What Is a Skill?
A skill is a reusable, task-specific instruction set that an Agent Admin creates in Administration and assigns to one or more Agents. Each skill bundles:- A name - a clear identifier for the task.
- A description - explains when the skill should be used. The Agent relies on this to decide whether a request matches the skill.
- A body - the plan, or step-by-step instructions, for how to solve the task (the Instructions field in the form).
- References and assets (optional) - files the skill reads or works with, for example a price list or an email template.
skill.md format). You can fill in the fields directly in Administration or upload an existing skill.md file to pre-fill them.
Think of a skill as an “expert” for one job: one skill might look up delivery times, another might run a competitor comparison, and a third might assign the right sales region to a postal code.
How Agents Use Skills
In plain terms: every skill has a short name and description that say what task it is for. When you ask the Agent something, it reads these descriptions and checks whether your request matches one of its skills.- If a skill matches, the Agent “opens” it, reads its step-by-step instructions and attached files, and follows them to complete the task.
- If nothing matches, the Agent simply answers the normal way.
How Skills Fit into the Pipeline
Normally, Genow answers in two steps: it searches your connected knowledge (semantic search) and then generates a grounded answer. Skills add a task-specific layer on top of this:- When your request matches a skill, the Agent loads the skill’s plan and any attached files.
- It then follows that plan - for example, looking up a value in the skill’s Excel file and returning it in a defined format - rather than producing a free-form answer.
In the current beta, skills follow their written plan and work with their attached files. Running custom scripts or code is not yet supported.
Skills vs. Agent Instructions
Skills complement the Agent Context and Instructions:
Use Instructions for rules that should always hold; use Skills for self-contained procedures that should only kick in for a particular kind of task.
Here, “Instructions” means the Agent-wide Instructions field in Agent Context - not the Instructions field inside a single skill, which holds that one skill’s plan.
Creating a Skill
You create and manage skills under Administration → Skills → Create. The easiest workflow is to write aSKILL.md file first and upload it - Genow then fills in all the fields below automatically. You only review the result and, most importantly, assign the skill to an Agent.
1
Upload your SKILL.md file (recommended)
In the Upload SKILL.md area, select, drop, or paste your file (file type: MD, max 5 MB). Genow reads it and pre-fills every field below. You can also skip the upload and fill in the fields by hand.
2
Check the fields
Review the pre-filled fields and adjust them if needed (see the table below).
3
Assign the skill to an Agent
This is the key step. Under Agents, select the Agent (or Agents) that should use the skill - an Agent whose users actually need this task. A skill only takes effect on the Agents it is assigned to; everyone with access to that Agent can then use it.
The Fields
References vs. Assets. References are documents the Agent reads for information - for example a product catalogue, a price list, or a guideline. Assets are files the skill works with or fills in - for example an email template, a quote or proposal template, or an Excel calculation sheet. Both accept file uploads of up to 5 MB each.
Agent Admins can manage the skills they created or that have been shared with them; Global Admins can manage all skills. Genow also provides a set of preset skills.
Example Skills (Sales Context)
Skills are especially useful in sales, where the same expert tasks come up again and again:- Find the right product: the customer describes their requirements, and the skill matches them to the best-fitting product from your catalogue.
- Configure to the requirement: the skill assembles the right configuration or options for the customer’s needs, based on your product rules.
- Draft a customer email: the skill turns an answer into a ready-to-send email in your company’s wording and format.
- Look up a lead time: the skill returns the delivery time for a product from a lead-time table.
- Competitor comparison: the skill compares your product with a competitor’s on the parameters that matter.
A Worked Example: “Product Finder”
This shows a pattern you can reuse for other tasks: the Instructions define how, the References provide the facts, and the Assets define the form of the output.

