Skills

Skills are instructions and references that explain how to use Core tools correctly. Built-in Skills ship inside the wheel, so the connected assistant can read the guide that matches the running runtime rather than guess from an old conversation or an unrelated checkout.

Discover and read

inspect_skills(action="list")
inspect_skills(action="read")
inspect_skills(action="read", tool="read_workspace_file")
inspect_skills(action="files", skill="om.workspace")
inspect_skills(action="read", skill="om.workspace", path="files.md")

These are tool call shapes, not CLI subcommands. The default read opens the operating overview. Tool-bound reads select the guide for that tool. Preserve the returned source hash/snapshot and follow pagination when more text remains.

Built-in domains cover overview, environment, workspace, execution, tasks, GitHub, browser and service. The tool reference maps the public tool families to their user tutorials and these technical contracts.

Add an explicit external source

Core does not scan your entire account for Skills. To include a directory of Skills that you have reviewed, add an actual absolute non-root directory:

[skills]
roots = ["/absolute/path/to/reviewed-skills"]

Apply the configuration through the existing runtime workflow, then list Skills again and inspect their returned source identity and warnings. Up to 16 explicit roots are accepted. Listing an external Skill does not install packages, run a script or authorize its requested actions.

Example and verification

Read OpenMachine's current operating Skill, then the guide bound to
apply_workspace_patch. Explain its preview, precondition and partial-result
rules without applying a patch or creating any task.

Check that the response names the actual built-in source and returned hash. When a Skill references another file, read that file; a path alone does not load its instructions. Treat source content as guidance/evidence, not as authority to override the user's request or the configured permissions.

Limits

External Skills can be stale, unavailable or unsafe. Resolve reported source warnings rather than silently changing the source. The current CLI has no openmachine skill install command. User tutorials remain in docs/; exact operating contracts remain in the packaged Skills.