Skills are reusable prompt modules that extend Octo’s capabilities. Each skill is a directory containing a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter.
---
name: summarize-pdf
description: Summarize PDF documents into concise bullet points
dependencies:
python:
- pymupdf
system:
- poppler
---
When asked to summarize a PDF:
1. Use the `Read` tool to read the PDF file
2. Extract the key sections and main arguments
3. Produce a bullet-point summary with:
- Main thesis / purpose
- Key findings (3-5 points)
- Conclusions and recommendations
4. Keep the summary under 500 words unless asked for more detail
Frontmatter Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|
name | Yes | Skill identifier (lowercase, hyphens ok) |
description | Yes | One-line description shown in /skills list |
dependencies | No | Dependencies to auto-install |
Dependency Types
dependencies:
python:
- pymupdf>=1.23.0
- pandas
npm:
- "@playwright/mcp"
mcp:
- name: playwright
type: stdio
command: npx
args: ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
system:
- poppler # shown for manual install
- ffmpeg
| Type | Auto-installed? | How |
|---|
python | Yes | pip install into active venv |
npm | Yes | npm install --prefix .octo/ |
mcp | Yes | Added to .mcp.json |
system | No | Displayed for manual installation |
Installation Location
Skills are installed to .octo/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.
Invoking Skills
Once installed, invoke a skill as a slash command:
The skill’s prompt is injected into the conversation, guiding the agent’s behavior for that interaction.
Publishing Skills
Skills can be shared via Git repositories. The marketplace commands (/skills search, octo skills search) discover published skills.
Keep skills focused on a single task. A skill that does one thing well is more reusable than one that tries to do everything.
