Academy
2. Creating Your First Skill
Create a well-structured skill with a clear name, usage context, and numbered action steps.
A skill is a written procedure you store once so the AI follows it every time it's relevant. Think of it as a reusable checklist: how you want a report structured, how to qualify a lead, how to review a document. Instead of repeating the same instructions in every conversation, you capture them in a skill and the AI applies them automatically whenever the situation matches.
A well-structured skill has three parts:
- A clear name — it should tell anyone (and the AI) exactly when to use it. "Qualify an inbound lead" beats "Lead stuff."
- A usage context — a short sentence describing when the skill applies, so the AI knows the right moment to pull it in.
- Numbered action steps — write them like a checklist for a competent colleague. Each step should be concrete and action-oriented. End with the expected output so the AI knows what the final result should look like.
The golden rule: one job per skill. If you're cramming two procedures into one skill, split them. Vague skills like "be professional" have no effect; operational ones like "structure the answer as: context, options, recommendation" change results.
Write your steps as if briefing a skilled colleague who has never done this particular task. Use verbs: "List three options," "Compare against criteria X," "State a recommendation with rationale." The more operational each step, the better the AI's output.
Open SkillHub and create your first skill. Give it a name that states when to use it (e.g., "Draft a weekly status update"). Add a one-sentence usage context, then write 3–5 numbered steps ending with the expected output. Save it — it's now part of your personal library.
Once your skill is saved, it needs to be active to be offered to the AI. Only active skills are considered; you can deactivate a skill at any time to bench it without deleting it — handy for seasonal procedures or drafts you're still refining. If a skill is critical to everything you do, pin it: a pinned skill stays prioritized when the AI assembles its context, so it's always front and center.
Active skills work across the tools that support them. In ChatPro, use the Skills selector in the chat form to choose which skills apply. In OUPI Studio, toggle skills on for your agents. The AI reads all active skills and picks the relevant one for the task at hand — you don't need to tell it which skill to use each time.
After creating your skill, test it immediately: open ChatPro, make sure the skill is active in the Skills selector, and give the AI a task that should trigger it. Review the output against your steps. If something is off, edit the skill — active conversations will pick up the new version on their next use.
You now know how to create a skill that actually changes the AI's output. Remember the formula: one job per skill, a name that states when to use it, a usage context, and numbered action steps ending with the expected output. Keep it active so the AI can find it, pin it if it should always apply, and refine it any time by editing. Your first skill is live — keep building your library to make the AI work your way, every time.