Agent skill · writing content · zed-industries
create-skill
Helps you create new agent skills for Zed. Use this to create a skill, ask about SKILLs.md, or package reusable agent instructions.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific guidelines and templates for creating reusable agent skills that the AI wouldn't generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 88,167 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Creating a Zed Agent Skill Use this skill when the user wants to create, edit, or understand agent skills in Zed. What is a Skill? A skill is a reusable set of instructions that an agent can load on demand. Each skill lives in its own directory and is defined by a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter. Where Skills Live Skills can be placed in two locations: Scope Path When to use ------- ------ ------------- Global ~/.agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md Personal skills, available in all projects Project-local <project>/.agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md Project-specific skills, shared with collaborators through version control Prefer project-local when the skill is specific to a repository. Prefer global when the skill is a personal workflow the user wants everywhere. SKILL.md Format Every SKILL.md must start with YAML frontmatter between --- delimiters: Required Frontmatter Fields name (required): Must be 1–64 characters, lowercase alphanumeric with single-hyphen separators. Must match the containing directory name exactly. Regex: ^[a-z0-9]+(-[a-z0-9]+)$ description (required): Must be 1–1024 characters. This is what the agent sees when deciding whether to use the skill — make it specific and actionable. Optional Frontmatter Fields disable-model-invocation: When set to true, the skill is hidden from the agent's automatic catalog. The user can still invoke it manually via the / slash command menu. Useful for skills that should only run when explicitly requested. Naming Rules The skill name must: Be lowercase letters and numbers only, with single hyphens as separators Not start or end with - Not contain consecutive -- Match the directory name that contains the SKILL.md Good: git-release, pr-review, rust-patterns Bad: Git-Release, pr--review, -my-skill, myskill Writing Good Skill Instructions The body of the SKILL.md (after the frontmatter) contains the instructions the agent will follow. Guidelines: 1. Be direct: Write instructions as if talking to the agent. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills zed-industries/create-skill