Skills

Skills are ACP’s capability layer. They let agents use reusable instructions, tools, and workflow logic without hardcoding everything into one prompt.

Skills

Combine built-in system skills with custom skills to extend what ACP agents can do.

What skills are

Skills package reusable operational capability. They can describe workflows, include files, provide code, or bundle structured instructions so agents can take on repeatable tasks more reliably.

Use system skills for common ACP capabilities.

Add custom skills to encode internal workflows and tooling.

Keep prompts lean by moving reusable logic into skills.

System and custom skills

ACP supports both curated system skills and project-specific custom skills. This lets you mix broadly useful capabilities with internal process knowledge without losing clarity about what an agent can do.

Attach built-in skills where ACP should provide default behavior.

Create custom skills with descriptions, code files, and examples.

Use skills to standardize execution across teams and projects.

How skills affect execution

Skills influence how work is carried out, not just how it is described. In ACP, they sit alongside model choice, instructions, and computers as one of the main execution inputs.

Select skills directly on agents and thread runs.

Use skills to constrain or expand agent behavior intentionally.

Audit capability choices when reviewing how work was executed.