Skills
Changing a skill
Change how a skill works by telling the brain in a chat, or by editing it yourself, with every version kept.
# Changing a skill A skill changes in two ways: you tell the brain in any chat, or an admin edits it by hand on the skills page. Either way the change is shown to you first, saved as a new version, and used by every chat from the next message on. Only admins can change skills. ## Telling the brain in a chat Give the brain lasting feedback about how a skill should work, such as "from now on hooks are six words at most" or "update the carousel skill to end on a question". The brain reads the skill, makes the smallest change that does what you asked, and shows you an approval card before anything is saved. The card shows: - a one-line summary of what changes and why - which version it saves, such as **Saves version 3** - the change line by line, one fold per file, with the unchanged parts folded away Removed lines carry a minus sign on an orange tint and added lines a plus sign on a blue tint, so the change never depends on colour alone. Screen readers hear each line named as removed or added. Select **Approve** to save it, or **Decline** to leave the skill as it is. After **Approve**, **Open History** takes you to the skill's history. Feedback about one answer, such as "make this one shorter", does not change the skill. If you are not an admin, the brain says so and changes nothing. ## Editing a skill yourself Admins open the editor with **Edit Skill**, in a skill card's settings dropdown or on the skill's own card. It holds: - the **Title**, **Description** and **Inputs** (what the skill asks for before it starts) - the **Instructions**, the skill's SKILL.md, in a large editor with line numbers and a **Soft Wrap** switch - the **Files** beside it: add a file, rename, edit or delete one. A binary file, such as an image, can't be edited here, so it offers **Replace** and **Delete**. Select **Review Changes** to see the same line-by-line change an approval card shows, add a line for the history if you like, then **Save Version N**. Leaving the editor with unsaved changes asks first. Members who open a skill see **View Skill** instead, which shows the same page to read only. ## Skills from Altari or your team's repository A built-in skill is never changed in place, because updates to it would overwrite your change. The first change, from a chat or the editor, makes your own copy in the same place on the tree, and the card and the editor say so. The copy takes the original's place and its chats; the original stays as it was, switched off. Later changes edit your copy. Removing the copy brings the original back. ## History and revert Every skill's card on the skills page lists its **History**: each version, when it was saved, who saved it, which chat it was changed in, and why. **View** opens a version: what changed from the one before, and its files as they were. **Revert** saves a new version with an earlier version's content; no version is ever deleted. Built-in skills can't be reverted here; change them to make your own copy, which can.A skill changes in two ways: you tell the brain in any chat, or an admin edits it by hand on the skills page. Either way the change is shown to you first, saved as a new version, and used by every chat from the next message on. Only admins can change skills.
Telling the brain in a chat
Section titled “Telling the brain in a chat”Give the brain lasting feedback about how a skill should work, such as “from now on hooks are six words at most” or “update the carousel skill to end on a question”. The brain reads the skill, makes the smallest change that does what you asked, and shows you an approval card before anything is saved.
The card shows:
- a one-line summary of what changes and why
- which version it saves, such as Saves version 3
- the change line by line, one fold per file, with the unchanged parts folded away
Removed lines carry a minus sign on an orange tint and added lines a plus sign on a blue tint, so the change never depends on colour alone. Screen readers hear each line named as removed or added.
Select Approve to save it, or Decline to leave the skill as it is. After Approve, Open History takes you to the skill’s history.
Feedback about one answer, such as “make this one shorter”, does not change the skill. If you are not an admin, the brain says so and changes nothing.
Editing a skill yourself
Section titled “Editing a skill yourself”Admins open the editor with Edit Skill, in a skill card’s settings dropdown or on the skill’s own card. It holds:
- the Title, Description and Inputs (what the skill asks for before it starts)
- the Instructions, the skill’s SKILL.md, in a large editor with line numbers and a Soft Wrap switch
- the Files beside it: add a file, rename, edit or delete one. A binary file, such as an image, can’t be edited here, so it offers Replace and Delete.
Select Review Changes to see the same line-by-line change an approval card shows, add a line for the history if you like, then Save Version N. Leaving the editor with unsaved changes asks first.
Members who open a skill see View Skill instead, which shows the same page to read only.
Skills from Altari or your team’s repository
Section titled “Skills from Altari or your team’s repository”A built-in skill is never changed in place, because updates to it would overwrite your change. The first change, from a chat or the editor, makes your own copy in the same place on the tree, and the card and the editor say so. The copy takes the original’s place and its chats; the original stays as it was, switched off. Later changes edit your copy. Removing the copy brings the original back.
History and revert
Section titled “History and revert”Every skill’s card on the skills page lists its History: each version, when it was saved, who saved it, which chat it was changed in, and why. View opens a version: what changed from the one before, and its files as they were. Revert saves a new version with an earlier version’s content; no version is ever deleted. Built-in skills can’t be reverted here; change them to make your own copy, which can.