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Start with a narrow, repeatable task—such as turning meeting notes into a consistent action-item list—and write down its inputs, steps, and expected output. A useful agent skill packages those instructions in a SKILL.md file, with optional supporting files when they make the workflow easier to follow or repeat.
What an agent skill is
An agent skill is a reusable bundle of instructions and, when useful, supporting files—not just a prompt pasted into a chat. Its central file is SKILL.md, which contains the skill’s identifying metadata and operating instructions. OpenAI’s Skills guide describes this folder-based structure.
The details of how a skill is made available depend on the runtime. A folder that one environment discovers locally is not automatically installed in every other agent or API setup.
Choose a small, repeatable job
Pick a task with a recognizable purpose and a predictable result. “Turn rough meeting notes into a concise summary, decisions, and action items” is a stronger starting point than “help with work,” because it tells both the author and the agent what the skill is for.
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Before writing, specify:
- When to use it: the request or situation that should trigger the workflow.
- Inputs: what the user or environment will provide.
- Actions: the steps the agent should take.
- Output: what the finished result should contain and how it should be organized.
Create the minimum skill folder
Begin with one folder and one SKILL.md file. The basic shape is:
meeting-notes-summary/
└── SKILL.mdOpenAI’s guide shows a SKILL.md manifest with front matter followed by Markdown instructions. Its example uses name and description fields; follow the current format required by the runtime where you plan to use the skill.
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- Half Meeting Half Note: 1.MEETING PLANNING: Date, Location, Topic & Attendees 2.MEETING MINUTES: Agenda, Quick Notes & Other 3.NOTES AREA: Lined Page 4.ACTION ITEMS: Action Steps, Person, Due Date & Check Box 5.NEXT MEETING: Date, Time & Location 6.INDEX PAGE: Date, Title, Page Number, which will help create more effective meetings and good results.
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---
name: meeting-notes-summary
description: Turn meeting notes into a concise summary, decisions, and action items.
---
# Meeting notes summary
## When to use this skill
Use this workflow when asked to summarize meeting notes.
## Instructions
1. Read the supplied notes.
2. Identify the main discussion points and decisions.
3. List action items with an owner and deadline only when the notes state them.
4. Return the result using the required sections.
## Output format
- Summary
- Decisions
- Action itemsThis is a starting example, not a claim that every platform requires these exact headings or fields. Check the target platform’s current specification and setup documentation before relying on a particular format.
Write instructions the agent can follow
Keep the workflow direct and operational. State what to do when information is missing or ambiguous instead of inviting the agent to fill gaps with guesses. For example, if notes do not name an action-item owner or deadline, the instructions above say to include one only when the notes provide it.
Rank #3
- Easily Stay On Track & Make The Most Of Your Time: ZICOTOs’ daily planner makes it easier than ever for you to stay organized, reduce stress & enjoy more free time! Arrange your schedule, priorities, to do’s and jot down plans & ideas on the daily notes section
- Smartly Plan Ahead & Boost Your Productivity: Absolutely clever & efficient! With the to do list notebook / notepad you can break down your daily tasks into half-hourly focus blocks and map out priorities & follow-up duties to keep your day on track and enhance productivity
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A practical first draft can use this sequence:
- Define the trigger. Describe the user goal that makes the skill relevant. Avoid a description broad enough to match unrelated tasks.
- Identify the inputs. Explain what material the agent should use and whether the user must supply it.
- Set the procedure. Give the agent a short, ordered workflow. Include important constraints, such as preserving stated facts and not inventing missing details.
- Specify the result. Name the sections, format, or other characteristics the output should have.
- Handle exceptions. Explain what to do if required input is missing, the request falls outside the skill’s scope, or the source material conflicts.
These are useful authoring choices, not universal mandatory headings. The aim is an instruction file that makes the intended task and behavior clear.
Make the name and description useful for discovery
A skill’s name should identify its task, and its description should say what it does and when it applies. In Codex, these fields are primary signals for deciding whether a skill should be invoked and when the rest of SKILL.md should be added to the agent’s context. OpenAI discusses this behavior in Testing Agent Skills Systematically with Evals.
Rank #4
- Easily Stay On Track & Make The Most of Your Time: ZICOTOs’ daily planner makes it easier than ever for you to stay organized, reduce stress & enjoy more free time! Arrange your schedule, priorities, to do’s and jot down plans & ideas on the daily notes section
- Smartly Plan Ahead & Boost Your Productivity: Absolutely clever & efficient! With the planner notebook you can break down your daily tasks into half-hourly focus blocks and map out priorities & follow-up duties to keep your day on track and enhance productivity
- Plenty Of Space For Efficient Planning: Stay focused & manage your time wisely! The 9.3x6.3” (inner pages) work planner & organizer notebook offers ample space for 80 days of life-changing planning with each day being spread across 2 pages - set yourself up for purposeful days
- Now Is The Best Time To Start: The daily planner is undated so you can start to add structure to your schedule and cultivate new planning habits right away! Beat procrastination, boost happiness & make each day count with the hourly planner
- Adds Beauty To Daily Planning: A gorgeous champagne pink cover, chic gold foil letters, a golden ring wire and a clean, easy-to-use layout - enjoy the gorgeous and modern minimalist design of the undated daily planner!
Prefer a concrete description, such as “Turn meeting notes into a concise summary, decisions, and action items,” over a vague one such as “Helps with meetings.” Do not describe capabilities the instructions or files do not actually provide.
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A skill can start with SKILL.md alone. Add other files when they make the workflow clearer, reduce repeated work, or provide material the instructions need. OpenAI’s documentation describes examples including references, scripts, templates, and assets.
Best Value
- Easily Stay On Track & Make The Most Of Your Time: ZICOTOs’ daily planner makes it easier than ever for you to stay organized, reduce stress & enjoy more free time! Arrange your schedule, priorities, to do’s and jot down plans & ideas on the daily notes section
- Smartly Plan Ahead & Boost Your Productivity: Absolutely clever & efficient! With the planner notebook you can break down your daily tasks into half-hourly focus blocks and map out priorities & follow-up duties to keep your day on track and enhance productivity
- Plenty Of Space For Efficient Planning: Stay focused & manage your time wisely! The 9.3x6.3” (inner pages) work planner & organizer notebook offers ample space for 80 days of life-changing planning with each day being spread across 2 pages - set yourself up for purposeful days
- Now Is The Best Time To Start: The daily planner is undated so you can start to add structure to your schedule and cultivate new planning habits right away! Beat procrastination, boost happiness & make each day count with the hourly planner
- Adds Beauty To Daily Planning: A gorgeous terracotta cover, chic gold foil letters, a golden ring wire and a clean, easy-to-use layout - enjoy the gorgeous and modern design of the undated daily planner!
- References: background material or detailed rules the agent may need to consult.
- Scripts: repeatable operations that are better expressed as code, when the runtime supports them.
- Templates: a consistent starting structure for recurring outputs.
- Assets: supporting files required by the task.
Keep the main workflow understandable from SKILL.md. Explain what each added file is for and when to use it; extra files that do not improve the task only make the bundle harder to maintain.
Choose the deployment route for your runtime
There is no single installation procedure that applies to every agent environment. The available route depends on where the skill will run:
| Route | How the skill becomes available | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Configured directory discovery | An environment’s sandbox is configured to expose a capability directory, and the skill is discovered from that location. | Your runtime uses a configured directory for local or sandbox capabilities. Consult the runtime’s documentation for the required directory and configuration. |
| API-hosted skills | The OpenAI API guide documents uploading skill files as a directory multipart request or as a ZIP bundle. | You are setting up a skill through the API’s hosted-skill workflow. Follow the current API guide for the applicable upload and versioning steps. |
OpenAI documents both upload options and sandbox capability-directory discovery in its Skills guide. These describe different availability mechanisms: do not assume that uploading a ZIP configures a sandbox directory, or that placing a folder locally uploads it to the API.
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Review the skill before relying on it
Check the bundle against the target runtime and the task it is meant to handle:
- The name and description identify one specific, recognizable workflow.
- The instructions state when to use the skill, what inputs it expects, what actions to take, and what output to return.
- Missing or uncertain information has a clear treatment rather than an implied invitation to guess.
- Supporting files are necessary, explained, and referenced correctly.
- The front matter follows the current format requirements, and the files are in the documented location or upload format for the intended runtime.
For Codex in particular, clear discovery metadata matters because the name and description help determine when the skill is selected. For other runtimes, verify their own discovery and packaging requirements.
Quick Recap
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