Your expertise, in a format AI actually understands.
Every time you open an AI tool, you start from scratch: re-explaining your process, correcting generic advice, steering it back to how you actually work. A skill file fixes that. One file, created once, that teaches any AI your specific methodology.
What is a skill file?
A skill file is a structured document that captures how you work: your tasks, your decision-making process, your constraints, and the tools you rely on. Think of it as a recipe book for your professional methodology, written in a format that AI tools can parse and follow.
No code. No technical setup. The interview does the structuring for you.
Under the hood (for technical users)
---name: marketing-strategydescription: >Develop B2B SaaS positioning, launch strategy,and brand narratives for growth-stage companies.tags: [marketing, B2B, SaaS, positioning]triggers:- build a positioning strategy- plan a product launchmetadata:version: "1.0"---# Marketing Strategy## Core MethodologyStart with Jobs-to-be-Done interviews to map...
- name
- Short identifier for the skill
- description
- When AI tools should activate this skill
- tags
- Categorization for discovery
- triggers
- Phrases that match user requests
What your skill file captures
Your repeatable tasks and workflows. The step-by-step process you follow for an SEO audit, a contract review, or a campaign brief.
Decision rules, thresholds, and judgment calls. When to recommend a full rebrand vs. a messaging refresh. What 'good enough' looks like for a first draft.
Constraints, pitfalls, and edge cases. The mistakes junior hires make. The client requests that sound reasonable but derail timelines.
Deliverables, formats, and tools you use. The exact structure of your audit report. The framework you reach for when scoping a new project.
Why not just use a prompt?
Prompts are disposable. You write them once, they vanish after the session, and you start over next time. A skill file is reusable, structured, and portable.
Re-type your process every session
Write once, reuse across every tool
Freeform text the AI interprets loosely
Structured sections the AI follows precisely
Locked to one tool's format
Portable across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cursor
Five focused phases. Ten minutes total.
The interview is structured so you never wonder what to say next. Each phase targets a specific layer of your expertise.
Your tasks
Identify the repeatable tasks you do regularly.
How you do it
Walk through each task step by step.
Your rules
Capture the rules and thresholds behind your decisions.
When things break
What happens when the normal process breaks.
Wrapping up
Quick wrap-up to confirm everything.
Copy. Paste. Done.
One file works with every tool. No lock-in, no integrations to configure. If your AI tool accepts instructions, it can use your skill file.
ChatGPT
Paste into Custom Instructions
30 secondsClaude
Upload to project knowledge or skills
30 secondsCursor
Drop into your project's skills folder
30 secondsAny AI
Paste into the system prompt
30 secondsReady to try it?
Create your first skill file in 10 minutes. No credit card required.