Step 01
Create a Skill
Open the Skills section and write the primary document. Describe the method, the standard, the approach — everything an agent needs to perform this kind of work correctly.
Skills
Give every agent the know-how to do specialized work.
Skills are packaged expertise that agents draw on whenever the work calls for it. Capture a method once, attach it across your workforce, and every agent applies it consistently — every time.
Agent · skills5 attached
agent · analyst
5 skills attached
Proposal writing
3 references
Contract drafting
clause playbook
Feature documentation
template · example
QBR preparation
2 references
Discovery interviews
method guide
The problem
The problem with relying on instructions alone.
Prompts describe a request. They do not carry the method behind it. So the quality of specialized work ends up depending on who asked, how they asked, and which agent picked it up.
Expertise that cannot be attached is expertise that cannot scale.
01
Expertise lives in people's heads
Specialized knowledge — how to write a certain kind of document, how to run a certain process — lives in the people who know it. Getting agents to apply it means re-explaining it every time.
02
Agents apply inconsistent approaches
Without structured methods to draw on, agents improvise. The same type of work produces different results depending on how a request is phrased or which agent handles it.
03
Replication is manual and fragile
Even when someone documents a process, distributing it, keeping it current, and making sure the right agents use it is more overhead than most teams can sustain.
Skills
Packaged expertise your agents can act on.
A Skill is a structured document that tells an agent how to perform a specific kind of work. Attach it once, and agents draw on it whenever it is relevant — automatically, consistently, without being asked.
- 01
Primary document
Every Skill starts with a primary document that explains how the work should be done — the method, the approach, the standard to follow. Written and maintained in a rich, intuitive editor.
- 02
Reference documents
Add any number of supporting materials to a Skill — templates, examples, reference guides, or additional documentation. Agents pull in what they need when the work calls for it.
- 03
Agent-driven ingestion
Agents decide when a Skill is relevant. When a request or a set of instructions matches, the agent ingests the Skill — and its references — and applies the method to guide its work.
- 04
Attach anywhere
Skills can be attached to agents, Spaces, Tasks, Flows, and templates. One Skill, captured once, applied across everything that needs it.
- 05
Version control and permissions
Every Skill is governed like any other resource on Opal. Version history, access permissions, and an optional publishing workflow keep Skills accurate, controlled, and trustworthy over time.
- 06
Not the same as Knowledge
Knowledge gives agents context — what the organization knows about its business. Skills give agents method — how to perform a specific kind of work. Both matter. They serve different purposes.
Skill · anatomypublished
agent · analyst
skill · proposal writing
Primary document
the method · the standard
- 01 · Qualify the opportunity
- 02 · Draft from the content library
- 03 · Tailor to the client's language
- 04 · Review against the win themes
proposal-template.md
reference 01
- · Exec summary
- · Scope + approach
- · Pricing table
winning-proposal.pdf
reference 02
- · Acme RFP, 2025
- · Annotated example
How it works
From expertise to execution in a few steps.
Step 02
Add reference materials
Attach supporting documents to the Skill — templates, examples, process guides, anything that helps an agent do the work to the right standard.
Step 03
Attach it to your workforce
Connect the Skill to the agents, Spaces, Tasks, Flows, or templates that need it. A single Skill can be reused across as many places as relevant.
Step 04
Agents apply it when it matters
When an agent encounters work that matches the Skill, it ingests the Skill and its references automatically — applying the method without needing to be told.
Step 05
Update once, improve everywhere
When the method changes, update the Skill in one place. Every agent and workflow that draws on it reflects the updated approach going forward.
Key benefits
Expertise that scales without you in the room.
Consistent, repeatable expertise
Agents apply the same validated method every time a Skill is relevant, so specialized work does not depend on how well a request is phrased or which agent handles it.
Captured once, applied everywhere
A single Skill can be attached to agents, Spaces, Tasks, Flows, and templates — so expertise captured once flows across your entire digital workforce.
Applied only when relevant
Agents ingest a Skill when the work calls for it. Irrelevant Skills stay out of the way, keeping each agent focused on what matters for the request at hand.
Built for subject-matter experts
A rich editor and intuitive interface mean the people who hold the expertise can create and maintain Skills directly — no technical setup required.
Governed and trustworthy
Version control, permissions, and an optional publishing workflow apply to every Skill — so teams can keep methods accurate, control who can change them, and ensure agents always work from a reviewed, approved version.
See it in practice
How teams put expertise to work.
Real work is rarely one method. Teams build sets of Skills that together define how an agent operates, how a task should be done, and how a flow should work.
Case 01
Product Marketing
A documentation agent defined by its Skills
A product marketing lead doesn't write one Skill — she builds a library. Each Skill captures a piece of how documentation gets done: the standard, the naming conventions, the review bar. Together they define how the documentation agent operates. Add a Skill and the agent gets sharper; update one and every future document reflects it — without anyone re-explaining the process.
Skill set
- Feature documentation standard
- Release note writing
- Product naming conventions
- Screenshot & asset guidelines
- Technical accuracy review
- Defines
- How the agent operates
- Attached to
- Documentation agent
- Outcome
- On-standard docs, no re-briefing
Case 02
Consulting
A set of Skills that defines the deliverable
A consulting firm's methodology isn't one document — it's a stack of them. The team turns each part into a Skill and attaches the set to the draft report task. The Skills define how that task should be done end to end, so every report follows the same method regardless of who initiates it or how the prompt is phrased.
Skill set
- Engagement report structure
- Client interview synthesis
- Findings & recommendations format
- Data visualization standards
- Quality assurance checklist
- Defines
- How the task should be done
- Attached to
- Draft report task
- Outcome
- Same method, any prompt
Case 03
Operations
Skills that define how a flow runs
A senior operations analyst breaks her process into Skills — one per decision point, each with her templates and worked examples. Attached across the steps of the review flow, they define how the flow should work. When she's away, the flow keeps running her way, without the delays that come from single points of expertise.
Skill set
- Data intake validation
- Exception triage rules
- Reconciliation method
- Escalation criteria
- Month-end review process
- Defines
- How the flow should work
- Attached to
- Monthly review flow
- Outcome
- No single point of expertise
Security and compliance
Methods that stay accurate and controlled.
01
Role-Based Access Control
Granular permissions determine who can view, create, and edit each Skill — keeping sensitive methods and organizational know-how protected.
02
Version History
Every change to a Skill is tracked. Teams can review the history of a Skill, understand what changed, and roll back when needed.
03
Optional Publishing Workflow
Skill-level publishing workflows ensure changes are reviewed and approved before agents act on them — critical when methods inform regulated or high-stakes work.
04
Zero Data Retention
Opal does not retain prompts or outputs at the model level. Agent conversations and Skill-informed outputs stay within your organization's data boundary.
05
Audit Log
All actions on Skills are logged — creation, edits, permission changes, and publishing events — providing a complete, reviewable record.
06
Certifications
ISO 27001, ISO 42001, and SOC 2 Type II certifications are underway.
Part of a complete platform
Skills connect across Opal.
01AgentsAgents ingest Skills when the work is relevant, applying the method and pulling in references to guide their output.02SpacesAttach a Skill to a Space and every agent operating in that context can draw on it.03TasksSkills attached to Tasks ensure agents apply the right method when executing recurring work.04FlowsSkills attached to Flows carry expertise through every step of a multi-stage process.05KnowledgeKnowledge provides information and context; Skills provide method. Both are available to agents and serve distinct, complementary purposes.06GovernanceVersion control, permissions, and an optional publishing workflow keep Skills accurate and controlled across the organization.
Skills
Build a digital workforce that knows how to do the work.
Capture your organization's expertise in Skills and put it to work — consistently, at scale, across every agent and workflow on the Agentic Operations platform.