Skills: loading and running

A skill is a reusable set of instructions for a task, with a description that says when to use it. In DataMind Oda, your skills appear in the message box: run one yourself with /<name>, or let Oda load the skill that fits your task.

What Oda knows about your skills

Oda works from a list of the skills available in the chat. For each skill Oda sees the name and a short description, cut at 500 characters, and chooses by that description alone.

• When your task matches a description, Oda loads the skill's full instructions and follows them from then on.
• The list is kept current as the work goes, and it is put back after a long chat is compacted; a change to a skill's name or description refreshes it by the next step of the work.
• It never lists a skill that Oda may not load on its own.

Let Oda load a skill

When a task matches a skill's description, Oda loads it by itself: the chat shows a Load skill <name> card, and Oda follows the skill's instructions from then on.

• Oda must use the exact skill name from the chat's list.
• A skill kept for you alone cannot be loaded this way; run it yourself with /<name>.

Run a skill yourself

1. Type / in the message box. The menu lists the skills of the open chat; names that start with what you type come first.
2. Pick a skill, or type /<name> anywhere in your message, for example /review-checklist.
3. Send the message. Oda loads the skill's instructions and follows them.

• Picking from the menu adds the name and a space (/<name> ), so you can keep typing.
• A / name counts when it stands alone: /review-checklist inside a sentence works, but /review-checklist/notes and a fraction like 5/8 stay ordinary text.
• A skill mentioned twice in one message loads once.
• A skill that Oda may not load on its own is marked user-only in the menu; /<name> is the way to run it.
• The menu stays current as you work, including when the chat's preset changes. It is not offered in read-only views or in a chat opened from history.
• The menu also carries the chat's commands; see Chat with Oda.

Read skill activity in the chat

Every load appears in the chat as a Skill row.

• The summary is the skill's name; a load that was stopped reads Skill load stopped, and a failure shows the first line of the error, with the full text when you expand the row.
• Expand the row to read the start of the skill's instructions under Instructions.
• Inspect (shown when you hover or focus the row) opens the skill's file in the side panel; expand or collapse the row with a click, Enter or Space.
• The chat announces a load with Loading skill; a failed load reads Skill load failed. Raw call arguments never appear in the row.

When two skills share a name

When the same name exists in more than one place, the nearest definition wins; Skill files lists the places in order. If a skill other than yours takes precedence here, the chat says: Another skill named "<name>", such as a project skill, takes precedence in this workspace, so /<name> runs that one here.

To add a skill, see Create and install skills; to edit, restore or delete one, see Manage your skills; the skills that come with Oda are listed on Bundled skills.

Questions, answered

Does Oda use skills on its own, or do I have to run them?

Both. Oda loads a skill by itself when your task matches its description, and you can run a skill with /<name> at any time. A skill can also be set so that only you can start it, or only Oda can; that setting lives in the skill's file (see Skill files).

What does Oda know about my skills before it loads one?

The name and the short description. Oda chooses from the description; the full instructions are read only when it loads the skill, and it follows them from then on.

Why did typing a skill name with / do nothing?

A / name runs only when it stands alone and matches a skill exactly, so type the name as it appears in the menu, for example /review-checklist. A path like /review-checklist/notes and a fraction like 5/8 stay ordinary text, and so does a name that matches no skill.

Why did a skill fail to load?

• skill "<name>" is unknown or no longer available: the skill was deleted or renamed. A deleted skill can be restored in Settings > Skills; see Manage your skills.
• skill "<name>" is not available for model invocation: the skill is set to wait for you, so Oda cannot load it on its own. Run it yourself with /<name>.
• invalid skill name "<name>": the name is not a valid skill name. Skill names are lowercase words joined by single hyphens, such as review-checklist.

Why is a skill missing from the / menu?

A skill can be kept for Oda alone: it does not appear in your menu, and Oda can still load it when a task fits. That setting lives in the skill's file; see Skill files.

How quickly do skill changes reach an open chat?

The chat follows your changes without restarting Oda: a skill you add, rename or delete reaches the list it works from by the next step, and a skill's instructions are read fresh each time it loads, so editing instructions needs no restart either. In the menu, a skill added just now can take a few seconds to appear; until it does, the chat says: The skill list has not picked it up yet; it becomes available as /<name> within a few seconds.

Do skills keep working in a long chat?

Yes. The list of skills Oda works from is kept current and is put back after a long chat is compacted. When it changes, Oda is told to use only the names in the current list, not names from earlier lists.

How can I read a skill's instructions myself?

Expand the skill's row in the chat to read the start of its instructions under Instructions, or use Inspect to open the skill's file in the side panel.

Can Oda use more than one skill for a task?

Yes. When several skills fit the task, Oda can load more than one and follow them together.