A recipe card for your AI

A skill is like a recipe card. Your AI already knows how to cook. A skill hands it a tested recipe from someone who makes that dish every day.

A real estate agent's listing skill tells the AI what buyers look for, which words to avoid, and how long each part should be. A bookkeeper's month-end skill gives it the checklist they run every month. The AI does the work. The skill makes sure it does it the way a pro would.

What's inside one

A skill is a folder. Inside is a file called SKILL.md, which has:

  • A name and a short description. This tells your AI when the skill is useful, for example "Use when writing a property listing".
  • The instructions. Plain words: the steps, the rules of thumb, the mistakes to avoid.
  • Sometimes, extra files. Examples of great work, templates, checklists, or small scripts that do a calculation.

The format is an open standard called Agent Skills, so the same skill can work in many AI apps. You can read the standard at agentskills.io.

How your AI uses it

Your AI keeps a short list of the skills you've added, just their names and descriptions. When you ask for something that matches one, it opens that skill and follows it. When you ask about something else, the skill stays closed, so you can add lots of skills without slowing your AI down or muddling it.

You don't need special commands. You ask the way you always do: "Write a listing for this three-bedroom house." In most apps you can also call a skill by name by typing / in the chat.

What to expect

A skill works inside the AI you already use, such as Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, and makes it better at one job. It doesn't run on its own or open a new window. Your AI can still make mistakes. A good skill makes them rarer, and Trilly shows you how often each skill does the job.

Where skills work

Most big AI apps now read skills, in their own way. Some take the skill as an upload (Claude, Gemini on personal accounts, ChatGPT on workspace plans, Microsoft 365 Copilot agents in preview, Perplexity Computer). Coding tools read a skills folder on your computer (Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Antigravity and more). Mistral Vibe takes skills by paste.

Each app has a short guide: Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Cursor, Perplexity, Mistral Vibe and dozens of other tools.

Where to find good ones

Anyone can write a skill, so quality varies. On Trilly, every skill shows who made it, how many people still use it a month later, and reviews from people who used it. Every one is checked before it's listed. Browse all skills, or start with skills for your job, such as real estate agents or bookkeeping.