Use skills
Discover reusable instructions and choose a skill from Orek's composer.
A skill gives Orek reusable instructions for a task. It does not grant tools additional permissions. Start in an open Orek session with skills enabled.
Find a skill
In Orek · command
/skillsOrek lists your active skills and the skills it found in other tools’
folders, which you can import. Built-in skills include code-review and
performance-investigation; a project or user skill with the same name
replaces the built-in one. Skills from other tools are not available until you
import them.
Use it in a request
Type $ in the composer, select a completion, and press Tab. Then describe the task around the mention:
In Orek · prompt
Use $code-review to review the changes in this project. Focus on correctness and missing tests.The skill’s instructions are sent with your request. Check that the skill
appears in /skills before submitting.
Import a candidate
A skill found in another tool’s folder is a candidate until you import it.
Review its instructions first, then replace the ID below with one listed by
/skills:
In Orek · command
/skills import <candidate-id>Import copies the skill into your user skills folder, where it stays available in later sessions. Import copies only ordinary files and folders: it refuses links, cloud placeholder files such as OneDrive files, special files, and (on macOS and Linux) hard-linked files. It refuses a skill with more than 512 files, 512 folders, or 8 MiB, or with folders nested more than 16 deep; nothing is imported in that case. Import never replaces a skill that already exists. For scope controls and automation, see CLI skills commands.
Troubleshoot activation
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| A new skill is missing | Close and reopen the $ completion to refresh the list, or check /skills. |
| Skills are disabled | Inspect skills.enabled with /config get skills.enabled (or orek config get skills.enabled in your shell), enable it, and restart the session. |
$name stays as plain text or is cut short |
Confirm name appears in /skills and send it in a normal prompt (including /agent send). Messages sent with /steer during a turn, and messages one agent sends another, leave $name as plain text. An oversized skill file shows a notice that it was cut short. |
See skill configuration for the folders Orek searches, and the agent tools reference for how mentions are matched and how long a skill’s instructions stay active.