Create a skill

Use conda skill init to create a skill directory and a buildable conda recipe. It gets the paperwork started. The generated instructions are placeholders, so edit and review them before making the skill available to an agent.

If the command is unavailable, follow the Install conda-skills guide first.

Generate the files

From a project directory, run:

conda skill init review-notes --description "Use when reviewing project notes for missing decisions and follow-up work."

The new directory contains:

review-notes/
  SKILL.md
  build.py
  recipe/
    recipe.yaml

SKILL.md contains YAML frontmatter with the skill name and description, followed by placeholder instructions. build.py copies that file into the package. The recipe names the package agent-skill-review-notes and starts at version 0.1.0, build 0. You need to choose a license for your work because the recipe does not assign one.

The command refuses to replace any existing destination, including an empty directory or broken symlink. It creates files under the current directory and does not select a conda environment. Use --global explicitly to create the directory under your home. Running from the home directory without that flag is refused.

For scripts, append --json to get one JSON object containing name, path, and recipe. If you omit --description, replace the placeholder description as well as the body before use. See Skill package format for name and description rules, including Windows-safe directory names.

Write and review the instructions

Replace the body of SKILL.md with the procedure you want an agent to follow. Describe when the skill applies and how to check the result. Keep examples specific to that task. Check any commands and references yourself. Neither init nor package ownership establishes that instructions are safe.

If you add supporting files, update build.py to copy them into the same skill directory and add them to the recipe’s strict package_contents checks. The generated script packages only SKILL.md, so the authoring recipe and build script are not exposed as skill content. See Package a skill for an example with companion files and the containment rules.

Review the package name, version, summary, and license before distribution. The recipe summary uses the validated skill name. Your description is kept out of the summary so it cannot become a rattler-build template expression.

Build and install deliberately

With rattler-build available, run from the new directory:

rattler-build build --recipe recipe/recipe.yaml -c conda-forge

The build produces agent-skill-review-notes-0.1.0-0.conda in the output directory reported by rattler-build. It checks that the package contains share/agent-skills/review-notes/SKILL.md. Build tooling runs build.py, but the plugin itself does not execute skill content.

Install the artifact into a source environment with conda, then check discovery with conda skill list. Package-owned discovery will not find the skill until you install the package. Follow Build and try a skill package for the full build, installation, review, and linking sequence.

Use the interactive guide

Watch the Demos for a recording and text walkthrough of this flow.

conda skill quickstart

Choose new to enter the name and description interactively. The guide previews the destination and asks for confirmation before creating the same files as init.

Home changes require starting the guide with --global. A menu selection alone does not authorize them. For the guide’s link choice, see Use an installed skill.

The guide does not use AI, install packages, or create environments. Both input and output must be terminals, and JSON mode is rejected before prompts. Use the explicit commands for scripts. The first prompt defaults to cancellation and the final confirmation defaults to no.