> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metal.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use and share Metal skills

> Encode repeatable playbooks as Skills, invoke them in chat, and move them between environments as portable .skill files.

**Skills** tell Metal's AI how to approach a recurring task — which sources to check, what sequence to follow, what format to produce, and what firm-specific judgment to apply. They are reusable playbooks for chat and agents, not one-off messages.

## Skills vs. prompts vs. workflows

* **Prompts** are reusable text you insert into chat.
* **Skills** are procedural guidance packages. A skill includes instructions and can include companion files and assets so the agent follows a consistent process.
* **Workflows** are structured automations. Each execution is a **run**, with a canvas, steps, and output. See [Using workflows](/help/workflows).

Use a skill when you want Metal to follow a repeatable method in chat. Use a workflow when you want a defined, multi-step process with a run you can review.

## Where to find skills

Open **Settings** from your profile menu, or press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>,</kbd>.

* **Settings → Skills** (under **Account**) lists every skill available to you: yours, firm-wide, shared with you, and Metal's built-in system skills.
* **Settings → Firm Skills** (under **Firm Guidance**) is the admin view of skills shared across the organization. Admins can create firm-wide skills here.

System skills are authored by Metal and are read-only. You can use them in chat; you cannot export or edit them.

## Create a skill

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Skills">
    Go to **Settings → Skills**, or to **Settings → Firm Skills** if you are an admin creating a firm-wide skill.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create Skill">
    Give the skill a name and a short description so people (and Metal) can find it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the instructions">
    Tell Metal the process to follow: sources, sequence, output format, and any firm-specific rules.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose who can use it">
    Under **General access**, set visibility:

    * **Private — only you**
    * **Shared — specific people or teams**
    * **Firmwide — official organization skill** (admins only)
  </Step>
</Steps>

Creating from **Firm Skills** defaults the new skill to firm-wide.

## Use a skill in chat

Open **Chat** (press <kbd>⌘</kbd> <kbd>J</kbd>). From the composer, open **Actions** or type `/` to pick a skill from the slash menu.

You can also ask in plain language. When a user skill is a strong match for your request, chat can route to it without you selecting it first.

## Import and export

You can move a working skill as a portable file. This is the path for taking a skill from one Metal environment to another, or bringing in a skill exported from Claude.

### Export

On **Settings → Skills**, click the download icon on a skill you own or can edit. Metal saves a `.skill` file. A `.skill` file is a zip archive; Claude uses the same format.

The bundle includes:

* `SKILL.md` — the skill's name, description, and instructions
* Companion files packaged with the skill
* Binary assets under `assets/`

Built-in system skills cannot be exported.

### Import

On **Settings → Skills** (or **Firm Skills**, for admins), click **Import** and choose a `.skill` or `.zip` file. Bundles must be 10 MB or smaller.

The archive must contain a `SKILL.md` file. Companion files in the zip are imported with the skill. Files under `assets/` are imported as binary attachments.

If a skill with the same name already exists, Metal asks you to confirm before overwriting. Overwriting replaces the content and files; owners and visibility stay the same.

Importing from **Firm Skills** creates a firm-wide skill. Importing from **Skills** creates a personal skill.

<Note>
  Import accepts `.skill` and `.zip` bundles, not a standalone `.md` file. To bring in a plain `SKILL.md`, create a skill and paste the instructions into the editor. A `.skill` file is a renamed zip — if you already have a zip that contains `SKILL.md`, you can import it as-is.
</Note>

## Sharing and admin control

* Anyone can create private skills and share them with specific people or teams.
* Only admins can make a skill **Firmwide**.
* Admins can edit a skill they can see, including promoting it to firm-wide. Deleting a skill stays with the owner.

<Tip>
  Skills you create in Metal are available in chat for your organization. They are not the same as connecting Metal to an external assistant with the [Metal MCP server](/help/integrations/mcp).
</Tip>


## Related topics

- [Workspace settings](/help/admin/settings.md)
- [Key concepts](/help/concepts.md)
- [Searching in Metal](/help/search.md)
- [Navigating Metal](/help/navigating.md)
- [File storage integration](/help/integrations/file-storage.md)