Skill Integration

Skill is the core mechanism for extending Agent capabilities on the Nexent platform. Nexent supports importing externally developed skill packages, and also lets you leverage the platform's natural-language generation features to create new skills quickly.

Integration Methods Overview

Nexent supports multiple Skill integration methods:

Method	Use Case	File Requirements
Upload SKILL.md	Single-file skill, simple scenarios	.md file containing YAML Front Matter
Upload ZIP Package	Multi-file skill with scripts and resources	ZIP package containing SKILL.md

Upload Skill File

Single-File Skill (.md)

Suitable for simple skills that do not contain scripts or extra resources.

File Requirements:

• File name: SKILL.md (or any file name)
• Encoding: UTF-8
• Contains YAML Front Matter with required fields: name, description

Basic SKILL.md Structure:

---
name: csv-analyzer
description: |
  Analyze CSV files and generate data-quality reports. Use this when a user uploads a CSV file and needs a data check.
tags:
  - data-analysis
  - csv
---

# CSV Data Quality Report

## Function Description

This skill analyzes the data quality of CSV files, including:
- Missing-value statistics
- Duplicate data detection
- Field type analysis

## Usage Example

When a user provides a CSV file, the skill runs a data quality check automatically.

Multi-File Skill (.zip)

Suitable for complex skills that bundle auxiliary content such as scripts and resource files.

File Structure:

skill-name.zip
├── SKILL.md              # Required: skill definition file
├── config/
│   ├── config.yaml       # Optional: parameter default values
│   └── schema.yaml       # Optional: parameter type definitions
├── scripts/
│   └── analyze.py        # Optional: Python script
├── examples.md           # Optional: usage examples
└── assets/               # Optional: static resources

Steps

1. Navigate to Skill Repository → My Skills page
2. Click "Create Skill"
3. Select "Upload Skill File"
4. Drag or select a .md / .zip file
5. The system parses the skill and displays its information automatically
6. Review the parsed result, then click "Create" to confirm

Notes

• SKILL.md must contain valid YAML Front Matter
• The name field must not conflict with an existing skill
• SKILL.md inside the ZIP package can be located in the root directory or a subdirectory
• Importing will not overwrite a skill with the same name

SKILL.md Format Reference

Regardless of which integration method is used, the final result is a skill definition in SKILL.md format. Understanding the format helps create higher-quality skills.

YAML Front Matter

---
name: skill-name                    # Required: skill name (English only, lowercase, hyphen-separated)
description: |                     # Required: function description (recommended 1-3 sentences)
  A description that explains what this skill does and when it should be used.
  Recommended to write in the third person.
tags:                              # Optional: tag list
  - tag1
  - tag2
---

Parameter Definition (schema.yaml)

If the skill requires users to fill in parameters, create config/schema.yaml:

query:
  type: string
  required: true
  description: "Search query string"
  description_zh: "Search keyword"
  default: ""

top_k:
  type: number
  required: false
  description: "Number of results to return"
  description_zh: "Number of returned results"
  default: 3

Supported types: string, number, boolean, array, object

Parameter Default Values (config.yaml)

# Initial working path
init_path: "/mnt/nexent"

# Maximum number of returned items
top_k: 5

Special Tags

<reference>: Load Files On Demand

<reference path="examples.md" />

<use_script>: Declare Bundled Scripts

<use_script path="scripts/analyze.py" />

<code>: Show Code Examples

<code>
result = run_skill_script(
    "csv-analyzer",
    "scripts/analyze.py",
    {"--file": "/path/to/data.csv"}
)
</code>

Helper Functions

The following functions are available in skills:

• run_skill_script(skill_name, script_path, params): Execute scripts inside a skill package
• read_skill_md(skill_name, files): Read files inside a skill package

Using Skills in Agents

Assigning a Skill to an Agent

1. Navigate to Agent Development page
2. In "Select Agent's Tools", switch to the Skills tab
3. Click "Select Skill"
4. Find and select the target skill
5. If there are required parameters, configure them and save

Differences Between Skills and Tools

Dimension	Tool	Skill
Granularity	A single atomic operation	A combination of multiple tools, configuration, and documentation
Token cost	Consumes context on every turn	Only loaded when activated
Parameters	Fixed parameter schema	Customizable parameter templates
Distribution	Code-level	ZIP package distribution, plug-and-play

FAQ

Q: Uploading a ZIP package fails with "Missing SKILL.md"

Make sure SKILL.md exists at the root of the ZIP package instead of being placed in a subfolder.

Q: The skill description doesn't take effect

The skill description should be written in the YAML Front Matter description field, not in the Markdown body.

Related Resources

• Agent Configuration — Use Skills in Agents
• Skill System Overview — Deep dive into the Skill mechanism