Add a Skill to Your Agent

This guide walks you through adding a skill to your Tambo agent, testing it, and managing skills over time.

Prerequisites

A Tambo project using OpenAI or Anthropic as the LLM provider
A model that supports skills (see Skills concept page for the full list)

If your project uses an unsupported provider or model, the skills section in your project settings shows a warning with instructions to switch.

Step 1: Create a Skill

You can create a skill from the dashboard, from a file, or via the CLI.

From the dashboard

Open your project in the Tambo dashboard
Navigate to Settings and scroll to the Skills section
Click Create Skill
Fill in the name (kebab-case), description, and instructions
Click Save

From a markdown file via CLI

Write a markdown file with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: code-reviewer
description: "Review code for bugs, security issues, and best practices"
---

You are a code review assistant. When the user shares code:

1. Check for bugs and logic errors
2. Identify security vulnerabilities
3. Suggest improvements for readability and performance
4. Provide specific line-by-line feedback
5. Explain your reasoning for each suggestion

Then upload it:

npx tambo skills add code-reviewer.md

Import a file via the dashboard

In the Skills section, click Import or drag and drop a .md file. Tambo parses the frontmatter and creates the skill.

Tips for writing good instructions

Be specific about what the skill should do and how
Use numbered steps for multi-step workflows
Include examples of expected input and output
Define boundaries (what the skill should NOT do)
Keep instructions focused on a single domain

Send a message that matches the skill's domain. If you created a code-reviewer skill, paste a code snippet and ask for a review. Verify the response follows your instructions rather than giving a generic answer.

If the response does not reflect your instructions, check that the skill is enabled in your project settings and that your model supports skills.

Step 3: Manage Skills

Enable and disable

Toggle individual skills on or off from the Skills section in your project settings, or via the CLI:

npx tambo skills enable code-reviewer
npx tambo skills disable code-reviewer

Disabled skills remain stored but are not passed to the LLM at inference time. This is useful for A/B testing skill configurations or temporarily disabling a skill without deleting it.

Export, edit, and update

npx tambo skills get code-reviewer > code-reviewer.md
# edit the file...
npx tambo skills update code-reviewer.md

Delete

npx tambo skills delete code-reviewer

For the full CLI reference, see CLI Skills Commands.

Next Steps

Skills Concept - Understand how skills work under the hood
Agent Configuration - Configure custom instructions alongside skills
Configure LLM Provider - Choose a model that supports skills