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Skills are specialized prompts that enhance OpenHands with domain-specific knowledge, expert guidance, and automated task handling. They provide consistent practices across projects and can be triggered automatically based on keywords or context.

Official Skill Registry

The official global skill registry is maintained at github.com/OpenHands/skills. Browse community-shared skills, contribute your own, and learn from examples created by the community.

How Skills Work

Skills inject additional context and rules into the agent’s behavior through:

Skills Support Matrix

PlatformSupport LevelConfiguration MethodImplementationDocumentation
CLI✅ Full Support.openhands/microagents/ directoryFile-based markdownSkills Overview
SDK✅ Full SupportProgrammatic Skill objectsCode-based configurationSDK Skills Guide
Local GUI✅ Full Support.openhands/microagents/ + UIFile-based with UI managementLocal Setup
OpenHands Cloud✅ Full SupportCloud UI + repository integrationManaged skill libraryCloud UI

Platform-Specific Differences

  • CLI
  • SDK
  • Local GUI
  • OpenHands Cloud
  • File-based configuration in .openhands/skills/ directory
  • Markdown format for skill definitions
  • Manual file management required
  • Supports both general and keyword-triggered skills

Skill Types

Currently supported skill types:
  • General Skills: Repository-wide guidelines and best practices
  • Keyword-Triggered Skills: Activated by specific keywords in user prompts
  • Organization Skills: Team or organization-wide standards
  • Global Skills: Community-shared skills and templates

Getting Started with Skills