The Missing Standard in AI Agent Development

We've standardized data with JSON, APIs with OpenAPI, and documentation with Markdown. But when it comes to AI agent skills, we're still writing brittle scripts that break at the first UI update.

It's time for a standard skill format.

The Fragmentation Problem

Every AI agent framework has its own way of defining capabilities:

• LangChain uses Python functions and decorators
• AutoGen uses specialized classes
• CrewAI uses YAML configurations
• Custom agents use... whatever the developer wrote

This fragmentation creates several problems:

1. Skills aren't portable between frameworks
2. Domain experts can't contribute without coding
3. Maintenance is a nightmare when UIs change
4. Knowledge is trapped in proprietary formats

What a Universal Skill Format Needs

A standard skill format should be:

Human-readable: Domain experts should be able to read and validate it

Machine-executable: Agents should understand it natively

UI-resilient: It should survive website redesigns

Framework-agnostic: It should work across LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI, and custom agents

Version-controllable: Text-based for git and diffing

Introducing SKILL.md

SKILL.md is a structured format that meets all these requirements. Here's what it looks like:

# Book a Demo Skill

## Goal
Schedule a product demo through the website booking form

## Context
- Starting URL: /book-demo
- Required authentication: None
- Expected duration: 2-3 minutes

## Workflow
1. Navigate to booking page
2. Identify calendar widget with available slots
3. Select first available time
4. Fill contact form (name, email, company)
5. Submit booking
6. Confirm success

## Success Criteria
- Confirmation message displayed
- OR confirmation email sent
- OR booking appears in dashboard

Notice what's missing: specific selectors, DOM paths, or implementation details. The skill describes intent, not implementation.

How SKILL.md Solves the Resilience Problem

Traditional automation breaks when:

• CSS classes change
• Element IDs are renamed
• Page structure is reorganized
• Frameworks are swapped

SKILL.md survives these changes because it describes what to look for, not where to find it.

Creating Skills from Demonstrations

The best part? You don't have to write SKILL.md by hand. Tools like SkillForge can generate it from screen recordings:

1. Record yourself performing the task
2. AI extracts the workflow and decision points
3. Structured SKILL.md is generated
4. Review, edit, and deploy

This means domain experts—the people who actually know how to perform the task—can create skills without writing code.

The Bigger Picture

We're moving toward an ecosystem where:

• Skills are shared like npm packages or Docker images
• Agent marketplaces trade in portable capabilities
• Domain expertise is captured in executable form
• Automation is democratized

But this vision requires standards. SKILL.md is a step in that direction.

Try It Out

Want to create your own SKILL.md files?

🚀 Check out SkillForge — record your screen, get a SKILL.md file

🔥 Support our Product Hunt launch

What skills would you create if you could just record your screen?

ai #automation #showdev #webdev