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A skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with reusable instructions. Use one for a repeatable task such as reviewing accessibility, investigating a bug, or following a release checklist. When you invoke a skill in Kisuke, its contents become context for the request. For conventions that apply throughout a project, start with project instructions. To connect an external tool or data source, configure an MCP server. A skill’s instructions alone do not establish that connection. Skills are discovered from several harnesses’ directories. You do not need a separate copy just to select the same skill in another Kisuke harness. The model, tools, and permissions available to the request still depend on the conversation.

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Choose a scope

Put project skills on the device that owns the project. User paths refer to the home folder of the user running Kisuke’s daemon on that host; they do not mean the home folder of every device viewing the conversation.

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Add a project skill as a file

Create this structure in your project’s working folder:
Use a short folder name such as review-trails for invocation. Add a one-line name and description between the opening --- fences, followed by the instructions:
Adapt the instructions to a concrete task and describe the result you expect. Keep the description on one line so Kisuke can display it in the catalog. The folder must contain a file named SKILL.md; a Markdown file placed directly in the skills directory is not the same structure. Project skill files can be versioned with your repository. Check the project’s ignore rules before expecting them to appear in Git.

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Create a skill in Settings

The desktop Settings → Skills page includes All, Project, and User filters, a Refresh control, and separate buttons for creating a skill or command.
  1. Choose + Skill.
  2. Enter a Name and a short Description.
  3. Choose the Scope. User is the initial selection. Project is available only when the form has a project context.
  4. Enter the instruction body under Skill Instructions.
  5. Choose Create Skill and check the result in the list.
If Project is disabled, use the project-file method above. An open project elsewhere in the app does not necessarily give the global settings form a project context. Skills created through this form are saved under .claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md, either in the host user’s home folder or in the project. Kisuke normalizes the name into a folder name; using lowercase letters and hyphens makes the invocation predictable.

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Invoke a skill

  1. Open a conversation for the intended project.
  2. Type / followed by the skill’s folder name. Check the scope and description, then choose the matching skill from the composer menu.
  3. Add the task-specific instructions after the skill chip.
  4. Send the message.
For the example skill, your additional instructions could be:
Selecting a skill adds it to the draft; sending the draft submits the request. If more than one skill has the same name, use the scope and path shown in the menu to select the intended one.
The Project section of the slash menu shows the review-trails skill.

The review-trails skill appears under Project in Zen's slash menu.

An unsent Zen draft combines the review-trails skill chip with a request to review index.html for keyboard use, reload persistence, and Reset. Pi and DeepSeek V4 Flash are selected with Ask first permissions.
If you added the skill while a chat was already open and it is missing from the menu, open a new conversation in the same project and search again. A file saved on another device does not become a project skill on this host automatically; see Device Sync for its supported scope. You can also invoke a skill explicitly by folder name:
Name-based lookup checks project locations before user locations. When names collide, selecting the exact menu entry gives Kisuke the specific skill path. If that selection has been moved or removed, Kisuke asks you to select it again rather than substituting another skill with the same name.

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Check the result

Read the response alongside the task you sent. Confirm that it addresses the requested files and follows the skill’s review procedure. Inspect file references and tool results before treating a finding as verified. In the example above, Pi with DeepSeek V4 Flash received both the saved SKILL.md contents and the separate review request. It read index.html, returned three findings, and marked browser checks as not run. The review did not edit the project or run tests. A source review can explain how persistence or keyboard controls are implemented. Use Browser to check the actual interaction, or request a separate test run when you want execution. Keep unperformed checks separate from observed results.

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Existing skill locations

Kisuke scans these locations for skill folders:
  • Shared agent skills: project .agents/skills; user ~/.agents/skills.
  • Claude: project .claude/skills; user ~/.claude/skills.
  • Codex: project .codex/skills; user ~/.codex/skills.
  • OpenCode: project .opencode/skills; user ~/.config/opencode/skills.
  • Gemini: project .gemini/skills; user ~/.gemini/skills.
Each skill is an immediate child folder containing SKILL.md. Hidden child folders are skipped. Links to the same underlying skill are deduplicated in the catalog. Kisuke also has a user-skill synchronization mechanism that can create directory links into ~/.claude/skills, ~/.codex/skills, and ~/.agents/skills. Existing files, directories, and links not managed by Kisuke are left in place. This mechanism does not create those links inside your project. Native command-line tools have their own loading behavior; discovery in Kisuke does not prove that every external tool has loaded the skill. For synchronization between computers, enable Skills in Device Sync. That category is off by default and covers supported user skill folders, separately from the local directory links described above.

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Edit a skill or use a command instead

Use a skill’s edit control in Settings to change its instructions, then choose Save Changes. You can also edit SKILL.md directly. Changing the displayed name of an existing skill in Settings does not rename its folder; use the folder name shown in the composer for invocation. Skills and commands share the settings list, but serve different purposes:
  • A skill adds reusable instructions as context alongside your request.
  • A command uses a saved prompt template as the message, replacing $ARGUMENTS with the arguments you provide.
Choose a skill for a reusable procedure. Choose a custom command for a prompt you want to fill in repeatedly. A command without an argument placeholder can send when you select it, so read its template before invoking it.

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Troubleshoot discovery and invocation

Keep a copy before using the delete control: deleting a skill removes its folder and supporting files, not just its entry from the list.