Agent Skills Examples for Vibe Coders

A dead-simple guide to creating Agent Skills - no PhD required.

What Even Is This?

Agent Skills are like instruction manuals for AI agents. Think of them as recipe cards that tell an AI how to do specific tasks. That's it.

The Absolute Minimum

To create a skill, you need:

1. A folder with any name (like my-cool-skill)
2. A file inside called SKILL.md

That's literally it.

Your First Skill in 2 Minutes

Create a folder called hello-skill and put this in SKILL.md:

---
name: hello-skill
description: Says hello to people in a friendly way. Use when the user wants a greeting.
---

# Hello Skill

When activated, greet the user warmly and ask how you can help them today.

Example: "Hello! Great to meet you! What can I help you with?"

Done. You just created an Agent Skill.

Real Example: PDF Extractor

Here's a practical skill that extracts text from PDFs:

---
name: pdf-extractor
description: Extracts text and tables from PDF files. Use when users need to read, analyze, or process PDF documents.
---

# PDF Text Extractor

## When to use this skill
- User uploads a PDF file
- User asks to "read", "extract", or "analyze" a PDF
- User wants data from a PDF document

## Steps
1. Check that the file is actually a PDF
2. Use a PDF parsing tool to extract text
3. Format the output clearly
4. If tables exist, preserve their structure

## Example
User: "Can you extract the text from this contract?"
Action: Extract all text, format paragraphs clearly, highlight any tables or structured data.

Example: Code Reviewer

A skill that reviews code for common issues:

---
name: code-reviewer
description: Reviews code for bugs, style issues, and improvements. Use when users ask for code review, feedback, or to check their code.
---

# Code Reviewer Skill

## What this skill does
Reviews code and provides actionable feedback on:
- Bugs and logic errors
- Code style and readability
- Performance issues
- Security concerns

## Process
1. Read the code carefully
2. Identify issues by category
3. Explain each issue simply
4. Suggest specific fixes
5. Highlight what's done well

## Output format
**Bugs:** List any logic errors
**Style:** Note readability issues
**Performance:** Mention slow operations
**Security:** Flag any vulnerabilities
**Good stuff:** Praise good practices

Keep feedback constructive and specific.

Adding Scripts (Optional)

Want to include actual code? Create a scripts/ folder:

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
└── scripts/
    └── process.py

Reference it in your SKILL.md:

Run the processing script:

scripts/process.py input.txt

Adding Reference Docs (Optional)

For longer documentation, create a references/ folder:

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    └── api-docs.md

Reference it like:

For detailed API information, see [API docs](references/api-docs.md).

The Rules (Keep It Simple)

For the name:
- Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
- Max 64 characters
- Match your folder name
- Good: pdf-processor, code-helper, data-analysis
- Bad: PDF_Processor, -pdf-, pdf--tool

For the description:
- Say what it does AND when to use it
- Max 1024 characters
- Be specific
- Good: "Converts images to different formats (PNG, JPG, WebP). Use when users need to change image file types or optimize images."
- Bad: "Image stuff"

Quick Templates

Analysis Skill

---
name: data-analyzer
description: Analyzes datasets and provides insights. Use when users upload data files or ask for data analysis.
---

# Data Analysis Skill

1. Load the data file
2. Check for missing values or errors
3. Calculate basic statistics
4. Identify patterns or anomalies
5. Present findings clearly with examples

Generator Skill

---
name: email-writer
description: Writes professional emails based on user requirements. Use when users need help composing emails.
---

# Email Writer Skill

Ask the user:
- Who is the recipient?
- What's the purpose?
- What tone? (formal, casual, friendly)

Then write a clear email with:
- Appropriate subject line
- Professional greeting
- Clear body with main points
- Polite closing

Helper Skill

---
name: debug-helper
description: Helps debug errors in code. Use when users share error messages or broken code.
---

# Debug Helper Skill

1. Ask for the error message if not provided
2. Identify the error type (syntax, runtime, logic)
3. Explain what the error means in plain English
4. Show where the problem is
5. Provide a working fix
6. Explain why it works

Pro Tips

1. Start small: Your first skill can be 10 lines. That's fine.
2. Be specific: "Converts CSV to JSON" beats "Works with data"
3. Think about keywords: Include words users might say ("export", "convert", "analyze")
4. Test it: Imagine you're the AI reading this. Does it make sense?
5. Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines: Move long docs to references/

Common Mistakes

❌ Too vague: "Helps with files"
✅ Just right: "Converts CSV files to Excel format. Use when users need Excel spreadsheets from CSV data."

❌ Too complex: 20 pages of detailed instructions
✅ Just right: Clear steps, with details in separate reference files

❌ Bad name: My_Awesome_PDF-Tool!!!
✅ Just right: pdf-converter

What's Next?

1. Create your skill folder
2. Write your SKILL.md
3. Test it with an AI agent that supports Agent Skills
4. Iterate based on what works

That's it. No frameworks, no build tools, no config hell. Just a folder and a markdown file.

Now go make something useful.

Additional Resources

• Full specification: https://agentskills.io/specification
• Validate your skill: Use the skills-ref tool from the agentskills repository
• Examples: Check out community-created skills for inspiration

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Remember: If you can write a README, you can write an Agent Skill. It's literally that simple.