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Create and Publish a Skill

There are three ways to add a skill: author it manually, upload an existing skill file, or import from a GitHub repository. Open Build > Skills to start.

Prerequisites​

You need:

  • admin access to Willow
  • for GitHub import: a repository whose root contains a skills/ folder

Create a skill manually​

  1. Open Build > Skills.
  2. Select Add Skill, then Manual.
  3. Fill in the Create Skill form:
    • Name: display name of the skill.
    • Slug: URL-safe identifier, auto-generated from the name.
    • Description: what the skill does and when the agent should use it.
    • Content: the skill body in Markdown.
  4. Select Create Skill to save it as a draft, or Create & Publish to save and publish in one step.
Create Skill form with Name, Slug, Description, and a Markdown content field, plus Create Skill and Create & Publish actions

Upload a skill file​

  1. Select Add Skill, then Upload .md / .zip / .skill.
  2. Choose the file to upload:
    • .md for a single-file skill.
    • .zip or .skill for a skill that includes scripts, references, or assets.
  3. Willow processes the upload:
    • Single-skill zip: Willow imports the skill and opens it for review.
    • Multi-skill zip: If the archive contains more than one folder with a SKILL.md, an import dialog opens. Select which skills to import, review any slug conflicts with existing skills, then confirm. Each selected skill is created or updated in turn and the results are shown per skill.

Import skills from GitHub​

  1. Select Add Skill, then From GitHub.
  2. To import from a private repository, select Connect on the "Connect your GitHub to access private repos" row and authorize Willow. Public repositories need no connection.
  3. Enter the repository in owner/repo format.
  4. Willow imports every skill it finds. The repository should contain a skills/ folder at its root, with each subfolder holding one skill and a SKILL.md file.
Import skills from GitHub dialog with a Connect button for private repos and a repository field using the owner/repo placeholder

To keep imported skills in sync over time, configure a source repository in Skills Settings.

Publish a skill​

A skill created manually (without Create & Publish) starts as a draft. To make it available:

  1. From the Skills list, open the ... menu on the skill row.
  2. Select Publish. The status changes to active.

Create & Publish, and any upload or GitHub import that would publish the skill, saves it first as a hidden draft with a Scanning badge in the Status column. Willow runs the guard checks and AI risk score in the background, then publishes the skill, holds it for review, or rejects it according to your Skills Settings policies. You do not need to publish it yourself; see Review states.

To let people use the skill, assign it to a group. To distribute it through your marketplace, bundle it into a plugin.

What to do next​

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