Agent Skills

Skills are AI capability definitions that give StudioBrain’s generation engine specialized behaviors. While rules constrain what the AI produces, skills shape how it produces — providing custom system prompts, generation parameters, and targeted expertise for specific entity types or creative tasks.

What Skills Do

A skill packages together:

• A system prompt that primes the AI with domain expertise
• A user prompt template with placeholders for entity data
• Parameters that control generation behavior (temperature, max tokens, style)
• Capability declarations that describe what the skill can do

When a user triggers AI generation on an entity, StudioBrain selects the appropriate skill based on the entity type and the requested action, then uses the skill’s prompts and parameters to guide the output.

Skill Definition

Skills are defined as YAML files. Here is the full structure:

skill_id: character_voice
name: Character Voice Generator
description: Generates dialogue and internal monologue in a character's unique voice
version: "1.0"
category: creative
applies_to: character
tags: [dialogue, voice, personality, writing]
 
prompts:
  system: |
    You are a creative writing assistant specializing in character voice.
    Given a character's personality traits, background, and speech patterns,
    generate dialogue or internal monologue that authentically represents
    their voice. Maintain consistency with established character details.
    Vary sentence structure and vocabulary based on the character's
    education level and cultural background.
 
  user: |
    Character: {{name}}
    Traits: {{traits}}
    Background: {{backstory}}
    Speech patterns: {{speech_patterns}}
 
    Generate {{output_type}} for this character in the following context:
    {{context}}
 
parameters:
  temperature: 0.8
  max_tokens: 1500
  style: narrative
  output_types: [dialogue, monologue, letter, journal_entry]
 
capabilities:
  - entity_read
  - ai_generate

Skill Fields Reference

Top-Level Fields

Prompts

Placeholders in the user prompt are replaced with the target entity’s field values at generation time. Any field from the entity’s template can be referenced.

Parameters

Additional custom parameters can be added and referenced in prompt templates.

Capabilities

A list of capability strings that the skill requires. Most skills need only entity_read and ai_generate, both of which are auto-granted.

Inheritance

Skills follow the same inheritance pattern as templates and rules:

Catalog Standard (_Skills/Standard/)
  └── Custom (_Skills/Custom/)
        └── User (_Skills/ project root)

CatalogSync discovers skill files in skills/ and skills/Standard/ from the catalog repo. Each file must be a YAML file containing a skill_id field to be recognized.

To override a catalog skill, copy it to _Skills/Custom/ with the same filename and modify it.

Directory Structure

_Skills/
  Standard/                   # Skills from the catalog
    character_voice.yaml
    world_consistency.yaml
    narrative_helper.yaml
  Custom/                     # User overrides
    character_voice.yaml      # Overrides Standard version
  my_project_skill.yaml       # Project-level skill

Starter Skills

StudioBrain ships with several starter skills in the catalog:

character_voice

Generates dialogue and internal monologue in a character’s established voice. Uses personality traits, speech patterns, and background to maintain authenticity.

Applies to: character Output types: dialogue, monologue, letter, journal entry

world_consistency

Checks generated content against established world rules, locations, factions, and timelines. Flags contradictions and suggests corrections.

Applies to: all entity types Output types: consistency report, suggested fixes

narrative_helper

Assists with plot development, scene transitions, and story arc progression. Considers existing characters, locations, and events when generating narrative content.

Applies to: document category entities Output types: scene outline, transition text, arc summary

How Skills Are Used

1. The user selects an entity and triggers AI generation (via the Generate button, AI sidebar, or keyboard shortcut).
2. StudioBrain finds all skills that apply to the entity’s type (via applies_to).
3. If multiple skills match, the user chooses which skill to use (or the system picks the most specific one).
4. The skill’s system prompt is set as the AI system message.
5. The skill’s user prompt template is populated with the entity’s field values.
6. Applicable rules are injected as additional constraints.
7. The AI generates content using the skill’s parameters.
8. The output is presented to the user for review and acceptance.

Creating a Custom Skill

# _Skills/Custom/recipe_chef.yaml
skill_id: recipe_chef
name: Chef Assistant
description: Generates recipes with professional culinary techniques and plating suggestions
version: "1.0"
category: creative
applies_to: recipe
tags: [cooking, culinary, plating, technique]
 
prompts:
  system: |
    You are a professional chef with expertise in multiple cuisines.
    Generate recipes with precise measurements, professional techniques,
    and plating suggestions. Consider ingredient seasonality and
    accessibility. Include chef's tips for common mistakes.
 
  user: |
    Cuisine: {{cuisine}}
    Dish type: {{dish_type}}
    Dietary restrictions: {{dietary_restrictions}}
    Skill level: {{skill_level}}
 
    Generate a complete recipe including ingredients, technique-focused
    steps, plating suggestions, and chef's tips.
 
parameters:
  temperature: 0.6
  max_tokens: 2000
  style: technical
  output_types: [full_recipe, quick_version, plating_guide]
 
capabilities:
  - entity_read
  - ai_generate

Marketplace Integration

Skills appear in the Skills tab of the marketplace. Users can browse, install, and manage skills the same way they manage plugins and templates.

Each marketplace skill entry shows:

• Name, description, and author
• Which entity types it targets
• Version and category
• Whether it is official or community-contributed

Next Steps

• Template System Overview — What templates are and how they work
• AI Generation Rules — Constraints that complement skills
• Inheritance & Overrides — How resolution layers work