--- title: Reuse work with Skills sidebar_position: 6 --- # Reuse work with Skills Skills are **reusable instructions and resources** that give Work specialized capabilities for specific tasks. Use them when a task has a known method, checklist, template, output format, or domain-specific procedure: package an approach once and Work applies it whenever the task matches, with the same tone, format, and procedure every time. :::info Skills follow the open [Agent Skills](https://agentskills.io/home) standard, originally developed by Anthropic and now adopted across multiple agentic clients. Each Skill is a folder containing a `SKILL.md` file (instructions + metadata) and any extra files Work should use alongside it (references, templates, examples, data). ::: How Skills work Work loads Skills through **progressive disclosure** in three stages: 1. **Discovery**: at session start, Work loads only each Skill's name and description (~100 tokens each), just enough to know when it might be relevant. 2. **Activation**: when a task matches a Skill's description, Work reads the full `SKILL.md` instructions into context. 3. **Execution**: Work follows the instructions, optionally loading referenced files or running examples as needed. This means you can have many Skills enabled without overloading context: only the relevant ones expand into full instructions. :::tip The Skill's **description** is what determines when it activates. Write descriptions that describe **when** to use the Skill, not just what it does (for example, *"Use when reviewing customer contracts for renewal risks"* rather than *"Helps with contracts"*). ::: Built-in Skills Vibe Work ships with a set of **built-in Skills** covering common productivity tasks. They appear in your Skills list alongside personal and workspace ones, activate automatically when a task matches, and can be invoked explicitly with `/{skill-name}`. Disable any you don't need from `Context` > `Skills`. | Skill | Triggers on | |---|---| | `challenge-my-thinking` | Pressure-test a plan, devil's advocate, "what am I missing", risk review. | | `data-analysis` | Inspect, clean, transform, or aggregate data (`.csv`, `.json`, tables, metrics, anomalies). | | `deep-research` | Thorough research, source-backed synthesis, market or technical landscape analysis. | | `doc-coauthoring` | Co-author proposals, technical specs, decision docs, RFCs. | | `document-review` | Review documents for completeness, compliance, consistency, or quality. | | `internal-comms` | Status reports, leadership updates, 3P updates, FAQs, incident reports. | | `meeting-prep` | Prepare for upcoming meetings, brief on calendar items. | | `research-synthesis` | Synthesize multiple sources, notes, or files into a structured brief. | | `skill-creator` | Create, update, or delete Skills (loaded before any Skill edit). | | `stakeholder-translator` | Reframe content for a different audience (exec, engineering, leadership). | | `structured-extraction` | Extract structured data (tables, JSON) from emails, PDFs, or free-text. | | `vibe-work-onboarding` | Walk through Vibe Work capabilities for first-time users. | Example: `/deep-research` To see a built-in Skill in action, trigger `deep-research` explicitly: > `/deep-research` What are the main approaches to long-context LLMs in 2026? Work plans the search, runs multiple web queries, synthesizes the sources, and returns a structured brief with citations, opened in [Canvas](/vibe/work/files-and-canvas). Personal and workspace Skills Open the sidebar and go to `Context` > `Skills` to see your Skills, organized in two more sections: - **Personal**: Skills you've created for your own use. Only you see them. - **Workspace**: Skills shared across your workspace. Anyone in the workspace can use them. Toggle each Skill on or off individually to control which ones load into Work's context. If you create or edit a Skill in Studio, use the `Share` button on the Skill details page to keep it private or share it with the entire workspace. To make a Studio Skill available in Vibe Work, click `Publish to Vibe` on the Skill details page. :::note Workspace admins can **force-enable** specific Skills for the whole workspace (for example, a finance team's domain Skills). Force-enabled Skills are always active and can't be disabled by individual users. ::: Using Skills in a task Once a Skill is enabled, Work uses it automatically when the task matches its description. You can also invoke a Skill explicitly: - **Slash command**: type `/` in the chat window and pick a Skill from the list, or type `/{skill-name}` directly. - **Natural reference**: mention the Skill by name in your prompt (for example, *"Use the contract-review Skill on this PDF"*). When a Skill is active in a task, Work surfaces it in the chat so you know which one is being applied. Creating a Skill There are two ways to create a Skill: build it manually in the editor, or have Work create one for you from a chat. Create from the editor 1. Open `Context` > `Skills` in the sidebar. 2. Click `New Skill`. 3. Fill in the form: - **Title**: a short, descriptive name (for example, `Brand voice copywriting`). - **Description**: when Work should use this Skill. This text is what Work reads at discovery to decide whether to activate the Skill, so make it specific. - **SKILL.md**: the full instructions Work follows when the Skill activates. Write them as you would brief a colleague: tone, format, steps, examples. 4. (Optional) Add **files or folders** alongside the Skill (reference documents, templates, brand guidelines, sample outputs, datasets). Work loads them as needed when the Skill activates. 5. Click `Create Skill`. Create a Skill from a task (recommended) The fastest way to build a Skill is to let Work draft it for you from a real task: 1. Run a task where you refine an approach you'd like to reuse (a writing style, a review checklist, a research method). 2. Ask Work to *"turn this into a Skill"* or *"save this as a Skill"*. 3. Work generates a `SKILL.md` draft, lists the contents, and proposes it for review. 4. Edit if needed, then save. :::tip Skills built from real usage capture the actual patterns that worked, including details you wouldn't think to write down from scratch. Iterate in a task, save when satisfied, then refine over time. ::: Editing and managing Skills From the `Context` > `Skills` page, you can: - **Edit** a Skill's title, description, `SKILL.md`, or attached files. - **Disable** a Skill without deleting it. - **Delete** a personal Skill (workspace Skills require the appropriate permission). - **Share** a Skill with the workspace, or keep it private, from the Skill details page. When you edit a Skill, your changes take effect in new chats from that point on. Active chats keep the previous version until you start a new one. Best practices - **Build Skills from real tasks.** See [Create a Skill from a task](/vibe/work/skills#create-from-chat) above. It's the highest-leverage way to start. - **Write descriptions as triggers.** The description tells Work **when** to activate the Skill. *"Use when..."* phrasing beats *"This Skill helps with..."* every time. - **Keep Skills focused.** One Skill per job. If a Skill grows into many unrelated procedures, split it. - **Avoid near-duplicates.** Two Skills with overlapping descriptions confuse Work and inflate context. Edit the existing Skill rather than saving a slight variant. - **Bundle supporting files.** Templates, brand guides, sample outputs, or reference data live next to the `SKILL.md` and load when the Skill activates. Supporting files are subject to a file-count limit; for larger methods, use [progressive disclosure](https://agentskills.io/skill-creation/best-practices#structure-large-skills-with-progressive-disclosure). - **Iterate.** Run the Skill on real tasks, note gaps, edit, and improve.