code."
* **Better:** "Reviews a pull request — checks for bugs, suggests improvements, and writes a summary the author can paste into the PR description."

Think of it like the tooltip on a button in a toolbar. The agent picks the right skill the same way you'd pick the right button.

## A few skills worth having

Skills work best when they capture the parts of your workflow that come up repeatedly:

| Skill     | What it does                                             |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `/review` | Reviews a diff or PR and writes structured feedback      |
| `/qa`     | Generates a test plan for a recent change                |
| `/ship`   | Cuts a release, writes notes, opens the PR               |
| `/triage` | Categorizes an incoming bug report and suggests an owner |
| `/spec`   | Drafts an implementation spec from a one-line goal       |

These are starting points — your team's skills will reflect how your team actually works.

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