What is an AI agent skill?

Start with the agent

An AI agent is a program you chat with that can also read files and run commands on your computer. Popular agents include Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and OpenCode. Some open in a terminal, the text window where you type commands. Cursor opens a chat inside its editor.

Agents are useful on their own. They can explain code, edit a file or answer a question. But each new job starts from a blank conversation. You explain the steps again, and results vary.

What a skill adds

A skill is a packaged workflow for an agent. It bundles instructions, scripts, checks and output settings into one folder. When you ask the agent to use a skill, it reads that folder and follows the steps.

Think of it as a recipe. The agent is the cook. The skill lists ingredients, timing and plating. It also tells the agent which tools to check and which formats to export.

Skillnai skills are built for creative output. They aim at video, slides and images, with layouts for 16:9 landscape and 9:16 vertical. The skill carries the format rules, so you do not repeat them in every prompt.

What you can make

The library covers a range of jobs. These are real skills from the catalogue.

• Launch Film (Pro) turns a product URL into a 60 to 90 second launch film, with a 16:9 master and a 9:16 cut.
• Repo to Demo (free) reads a repository or pull request and renders a 30 to 60 second feature demo in both formats.
• Caption Studio (Pro) turns a talking-head clip into a 9:16 video with word-by-word captions, plus a 16:9 cut.
• Explainer Motion (Pro) builds a narrated explainer from a topic or doc, then exports 16:9 and 9:16 edits.
• Data Story (free) reads a CSV and returns an animated chart story in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1.
• Keynote Deck (free) turns an outline into a 16:9 HTML deck, an editable PPTX and a 9:16 narrated version.
• Cover Kit (free) makes matching covers at 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 from one title.

There are also skills for product shorts, lyric videos and carousel cards. Browse skills to see the full set.

What runs on your computer

The work happens locally. Your agent writes the skill into its own skills folder, such as ~/.claude/skills for Claude Code or ~/.cursor/skills for Cursor.

Skillnai skills need Node 20 or newer, FFmpeg and Chrome. Node runs the build scripts, FFmpeg handles video and audio, and Chrome renders the frames. Run npx skillnai doctor <slug> to check them before your first render.

Rendering is local and free. Optional FAL jobs, such as generated b-roll or music, are billed by FAL per job. The skill shows the cost and waits for your approval before it runs one. Skills check whether an environment variable exists. They never print the value.

Free and Pro

Free skills cost $0 and need no account. You can copy a prompt or use the CLI, and you get 16:9 and 9:16 exports where the skill supports them. There are no daily caps.

Pro is $7.99 a month or $59 a year. It adds every Pro skill, the remote MCP server, new skills and updates, and saved favourites. Every paid plan has a 7-day refund. Founder Lifetime is $129 once and includes everything in Pro, forever.

Both plans render on your machine. The difference is library access and how long updates last. Read pricing for the full comparison.

A good first run

Start with a free skill. Open its page, copy the prompt and paste it into your agent. The agent installs the skill and runs a short test. If you get stuck, the install guide walks through each step.