Stage 4: Equip
Teach it skills
A skill is a saved set of steps your AI follows for one kind of task. This stage shows how skills work, and one habit for bigger jobs. About 15 minutes.
Using ChatGPT? Skills there depend on your plan. The lesson below works in any AI app.
How skills work
A skill is a small folder with one main file. That file says what the skill is for, and the steps to follow.
Your AI reads a one-line description of every skill you’ve added. When your request matches one, it opens that skill and follows its steps. You don’t have to name it. “Help me plan a trip” can be enough, though you can also ask for a skill by name.
Lesson: plan it, then try to break it
Before a bigger job, like building your own skill, ask for a short plan you can check. Then ask your AI to argue against it. AI tends to agree with you, so you have to ask it to push back.
Step 1: get a plan
I want to [your goal]. Before doing anything, write a short plan: what it's for, who it's for, what's left out, the steps, and how we'll know it worked. Then stop and wait for my OK.
Step 2: try to break it
Now argue against this plan. Imagine it failed a month from now. List the three most likely reasons, and the cheapest test for each. Don't be polite.
What you should see: a short plan first, then three honest reasons it could fail, each with a test you can try.
If it doesn’t look right
- If it just praises the plan, reply: “Assume it failed. Why?”
- If the plan is long, reply: “Cut it to one screen.”
Starter skills
These four are in testing. The earliest they can be ready is late November.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Instructions interview | Stage 1 as a skill. It interviews you, then writes your instructions: the short note your AI reads before every chat. |
| Memory starter | Stage 2 as a skill. It makes your memory folder of text files for you. |
| Health check | Stage 3 as a skill: the monthly health check that reports problems and changes nothing. |
| Handoff | Stage 0, lesson 4 as a skill. It sums up a long chat so you can carry on in a fresh one. |
A skill goes public only after it passes the four checks on the Toolshed. Until then, the copy-and-paste steps on each stage page do the same job.
Want to try a skill today? Anthropic has ready-made ones. See how to add a skill.