Teach it something
it does not know.
A skill is a folder with a markdown file in it. The hard part is not the format — it is the single sentence that decides whether the skill is ever used.
A SKILL.md open: frontmatter with name and description, then the body.
16/9What actually matters
The description is the whole thing
Only the description line is loaded by default. It is what Eshlon reads when deciding whether your skill is relevant. A description that says what the skill *is* gets skipped; one that says *when to use it* gets picked. "Formatting rules for board reports" loses to "Use when writing a report for a board or investor audience."
Write the body for someone competent
The body loads only once the skill is chosen, so length is cheap there — but padding still costs attention. Write the specifics that are not obvious: the conventions, the gotchas, the thing everyone gets wrong the first time. Skip the general advice the model already has.
Put it where Eshlon looks
Skills live in your Eshlon configuration folder. Drop the folder in, restart, and it appears alongside the built-in ones. Built-in skills ship inside the installer, so yours sits next to about thirty that came with the app.
Writing one
- 1Make a folderNamed for the skill, in your Eshlon skills directory.
- 2Write SKILL.mdFrontmatter with a name and a when-to-use description, then the body.
- 3Restart and try itAsk for something the skill covers and see whether it gets picked.
FAQ
What format is a skill?
Markdown with frontmatter. Nothing to compile.
How long can the body be?
Long. It only loads when the skill is chosen.
My skill is never used. Why?
Almost always the description. Rewrite it to say when to use the skill rather than what it contains.