Using Skills in Eden AI

What a skill is

A skill is a markdown file (SKILL.md) with a name, a one-line description, and instructions. The description tells the AI when the skill applies; the instructions tell it how to do the work. Skills are workspace-wide: every member sees the same list, and anyone can add, edit, or delete them.

A skill can also bundle reference files (examples, templates, style guides). The AI reads those on demand while the skill is active. Bundled scripts are stored and exported with the skill but never executed inside Eden.

Skills differ from Custom AIs: a Custom AI is a full companion with its own knowledge and chat history, while a skill is a lightweight instruction set any chat — including a Custom AI chat — can pick up for the task at hand.

Three ways to add a skill

Open Settings → Skills and click Add skill:

1. 01

   Create in chat

   Opens a new chat with Eden's Build a skill helper active. It interviews you — what should the skill do, when should it trigger, what does good output look like — then drafts the SKILL.md and shows a save card. Click Save and the skill appears in your list. You can also just say "turn this into a skill" in any chat: the AI picks up the helper on its own and builds a skill from what you were doing.

2. 02

   Write skill instructions

   A plain form: name, description, instructions. Eden composes the SKILL.md for you. Editing a skill later reopens the same form pre-filled.

3. 03

   Upload a skill

   Pick or drag in a .md file, or a .zip containing a SKILL.md plus reference files — for example a skill you exported from Claude. Eden stores the file exactly as uploaded. If the name matches an existing skill, you choose Replace or Keep both.

Using skills in chat

There are two ways a skill becomes active in a conversation:

• Pick it yourself. Type / in the composer and choose from the Skills group. A chip with the skill's name appears above the composer.
• Let the AI activate it. Every chat knows your skills' names and descriptions. When your request matches one, the AI activates it and the chip appears so you can see (and remove) it.

Either way, the chip stays active for the whole chat — every message keeps following the skill's instructions until you remove the chip with its ✕. Skills work identically inside Custom AI chats: the Custom AI keeps its personality and knowledge, and the skill adds its method on top.

The built-in skills

Every workspace ships with nine Eden-made skills, badged Eden in the list:

• Skill creator — the "Build a skill" helper behind Create in chat.
• Prompt creator — turns your idea into a verified, low-hallucination prompt and saves it as a note in your library.
• X posts — short-form post drafting for X.
• X threads — multi-tweet thread structure and pacing.
• LinkedIn posts — LinkedIn-native post writing.
• Instagram captions — caption formats that fit the platform.
• YouTube titles — title structures that earn clicks without clickbait.
• Newsletter writer — long-form newsletter drafting.
• Table builder — well-structured tables, trackers, and kanbans: the right columns, view, and starter rows.

Each built-in has an on/off switch in Settings → Skills. Turning one off removes it from the / menu and from auto-activation for the whole workspace; turn it back on any time. Built-ins can be viewed and exported but not edited or deleted — upload or write your own version if you want to change one.

Exporting a skill

Every skill exports byte-exact: hover a skill in Settings → Skills and choose Export. You get the .md file exactly as stored — or a .zip of the skill folder when it bundles reference files. Drop the export into Claude Code's ~/.claude/skills/, upload it to Claude.ai, or add it to a Cursor project and it works unchanged. Eden never rewrites, reformats, or watermarks the file.

Skills through the Eden MCP

If you've connected an AI assistant through the Eden MCP, it can manage your skills too:

• List and read — eden_list_skills and eden_get_skill show what's in the workspace.
• Import — eden_import_skill adds a skill from SKILL.md text (markdown only; use the web uploader for zips with reference files).
• Export — eden_export_skill returns the exact SKILL.md so an agent can install it locally.

So you can tell Claude Code "export my newsletter skill from Eden and install it here", or "import this skill into Eden", and it just works.

Where to go next

• For how chat reads boards and items as context, read chatting with a board.
• For the difference between skills and full AI companions, read what is a Custom AI.
• For connecting outside assistants to your workspace, read the Eden MCP quick start.