Most agents start as one long set of instructions. Then the prices go in, then the returns policy, then a ten-step procedure for quotes, and the instructions become a wall of text the AI half-follows. The fix is not a better wall. It is putting each piece where it belongs.
A SuperCognit agent has four places for what it knows and does. This week skills got a page of their own, so it is a good moment to look at all four.
The four places
Instructions are read on every reply, so every line costs attention. Knowledge is searched, so only the relevant passages reach the answer. Tools reach out to your systems. Skills sit in between: a procedure the agent opens when it needs it and ignores the rest of the time.
What a skill is
A skill has a name, a "When to use it" line and the content: the steps, the checklist, the questions to ask. The agent sees only the name and the "When to use it" line until a conversation calls for it, then loads the full content and follows it. A skill is not a fact to look up and not an action. It is how your best person would handle the task.
- "Prepare a quote": which details to collect, in which order, and what to say when something is missing.
- "Handle a complaint": acknowledge, ask for the order number, offer the options you allow, hand over when the visitor asks.
- "Qualify a lead": the four questions that tell a real buyer from a curious visitor.
- "Brand voice": the words you use and the ones you never use, for agents that write copy.
How to write a good skill
Name the task, not the topic
"Prepare a quote" works better than "Quotes". The agent is choosing what to do, not what to read about.
Make "When to use it" specific
The AI reads this line to decide whether to load the skill. "Use when someone asks for a price for more than one item or a custom job" beats "Use for quotes".
Write the steps as you would for a new colleague
Numbered, short, in the order they happen. Include what to do when the visitor does not have an answer.
Keep facts out
Prices and policies change. Put them in knowledge and let the skill say where to look, so you update a fact once and every skill uses the new one.
Test it in Preview
Ask the question the skill is for, then one it is not for. It should load for the first and stay closed for the second.
Write once, attach anywhere
Skills live on the new Skills page in the main menu, between Knowledge and Tools. A skill written once can be attached to any agent or MCP server in the workspace, so the quote procedure your website agent follows is the same one your WhatsApp agent follows. Every skill has its own history, and can be duplicated, or moved and copied to another workspace.
In the agent editor, the Intelligence menu now has one tab for each place: Behavior, Capabilities, Knowledge, Skills, Tools, Media, Guardrails and Feedback. Capabilities is the new home for web search, memory, location and lead capture. MCP servers get the same Skills tab, so AI clients that connect to your server can load the same know-how.
If you already had skills, nothing changes for your agents. They are the same skills, attached to the same agents; they are just easier to find.
A quick test for any new piece
- Does it apply to every single answer? Instructions.
- Is it a fact that could change next month? Knowledge.
- Is it a way of doing a task? A skill.
- Does it need live data, or to do something? A tool.
Moving a long procedure out of the instructions and into a skill is one of the fastest ways to make an agent follow it. Your 👍/👎 votes will tell you whether it worked: see the AI feedback report.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a skill and knowledge?
Knowledge holds facts the agent searches when a question needs them, such as prices or policies. A skill holds know-how for a task, such as the steps to prepare a quote, and the agent loads it as a whole when that task comes up.
When does the agent use a skill?
The agent sees each attached skill's name and its "When to use it" line. When a conversation matches, it loads the full skill and follows it. A specific "When to use it" line is what makes this reliable.
Can several agents share one skill?
Yes. A skill lives in the workspace and can be attached to any agent or MCP server there. Change it once and every agent that uses it follows the new version.
Did my existing skills change?
No. They moved from the Tools page to the new Skills page and stay attached to the same agents, with the same content.
