> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qoder.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Agent Skills
> Attach domain expertise to your agent.
Skills add **domain expertise** to an Agent. A Skill is a structured set of instructions and procedures that makes an Agent more capable and reliable on a specific kind of task.
If you use QoderWork or Qoder desktop, you can install the [Cloud Agents skill](https://qoder.com/marketplace/skill?id=official_FjWvobU0) from the skill marketplace to create and manage Cloud Agents directly from your local conversation — no manual API calls needed.
## What Skills Do
* **Inject domain knowledge** — give a generalist Agent specialized abilities (code review, document generation, etc.).
* **Standardize procedures** — ensure the Agent follows consistent steps and produces consistent output.
* **Reusable** — define once and share across multiple Agents.
## Skill File Layout
A Skill is uploaded as a `.zip` archive containing:
```
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md # Required: Skill definition
├── templates/ # Optional: template files
│ └── report.md
└── examples/ # Optional: example files
└── sample.json
```
`SKILL.md` is the core file, written as YAML frontmatter plus Markdown:
```markdown theme={null}
name: code-review
description: Perform structured code reviews and produce improvement suggestions
version: 1.0.0
# Code Review
## Steps
1. Analyze the structure and architecture of the code.
2. Check for common issues (security, performance, maintainability).
3. Output a structured review report.
## Pitfalls
- Don't fixate on formatting — prioritize logic errors.
- Provide concrete fixes rather than vague critiques.
```
## Create a Skill
```
POST https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/skills
Content-Type: multipart/form-data
```
### curl Example
```bash theme={null}
# Package the skill directory
cd my-skill && zip -r ../my-skill.zip . && cd ..
# Upload
curl -X POST https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/skills \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $QODER_PAT" \
-F "file=@my-skill.zip"
```
Response:
```json theme={null}
{
"id": "skill_019e5d133c057536872f745e0b6dbd5d",
"type": "skill",
"display_title": "code-review",
"description": "Perform structured code reviews and produce improvement suggestions",
"source": "custom",
"latest_version": "1",
"created_at": "2026-05-01T10:00:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-05-01T10:00:00Z"
}
```
`latest_version` is maintained by the server and returned as a string. The `version` value in SKILL.md frontmatter (e.g. `1.0.0`) is informational only and is not the server-side version.
## Bind to an Agent
Use `POST` to update the Agent's `skills` field. Include `version` for optimistic concurrency control; when `skills` is provided, it replaces the stored skills array.
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/agents/agent_abc123 \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $QODER_PAT" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"version": 1,
"skills": [{"type": "custom", "skill_id": "skill_019e5d133c057536872f745e0b6dbd5d"}, {"type": "custom", "skill_id": "skill_019e5cdc7a9278ba933d4c328096bac5"}]
}'
```
## Versioning
Re-uploading a skill with the same name creates a new version:
```bash theme={null}
# Bump the version field in SKILL.md, then re-upload
curl -X POST https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/skills \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $QODER_PAT" \
-F "file=@my-skill-v2.zip"
```
Agents linked to the Skill always pick up the latest version.
## Get a Skill
```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/skills/skill_019e5d133c057536872f745e0b6dbd5d \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $QODER_PAT"
```
## List Skills
```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.qoder.com/api/v1/cloud/skills \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $QODER_PAT"
```
Response:
```json theme={null}
{
"data": [
{
"id": "skill_019e5d133c057536872f745e0b6dbd5d",
"type": "skill",
"display_title": "code-review",
"description": "Perform structured code reviews and produce improvement suggestions",
"source": "custom",
"latest_version": "1",
"created_at": "2026-05-01T10:00:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-05-01T10:00:00Z"
},
{
"id": "skill_019e5cdc7a9278ba933d4c328096bac5",
"type": "skill",
"display_title": "doc-generator",
"description": "Generate technical documentation",
"source": "custom",
"latest_version": "3",
"created_at": "2026-04-20T08:30:00Z",
"updated_at": "2026-04-25T09:15:00Z"
}
],
"next_page": null,
"first_id": "skill_019e5d133c057536872f745e0b6dbd5d",
"last_id": "skill_019e5cdc7a9278ba933d4c328096bac5",
"has_more": false
}
```
## Authoring Tips
1. **State the trigger** — write the `description` so it's clear when this Skill should be used.
2. **Be concrete in steps** — describe precise actions, not vague guidance.
3. **Document pitfalls** — help the Agent avoid common mistakes.
4. **Provide validation** — tell the Agent how to confirm the task is complete.
## FAQ
**Q: How are Skills different from the Agent `system` prompt?** A: `system` is general guidance that applies to every task. A Skill is an on-demand expertise module the Agent activates based on the task at hand.
**Q: How many Skills can an Agent reference?** A: There's no hard limit, but keep it under 10 to maintain predictable behavior.
**Q: When will Skills go GA?** A: The feature is in M2. Reach out if you want early access; broader rollout is coming in a later release.
**Q: Is there a size limit on the zip?** A: A single Skill zip must be 10 MB or less.
## Next steps
Equip Agents with built-in, MCP, and custom tools.
Review Agent configuration.
Manage session lifecycle.
Get your first Cloud Agent running in 5 steps.