Skills are SKILL.md instruction files that teach your AI assistants when and how to use specific tools. They sit between the agent and its tools in the capability stack — like a playbook for specific scenarios.
How Skills Work
A skill is a markdown document injected into the assistant’s system prompt at runtime. It contains reasoning patterns, decision trees, and tool usage instructions. Skills never contain API keys or make HTTP calls — they operate purely as instructions.
Example: A WhatsApp Escalation skill might instruct: “When the user asks to speak to a human, collect their name and issue summary, then call the send_slack_message tool to notify the support channel.”
The stack
Agent → Skill → Channel → Tool — Skills teach agents when to act. Tools are how they act. See the full capability stack.
Built-in Core Skills
These 20 skills ship with Agent Builder and are available in every install. They are seeded automatically on activation and can be enabled, disabled, or edited in Agentic → Tools & Channels → Skills.
xlsx
Read, analyse, create, and edit Excel spreadsheets. Includes column stats and formula support.
Read PDFs page-by-page, create PDFs from HTML, and merge multiple PDF files.
docx
Read, create, and export Word documents. Export WordPress posts directly to .docx.
git
Git version control on the server: status, log, diff, commit, push, pull. Plus GitHub API access.
search
Full-text search across posts, pages, and custom post types. Media library search with date and MIME filters.
web-browsing
Fetch and read external web pages, JSON APIs, and RSS feeds. Supports text, HTML, and JSON output formats.
image-processing
Resize, crop, compress, and convert images locally (no credits). Covers AI editing and upscaling too.
data-analysis
Analyse spreadsheet and tabular data: column stats, summaries, frequency breakdowns, and report export.
content-planning
Review the publishing calendar, schedule drafts for future publication, and fill content gaps.
woocommerce
Full store management: orders, products, customers, stock, refunds, coupons, and store analytics.
comment-moderation
Review the comment queue, approve or spam comments, and post admin replies.
translation
Translate post content, product descriptions, or any text while preserving HTML and shortcodes.
code-review
Review WordPress theme/plugin PHP and JS for security (XSS, SQLi, nonces), WPCS, and performance.
accessibility
Audit post content and pages for WCAG A/AA compliance: headings, alt text, contrast, and ARIA.
doc-coauthoring
Collaborative document drafting: brief, draft, review, and refine in structured stages.
internal-comms
Write internal communications: memos, project updates, meeting notes, and policy announcements.
frontend-design
Build production-grade UI: Gutenberg blocks, admin pages, theme templates, and standalone components.
mcp-builder
Build Model Context Protocol servers in Python or TypeScript to expose WordPress to AI tools.
skill-creator
Design and write SKILL.md files for this plugin. Includes trigger writing, workflow structure, and testing.
Send emails via the configured Email channel. Supports HTML, CC, and reply-to. Requires Pro.
Browse Community Skills
Curated skills verified to work with Agent Builder. Import any skill directly from your WordPress admin.
Managing Skills
In your WordPress admin, go to Agentic → Tools & Channels → Skills to:
- Create your own skills from scratch
- Import curated skills with one click from the Recommended section
- Browse Community to search the OpenClaw skill registry
- Assign skills globally or to specific assistants
- Toggle skills on/off without deleting them
Contribute a Skill
Built a useful skill?
Share your SKILL.md with the community. We’ll review it for compatibility and publish it in the curated directory.