Create and install skills

You can add skills to DataMind Oda in two ways: ask Oda to create one in a chat, or install one you already have, from a folder, a .zip file or a link. A saved skill lives in your skills folder and works in your chats; how skills then run in chats is on Skills in chat.

Ask Oda to create a skill

1. Describe the work you repeat, or ask for the skill directly, for example Create a skill that checks our weekly numbers. Oda suggests the shape, and a one-off task does not need a skill.
2. Agree the name and the description. The name is lowercase words joined by hyphens, at most 64 characters, and it becomes how you run the skill: /<name>. The description, at most 1024 characters, says what the skill does and when to use it.
3. Oda drafts the skill and asks you to save it. The request reads Create the skill "<name>" in your skills folder? and lists what will be written, as described below. Approve it.
4. When it is saved, the chat shows the result: Created, or Updated when a skill of that name was replaced. The skill is available now: run it with /<name>.

• A draft follows the same rules as any skill file: a name of lowercase words joined by hyphens, a description of at most 1024 characters, and instructions; the optional when-to-use line is at most 1024 characters. Skill files and discovery covers the file itself.

Install a skill from a folder, a ZIP file or a link

Give Oda a source: the path of a folder or a .zip file on this computer, or an https link, such as a GitHub repository, a folder inside it, a SKILL.md page or its raw file. When you only have a name, Oda can search for a source and shows you what it found.

1. Oda reads the source first. This preview writes nothing and asks nothing; it reports what the source holds: The source <src> holds the skill "<name>". Nothing was written.
2. Review the preview. It shows the start of the skill's SKILL.md, and a long file ends with [the rest of SKILL.md is not shown].
3. Confirm the save. The request reads Install the skill "<name>" in your skills folder? and lists what will be written, as described below.
4. On approval, Oda saves the files, and the chat shows the result: Installed. The skill is available now, the same as a created one.

For a link, a few rules apply:

• It must be https: Only https links are supported; "<value>" is not one.
• It must carry no user name or password: Links with a user name or password are not supported.
• It must be on the public internet: <host> is not a public internet address, so nothing is downloaded from it.
• It may redirect at most five times, and the download stops at its size caps: 5 MB per download, 1 MB per file, 200 files per skill.

What the approval request shows

Both flows end at the same kind of request, and nothing is written until you approve it. The request names the skill and lists what will be saved:

• Source: where the skill comes from.
• Downloaded from: the addresses the files are fetched from, when they are downloaded.
• Folder: where the skill will be written, your skills folder.
• Description and When to use: the lines from the skill's file.
• Files: the count and the total size, then one line per file.
• Not saved: anything left out, one per line, with the reason, such as file type not allowed or larger than <size>.

It closes with The files are only saved, never run.

• A replacement request adds This replaces your existing skill "<name>"; its current version is kept, and you can restore it in Settings > Skills.
• Only text files and images are saved. Hidden files, symbolic links and names Windows cannot use are left out and listed with the reason.
• With Full access, the request is skipped: Oda writes the skill and says so with The session has Full access, so it was written without an approval prompt.

After a save

• Run the skill with /<name> in your chats, or let Oda pick it up for a matching task (Skills in chat).
• If the list of skills has not caught up with the save yet, Oda says The skill list has not picked it up yet; it becomes available as /<name> within a few seconds.
• If a skill of the same name sits nearer in your workspace, /<name> runs the nearer skill; Oda tells you when that happens.
• If the skill replaced an existing one, the earlier version is kept; restore it any time in Settings > Skills (Skills in Settings).

If the save does not go ahead

Nothing is written when the request does not go ahead:

• If you decline, Oda is told The user declined, so nothing was written. and asks what to change before trying again.
• If the request is cancelled: The approval request was cancelled, so nothing was written.
• If no one could answer the request: No one could answer the approval request, so nothing was written.
• In a session where approval prompts are turned off and Full access is not granted, skills cannot be added from the chat: Approval prompts are turned off in this session and it does not have Full access. Add the skill in Settings > Skills instead (Skills in Settings), or continue in a session that has Full access or can ask for approval.

If the source cannot be read

A source that does not work is refused before anything is written. The answer names the reason:

• No usable source: Give a folder, a .zip file, or an https link to read the skill from.
• A path that is neither an absolute path nor an https link: "<x>" is not an absolute path or an https link.
• A path that is not there: "<x>" does not exist.
• Nothing to install in the folder or archive: The source has no SKILL.md file.
• A source that holds several skills: The source holds <n> skills: <list>. Name the one to install.
• A link that cannot be read: Nothing was found at <url>., <url> answered with HTTP status <status>., or <url> did not answer within <n> seconds.
• A link that is not allowed: Only https links are supported; "<value>" is not one., Links with a user name or password are not supported., <host> is not a public internet address, so nothing is downloaded from it., or <url> redirects more than 5 times.
• A download over the caps: <url> is larger than <size>.
• A GitHub repository that is too large to list: The repository <owner>/<repo> is too large to list. Give the link of the skill folder instead.
• GitHub over its hourly limit: GitHub refused the request because the hourly limit for this computer is used up. Try again later, or download the repository as a .zip file and install it from that file.
• GitHub not finding the repository or the branch: GitHub has no public repository <owner>/<repo>., or GitHub has no branch or tag of <owner>/<repo> that matches the link. Check it, or note that private repositories cannot be read.

If the same answer comes back, keep the message and contact your DataMind OS administrator; Updates and troubleshooting covers what to send.

Questions, answered

Do I have to approve a new skill before it is saved?

Yes. Nothing is written until you approve the request, and the request lists every file that will be saved. The only exception is a session with Full access: Oda writes the skill without asking and says so with The session has Full access, so it was written without an approval prompt.

What can I install a skill from?

An absolute folder path or a .zip file on this computer, or an https link: a GitHub repository or a folder inside it, a SKILL.md page or its raw file. A link must be https, carry no user name or password, and sit on the public internet.

Can Oda find a skill for me, or do I need a link?

Either. Give Oda a folder, a .zip file or a link; when you only have a name, Oda can search for a source and shows you what it found. Nothing is installed until you approve it.

Can I replace a skill I already have?

Yes, with your agreement. Oda never replaces a skill silently: an existing name is refused first with A skill named "<name>" already exists in the user's skills., and Oda asks whether to replace it. The request then adds This replaces your existing skill "<name>"; its current version is kept, and you can restore it in Settings > Skills. The earlier version stays in the skill's history.

Oda said nothing was written. Was anything saved?

No. That sentence comes from the preview Oda runs before an install: it reads the source and reports what it holds without writing anything. Nothing is saved until you approve the request; if you decline or cancel, nothing is written either.

Why can't I add a skill from this chat?

In some sessions approval prompts are turned off and Full access is not granted, so skills cannot be added from the chat: Approval prompts are turned off in this session and it does not have Full access. Add the skill in Settings > Skills instead (Skills in Settings), or continue in a session that has Full access or can ask for approval.

Why was my link refused?

Oda reads links only when they are https, carry no user name or password, sit on the public internet, and redirect at most five times; a download also stops at its size caps. The answer names the reason, such as Only https links are supported; "<value>" is not one. or <host> is not a public internet address, so nothing is downloaded from it.

The source holds several skills. Which one is installed?

None until you choose: Oda lists them and asks which one to take, with The source holds <n> skills: <list>. Name the one to install. Name the skill you want, then approve the save.

Why are some files of a skill left out?

Only text files and images are saved. Hidden files, symbolic links and names Windows cannot use are left out, and each appears under Not saved with the reason, such as file type not allowed or larger than <size>. Review the list before you approve; the skill is saved without those files.

Can I run a new skill right away?

Yes. A saved skill is available now: run it with /<name> in your chats. If the list of skills has not caught up yet, Oda says The skill list has not picked it up yet; it becomes available as /<name> within a few seconds.