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[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]
You can create custom skills for your agent from the Build tab. Skills define reusable capabilities that the agent can activate when a user's request matches the skill's purpose.
Note
This article reflects the new agent experience in Microsoft Copilot Studio, which is currently available as a production-ready preview. Learn about the two experiences in Classic vs. new agent experience.
- Production-ready previews are subject to supplemental terms of use.
- Some capabilities available in the classic experience aren't yet available in the new experience.
- Agents created in the new experience can't be converted to the classic experience.
Prerequisites
- An agent created in the new experience. See Create an agent.
Create a skill from blank
Open your agent in Copilot Studio.
Select the Build tab.
In the components panel, select Skills.
In Add skill, select Create from blank.
Define the skill:
- Name: Enter a descriptive name, such as
customer-support-escalation. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. Don't start or end the name with a hyphen. - Description: Describe what the skill does and when it should be activated. This description helps the orchestration runtime determine when to invoke the skill.
- Instructions: Write Markdown instructions that guide the agent's behavior when this skill is active. Include specific steps, response formats, and any constraints.
- Name: Enter a descriptive name, such as
Select Create. The skill appears in the components panel for your agent.
Tip
After adding a skill, test your agent in the Preview tab to verify the skill works as expected.
Write effective skill instructions
Write skill instructions in Markdown and include:
- A clear description of the task or scenario the skill handles.
- Step-by-step guidance for how the agent should respond.
- Any formatting requirements for responses.
- Edge cases and how to handle them.
- References to tools that the agent should use, if applicable.
Tip
Start with a simple skill and refine it based on testing. You can edit the instructions for skills you create from blank at any time from the skill configuration panel.