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SKILL.md

SKILL.md

Also called: Skill 标准文件 · Agent Skills

The file that defines an Agent Skill: YAML frontmatter (`name`, `description`) plus body instructions, loaded progressively by the model on demand.

frontmatter: name + descriptionalways in contextbody instructions + scripts +reference filesloaded only when triggered
Schematic (simplified)

Structure and progressive disclosure

A Skill is a folder whose entry point is SKILL.md. Its frontmatter (name, description) is always in context, so the model knows the skill exists and when to use it; the body and any bundled scripts/reference files are read in only when the skill is triggered. This layering (metadata resident, details on demand) lets the model have many optional capabilities without blowing the context budget.

Difference from AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md describes the rules of one project and travels with the repo. SKILL.md packages a capability reusable across projects (e.g. "generate PPTX," "write copy in the house style") that can be installed and distributed. The first answers "how to work in this codebase," the second "how to do this kind of task."

Common misconceptions

  • The `description` field is not decoration — it is the model's main basis for deciding whether to use the skill; write it poorly and the skill never triggers.
  • A Skill is not an MCP server: a Skill is instructions/resources loaded into the model; an MCP server is an external service.

Related terms

Skill SkillAGENTS.md AGENTS.mdSlash Command Slash Command

Sources

  1. Anthropic Engineering — Equipping agents for the real world with Agent Skills (2025)
  2. Anthropic — Claude Docs: Agent Skills

Compiled 2026-08-29 · This glossary is compiled from public papers, official specifications, and common industry definitions, and is updated as the field evolves. Corrections welcome.