Add and manage skills
Turn skills on or off for each squad member, and create, import, edit, or delete a skill. Install a skill from the Marketplace, and see which skills are built in or hidden.
What a skill is
A skill is written guidance for one kind of repeatable work: the steps, the format, and the checks. A squad member uses the skills turned on for it, plus the built-in skills its role needs.
A squad member can also write a skill while it works, at most one per task, without asking you. That skill shows in Your skills, where you can read, edit, or delete it.
Open Skills
Click Skills in the sidebar. The page has three tabs:
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Playbooks | Ready-made setups for repeatable work, with their count. The page opens here. |
| Your skills | Every skill in your workspace and who has it, with their count |
| Marketplace | Skills you can install from public GitHub repositories (folders of files people share on GitHub) |
Find a skill in Your skills
Your skills groups skills by category: yours first, Built in last. Each card shows the skill's name, one line about it, and the squad members who have it, or "Not assigned".
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| All Categories | Shows one category |
| All Agents | Shows one squad member's skills |
| Assigned only | Hides skills no squad member has |
| Search skills... | Finds skills by name |
With no match, you see "No skills match your criteria."
Turn a skill on or off for a squad member
Open the skill
Click the skill's card, or a skill under Capabilities on a squad member's profile.
Open Assigned Agents
Click the Assigned Agents tab, which lists every squad member.
Switch it on or off
Click Enable next to a squad member. The button changes to Enabled. Click Enabled to turn it off again. The change applies from that squad member's next task.
Create a skill
Click Create Skill
Click Create Skill at the top of the page. The Create New Skill window opens.
Name the skill
Type the name in Skill Name, such as "weekly-report". Use up to 64 letters, numbers, dots, underscores (_), and hyphens (-). Start with a letter or a number.
Pick a category
Pick one in Category. It starts at "productivity". Built in isn't offered: it holds only SquadRoom's own skills. For a new category, pick + Custom... and type a name that follows the same rules.
Choose who gets it
Under Assign to Agents, click each squad member who should have the skill, or none to choose later.
Write the skill
Write the guidance in SKILL.md Content, under the block between the two
---lines at the top. Keep that block: it holds the name and category, and it updates when you change Skill Name or Category. Add adescription:line to it with one line about the skill. The skill's card shows that line.Click Create Skill
The skill shows under its category. If the skill can't be created, the window stays open and the reason shows beside its buttons, such as "That Skill name is reserved". See If something goes wrong.
Import a skill
Importing brings in a skill that was written outside SquadRoom, from a link or a file.
Click Import Skill
Click Import Skill at the top of the page. The Import Skill window opens.
Choose the source
Paste a public link that starts with https:// in Direct skill URL. It must point to a SKILL.md file or a ZIP file. A link to a SKILL.md file on GitHub works too.
Click Choose SKILL.md or ZIP and pick a file of up to 2 MB.
Choose who gets it
Under Assign after import, click each squad member who should have the skill.
Replace a skill, if you want
Tick Replace an existing skill with the same name to replace yours, files included.
Click Import Skill
The window closes when the import is done. If a problem stops it, the window shows the reason.
If the skill imports but turning it on fails, you see "Skill imported, but assignment to [name] failed". The skill is then on for no one.
What an imported skill needs
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| File or download size | 2 MB |
| A ZIP file | 1 to 100 files, 5 MB once unzipped, and exactly one SKILL.md |
| SKILL.md | Starts with a block between --- lines that holds a description |
| Name | Not the name of a built-in skill |
Read, edit, or delete a skill
Click a skill's card. The window has three tabs: SKILL.md, Assigned Agents, and Settings.
| Where | What you can do |
|---|---|
| SKILL.md | Read the skill. Click Edit, change the text, and click Save File. Cancel stops editing without saving, and View goes back to reading. A saved change reaches every squad member who has the skill. If it can't save, the reason shows above the buttons. |
| SKILL.md > Download | Save the skill as a .md file named after it |
| SKILL.md > Evaluate | Open SquadRoom's Skill Evaluator with this skill in a new tab |
| Settings | Pick another Category, or + Custom Category... to type one, and click Save Settings. Built in isn't offered. If it can't save, the reason shows. |
To delete a skill:
- Click the trash icon at the top of the window (Delete Skill). You see "PERMANENTLY DELETE?".
- Click Yes, Delete. The skill leaves your whole squad.
If it can't be deleted, you see "Failed to delete skill." The message goes on to say the skill may be built in, or that something failed on SquadRoom's side.
To remove several skills:
- Tick the box on each card, or click Select all next to a category.
- Click Remove Selected and confirm. Cancel clears the selection.
Built-in skills
SquadRoom writes and updates 13 built-in skills, in the Built in category.
| Skill | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Voice guide | How your squad learns your voice: your rules word for word, plus real quoted examples |
| Social media | The routine for every social post: your voice, one real fact, your approval on the exact words |
| X posts | Posts, threads, replies, and launch posts for X that read like a person wrote them |
| LinkedIn posts | Posts, document carousels, and comments built on first-hand experience |
| Reddit posts | Comments and posts that respect each community's rules and say plainly when the product is yours |
| YouTube videos | Video ideas, titles and thumbnails, scripts, descriptions, and Shorts |
| Instagram posts | Carousels planned slide by slide, Reel scripts, and captions people save and send |
| Long-form writing | The routine for every article, page, and newsletter: what to read first, real proof, your approval on the exact version |
| Articles | Articles and guides that answer one question, show up in search, and get quoted as a source |
| Article research | Research for every article: each fact with its source and date, company claims checked against what they measure |
| Landing pages | Pages with one ask, proof you can back up, and claims that stay inside the law |
| Newsletters | Newsletters people signed up for: one idea an issue, a subject that says what it is, easy to leave |
| Outreach | Finding people who described the problem recently, and a first message in your words that asks one small thing |
You can read, download, and evaluate a built-in skill. Its window says it is read only. The Who has it tab shows "Has it" or "Not needed for this role" for each squad member. The skill follows the role, so there is nothing to switch on or off.
Install a skill from the Marketplace
The Marketplace tab lists skills from public GitHub repositories.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| All categories | Shows one category |
| Group by repository | On at first: one card per repository. Off: one card per skill. |
| Works in SquadRoom | On at first. In a category, or with Group by repository off, hides skills that need changes or can't be installed. The heading says how many, such as "8 written for another runtime, hidden". |
| Search this category | Finds skills or repositories by name and description |
In the lists, only a skill that needs changes or can't be installed carries a label. Open a skill to see its label:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Works in SquadRoom" | Installs and loads as it is |
| "Needs adapting" | Installs. It was written for another tool, so a squad member changes its steps to fit. |
| "Not checked yet" | Not checked. You can install it. |
| "Not for SquadRoom" or "Won't install" | Can't be installed |
Install one skill
- Click a skill. The window shows its files, its GitHub stars (how many people liked it on GitHub), and a link to the repository.
- Click Install. The Enable for agents window opens.
- Tick squad members, or use Select all or Clear.
- Click Install & Enable (2) to turn it on for the 2 you ticked, or Install without enabling.
You see that it is installed, and for how many squad members it is on. Turn it on for others in Your skills.
Install skills from a repository
- Click a repository card. It shows its skills and a filter, such as Filter 12 skills.
- Tick the skills you want, or click Select all.
- Click Install 3 selected, or Install all 12 with none ticked. You see "Installed 3 skills."
Skills installed from a repository are on for no one. Turn them on in Your skills.
If a skill with the same name already exists, you are asked before it is replaced. If the Marketplace is empty, you see "Marketplace is being prepared". Skills show up once SquadRoom finishes loading the list.
What skills don't do
- A skill doesn't give a squad member access to an app, and turning one off doesn't take access away. Access is set for each account in Settings > Integrations.
- A skill doesn't start work by itself. Work that repeats is a playbook or a scheduled job on Calendar.
- You can't edit, delete, or reassign a built-in skill.
- The shared guidance your squad uses to run tasks, write in Docs, use connected apps, and search the web isn't on Skills. You can't open, change, or turn it off.
- A deleted skill can't be brought back. Download it first if you may want it again.
If something goes wrong
You seeThat Skill name is reserved
The name belongs to a built-in skill or to guidance SquadRoom uses itself.
In Create Skill, type another Skill Name. For an import, change the name: line in the block, then import again.
You seeSkill '[name]' already exists
Your workspace has a skill with that name.
In Create Skill, type another Skill Name. For an import, tick Replace an existing skill with the same name, or change the name: line.
You seeCategory must use only letters, numbers, dots, underscores, or hyphens
The category you typed has a space or another character it can't take.
Type the category again with only letters, numbers, dots (.), underscores (_), and hyphens (-).
You seeYour workspace could not do that (error [code]). Try again.
Your workspace refused the change or didn't answer, and gave no reason. The number is the error code.
Try again in a moment. If it keeps happening, see Still stuck.
You seeSKILL.md frontmatter requires a description
The block between the --- lines has no description: line.
Add one line, such as description: Weekly report from the sales numbers, then import again.
You seeSkill archive must contain exactly one SKILL.md
The ZIP holds no SKILL.md, or more than one.
Zip one skill's folder on its own.
Related pages
- Ready-made repeatable work: Run a playbook.
- One squad member's skills, on its profile: Add, change, and pause squad members.
- App access: Connect apps through Integrations.
- Scheduled jobs: Schedule work on the Calendar.