Use an Agent Skill when you want an agent to apply focused instructions flexibly; use a workflow when you must control the exact execution path. In Microsoft Agent Framework for C#, skills can come from files, code, classes, or MCP, and you can combine sources with a provider. The documented APIs are version-sensitive, and the MCP skills API is experimental, so check the documentation for the framework version you use.
What an Agent Skill does
Microsoft defines Agent Skills as “portable packages of instructions, scripts, and resources that give agents specialized capabilities and domain expertise.” A skill provides reusable guidance; the model decides how to apply it rather than following a developer-defined sequence of steps.
Skills use progressive disclosure to make information available as it is needed. Microsoft describes four stages:
- Advertise the skill: Make the agent aware that the skill is available.
- Load its instructions: The agent loads the skill’s core guidance when relevant.
- Read resources: The agent can access supporting material on demand.
- Run scripts: The agent can run a skill’s scripts when needed and when execution is configured and permitted.
This is intended to limit how much context is loaded at once; Microsoft’s documentation does not publish a measured context-saving figure.
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Choose a skill or a workflow
The key difference is control: a skill leaves the method to the AI, while a workflow defines the execution path. Use the option that matches the consequences of getting the sequence wrong.
| Consideration | Agent Skill | Workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | The agent chooses how to apply focused instructions. | The developer specifies which steps run and in what order. |
| Recovery | A retry may repeat work done during the agent’s turn. | Supports checkpointing and resuming after failures. |
| Side effects | Use care if actions could be repeated, such as sending a message or making a payment. | Better suited to controlling side effects and avoiding unsafe repeats. |
| Task shape | Focused work where the agent can choose an appropriate approach. | Deterministic sequences, high-cost retries, complex coordination, or required human approvals. |
Rule of thumb: choose a skill when the AI should figure out how to accomplish a task; choose a workflow when you need to guarantee which steps run and in what order.
Choose a C# skill source
The Microsoft Agent Framework documentation describes four ways to provide skills. The choice determines where skill definitions live and how you manage updates, resources, scripts, and trust.
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| Source | Where it lives | When it fits | Resources and scripts |
|---|---|---|---|
| File-based | Skill folders on disk, containing SKILL.md. |
Skills maintained as files and directories. | Files provide instructions and can include resources and scripts. Configure a script runner if scripts need to execute. |
| Inline | C# code through AgentInlineSkill. |
Dynamic definitions, application-owned content, or skills that need call-site state. | Add resources and scripts with delegates; service injection is available when the agent is constructed with services. |
| Class-based | A C# class derived from AgentClassSkill<TSelf>. |
Skill components that belong alongside application code in a class. | Use [AgentSkillResource] and [AgentSkillScript] annotations for discovery; dependency injection is supported as documented. |
| MCP-based | An MCP server or archive, through UseMcpSkills. |
Skills supplied through MCP. | Documentation describes on-demand skill-md entries and archive entries downloaded and unpacked locally. Scripts in archive skills are never executed. |
Microsoft marks the MCP skills API experimental, so its API may change. Treat an MCP server or downloaded archive as an external trust boundary.
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For a directory of skills, create an AgentSkillsProvider that points to it, then attach that provider through ChatClientAgentOptions.AIContextProviders. For mixed-source configuration, the documented AgentSkillsProviderBuilder.UseFileSkill(...) method adds file skills to a composed provider.
File-based scripts require a compatible script runner if you want them to run. Without one, attempting script execution causes an error; merely providing a skill directory does not configure script execution.
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Define skills in C# or use MCP
Inline skills
Use AgentInlineSkill when definitions are generated dynamically, should live with application code, or need to capture call-site state. It supports adding resources and scripts. When the agent is constructed with services, the documented resource and script delegates can receive an IServiceProvider.
Class-based skills
Derive a class from AgentClassSkill<TSelf>, then annotate resource and script members with [AgentSkillResource] and [AgentSkillScript]. This keeps a skill’s components together in a C# type, with dependency injection available as documented.
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MCP skills
The documented C# route uses the Microsoft.Agents.AI.Mcp package and UseMcpSkills. Microsoft describes MCP skills as either skill-md entries fetched on demand or archive entries downloaded and unpacked locally. Scripts bundled in archive skills are deliberately never executed.
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Combine sources with a provider
AgentSkillsProviderBuilder can compose different skill sources into one provider. The documentation also describes filtering, aggregation, deduplication, caching, and script-runner configuration as provider capabilities. This lets an application organize a single skill interface while retaining distinct sources, such as file-based and code-defined skills.
Control approval and script execution
In Microsoft’s documented Harness setup, all three skill tools require approval by default. The documentation cautions against automatic approval unless the skill sources are trusted. It identifies AgentSkillsProvider.ReadOnlyToolsAutoApprovalRule and AllToolsAutoApprovalRule as options, but advises using them only with trusted sources.
For production script execution, Microsoft recommends considering safeguards such as:
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- Sandboxing scripts.
- CPU, memory, and time limits.
- Input validation and an allow-list of executable scripts.
- Structured logs and audit trails.
These safeguards matter because skill scripts and external skill sources can cross an execution trust boundary. The documented archive behavior for MCP skills is narrower: scripts bundled in those archives are never executed.
Credential choice in the documented setup
The example uses DefaultAzureCredential. Microsoft cautions that production applications should consider a specific credential, such as ManagedIdentityCredential, to avoid latency, unintended credential probing, and fallback risks. Choose based on the deployment environment rather than copying the example credential into production without review.
Check the version-specific API details
Microsoft Learn’s Agent Skills documentation was last updated September 18, 2026. It is the reference for the API names and behaviors described here; confirm package and API availability against the version of Microsoft Agent Framework you are using, particularly for experimental MCP support.
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