writing-skills

To structure a SKILL.md file for agent loading, include mandatory YAML frontmatter fields for name, description, and auto_load, followed by a concise Markdown body that defines the skill and loads into LLM context.

The best way to define Harness skills is standardizing SKILL.md files with a consistent YAML frontmatter schema and structured Markdown body, ensuring reliable agent auto-discovery and on-demand loading.

The agent runtime discovers and loads new skills by auto-detecting properly formed SKILL.md files with required frontmatter, allowing on-demand loading and API updates to manage agent context.

Yes, YAML frontmatter is required to write effective skills, as it enforces a mandatory schema containing the name, description, and auto_load fields necessary for reliable runtime loading and guardrails.

When crafting skills, you can use optional component directories like scripts/, references/, and assets/ to organize supplementary files alongside your SKILL.md for extended runtime behavior.

Limitations in skill-writing involve ensuring safety considerations and guardrails are met within the SKILL.md structure, requiring properly formed frontmatter and optional components to guarantee reliable agent loading without errors.