Skills ( AI tools)

Written By Stanislas

Last updated 19 days ago

Add tools and integrations your agent can use to perform external actions, route to other agents, export files, and more. Skills transform your agent from a conversational assistant into an action-oriented powerhouse. They enable your agent to perform tasks like generating PDF documents, sending emails, querying databases, and connecting to external services.

Skills are the hands of your agent—they let it interact with the world beyond conversation. Without skills, your agent can only talk. With skills, your agent can execute real work.

Overview

Skills are pre-built tools and integrations that extend your agent's capabilities beyond conversation. Each skill represents a specific action your agent can perform when needed.

Continuing from the TalentScout HR agent example, we'll add document export skills so the agent can generate professional PDF and Word documents for recruitment needs.

When you add skills to an agent, the AI automatically knows when and how to use them based on your agent's instructions and the user's request. You don't need to write code—just select the skills you want and configure any required parameters.

What skills enable:

  • Document generation – Export content to PDF, Word, Excel, or other formats

  • Communication – Send emails, post to Slack, create notifications

  • Data operations – Query databases, call APIs, retrieve external data

  • Multi-agent workflows – Route tasks to other specialized agents

  • Advanced processing – Execute Python code, perform calculations, generate images

  • Integration actions – Connect to external tools and automate workflows

Prerequisites

To configure skills for your agent, you need:

  • A Swiftask account (sign up at swiftask.ai)

  • An existing agent (or be in the process of creating one)

  • Objectives and instructions configured for your agent

  • Permission to create or edit agents in your workspace

Step-by-step guide

Continuing from the TalentScout HR agent example, we'll add two document export skills so the agent can generate professional recruitment documents.

1. Navigate to the skills section

After configuring your agent's knowledge base, scroll down or click Skills in the left sidebar of the agent configuration screen.

The skills section displays:

Current skill – Shows skills already added to your agent (initially empty)

Common skills section displays frequently used tools for quick access.

Browse categories section orgazine skills for easy browsing.

Skills enable your agent to have superpowers, allow the agent to perform external actions, route to other agents, and more.

2. Browse available skills

Click the Add skills button in the top-right corner.

A modal opens showing the skills library:

The skills library is organized into categories for easy browsing:

Browse categories:

  • All – View all available skills

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) – AI-powered capabilities like image generation and analysis

  • Business Management – Business operations and workflow tools

  • Commerce – E-commerce and sales integrations

  • Communication – Email, messaging, and notification tools

  • Control Flow – Logic and routing between agents

  • CRM – Customer relationship management integrations

  • Data Analytics – Data processing and analysis tools

  • Databases – Database query and management tools

  • Developer Tools – Code execution and technical utilities

  • Entertainment – Media and content creation tools

  • File Storage – Cloud storage and file management

  • Help Desk & Support – Customer support integrations

  • Human Resources – HR management and recruitment tools

  • Infrastructure & Cloud – Cloud service integrations

  • Language Tools – Translation and language processing

  • Learning & Education – Educational tools and resources

  • Marketing – Marketing automation and analytics

  • MCP tools – Model Context Protocol integrations

  • Multi Agent – Agent routing and orchestration

  • Productivity – Document creation and workflow tools

  • Ready-to-Use skills – Pre-configured common skills

  • Security – Security and compliance tools

  • Smart Home Automation – IoT and home automation

  • Social Media – Social platform integrations

  • Surveys & Forms – Form creation and data collection

  • Testing – Testing and quality assurance tools

  • Travel – Travel booking and management

  • Uncategorized – Other specialized tools

  • Web & App Development – Development and deployment tools

  • Skills in your workspace – Custom skills created by your team

3. Add skills to your agent

For our HR agent, we'll add two document export skills.

Add the PDF export skill and Word document export skill:

  1. Scroll down to find Export content to PDF and Word Document Creation (Export content to word…) in the common skills section

  2. Click the + button next to the skill

The skill is immediately added to your agent.

You can add as many skills as your agent needs. The AI will automatically determine when to use each skill based on the user's request and your agent's instructions.

4. View your configured skills

After adding skills, return to the main skills section. Your added skills now appear in the Current skill table:

The table displays:

  • Name – The skill name (e.g., "Export content to PDF", "Word Document Creation")

  • Category – The skill type (e.g., "PDF Document Creation", "Word Document Creation")

  • Action – Delete (trash icon) or view details (eye icon)

Your agent can now use these skills when responding to user requests.

Understanding skill types

Swiftask offers hundreds of skills across multiple categories. Here are the main types:

Document & file skills

Export content to various formats (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), upload files to cloud storage, or retrieve files from external sources.

Communication skills

Send emails, post messages to Slack or Teams, create notifications, or trigger webhooks to external systems.

Data & database skills

Query SQL databases, retrieve data from APIs, perform calculations, or analyze datasets.

AI & processing skills

Execute Python code, generate images with AI, perform advanced calculations, translate text, or analyze documents.

Integration skills

Connect to external services like CRM systems, project management tools, payment processors, or custom APIs.

Multi-agent skills

Route tasks to other specialized agents, orchestrate complex workflows, or create agent chains for advanced automation.

Ready-to-use skills

Pre-configured skills for common tasks that require no additional setup.

Practical use cases

HR agent with document export

Add PDF and Word export skills so the agent can generate job descriptions, screening reports, and interview guides in professional formats. Users receive downloadable documents ready to use.

Customer support agent with email

Add email skills so the agent can send follow-up messages, escalation notifications, or confirmation emails directly to customers without manual intervention.

Marketing agent with image generation

Add AI image generation skills so the agent can create social media graphics, ad visuals, or presentation images based on campaign descriptions.

Sales agent with CRM integration

Add CRM skills so the agent can create leads, update opportunities, log activities, and retrieve customer data directly from your CRM system.

Data analyst agent with database access

Add database query skills so the agent can retrieve real-time business metrics, generate reports, and answer questions using live data from your databases.

Multi-agent workflow

Add multi-agent routing skills so a general agent can delegate specialized tasks to expert agents (e.g., route legal questions to a legal agent, technical questions to a tech support agent).

Tips & best practices

Start with essential skills only

Don't add every available skill. Start with 2-4 skills that directly support your agent's primary tasks. Too many skills can confuse the agent about which tool to use.

Explicitly reference skills in instructions

Mention skill names in your agent's task instructions. Example: "Use the export_to_pdf tool to create a PDF file." This helps the AI understand when and how to use each skill.

Test skills after adding them

After adding a skill, test your agent by requesting an action that requires that skill. Verify that the agent uses the skill correctly and produces the expected result.

Use descriptive skill names

When you see multiple similar skills, read the descriptions carefully to choose the right one. Some skills have specific use cases or parameter requirements.

Combine skills for workflows

Skills work together. For example, an agent can query a database (database skill), analyze the results (Python skill), generate a report (document export skill), and email it (email skill)—all in one interaction.

Remove unused skills

If you added a skill but your agent never uses it, remove it. Unused skills add unnecessary complexity and can slow down the agent's decision-making.

Check skill requirements

Some skills require configuration (API keys, credentials, parameters). If a skill isn't working, check if it needs additional setup in your workspace settings.

Troubleshooting

The agent isn't using the skill I added

Make sure your agent's instructions explicitly mention when to use the skill. The AI needs clear guidance about when each tool should be used. Example: "After drafting the document, use the export_to_pdf tool."

The skill fails when the agent tries to use it

Some skills require configuration (API keys, database connections, etc.). Check your workspace settings to ensure the skill has the required credentials and permissions.

The agent uses the wrong skill

If your agent has multiple similar skills, it may choose the wrong one. Simplify by removing redundant skills and adding clear instructions about which tool to use for specific tasks.

I can't find the skill I need

Use the search function in the skills library or browse by category. If a skill doesn't exist, check if a similar skill can accomplish the task, or contact your workspace administrator about custom skill creation.

What happens next

Once you've configured your agent's skills, you're ready to move to the next steps:

  • Testing & Iterations – Test your agent with real requests and verify that skills work as expected

  • Sharing your agent – Make your agent available to teammates or deploy it for external use

  • Evaluation & improvement – Monitor agent performance and refine skills based on usage patterns

Your agent now has the knowledge and capabilities it needs to perform real work. The next step is to test it thoroughly and refine based on results.

Additional resources

  • Introduction to Agents – Learn what agents are and how they work

  • Setting objectives & instructions – Define your agent's role and behavior

  • Knowledge base (sources) – Connect documents to your agent

  • Testing & iterations – Refine your agent based on real-world testing

  • Browse skills – Explore the full skills library and integrations

Ready to add skills to your agent? Navigate to the skills section, click "Add skills," and select the tools your agent needs to take action. Your agent will immediately start using these capabilities to deliver better results.