Skills (formerly Microagents)

Skills support across OpenHands platforms

Skills are specialized prompts that enhance OpenHands with domain-specific knowledge, expert guidance, and automated task handling. They provide consistent practices across projects and can be triggered automatically based on keywords or context.

Official Skill Registry

The official global skill registry is maintained at github.com/OpenHands/skills. Browse community-shared skills, contribute your own, and learn from examples created by the community.

How Skills Work

Skills inject additional context and rules into the agent’s behavior through:

• General Skills: General guidelines for OpenHands about the repository.
• Keyword-Triggered Skills: Guidelines activated by specific keywords in prompts.

Skills Support Matrix

Platform	Support Level	Configuration Method	Implementation	Documentation
CLI	✅ Full Support	.openhands/microagents/ directory	File-based markdown	Skills Overview
SDK	✅ Full Support	Programmatic Skill objects	Code-based configuration	SDK Skills Guide
Local GUI	✅ Full Support	.openhands/microagents/ + UI	File-based with UI management	Local Setup
OpenHands Cloud	✅ Full Support	Cloud UI + repository integration	Managed skill library	Cloud UI

Platform-Specific Differences

CLI

• File-based configuration in .openhands/skills/ directory
• Markdown format for skill definitions
• Manual file management required
• Supports both general and keyword-triggered skills

SDK

• Programmatic Skill objects in code
• Dynamic skill creation and management
• Integration with custom workflows
• Full control over skill lifecycle

Local GUI

• Visual skill management through UI
• File-based storage with GUI editing
• Real-time skill status display
• Drag-and-drop skill organization

OpenHands Cloud

• Cloud-based skill library management
• Team-wide skill sharing and templates
• Organization-level skill policies
• Integrated skill marketplace

Skill Types

Currently supported skill types:

• General Skills: Repository-wide guidelines and best practices
• Keyword-Triggered Skills: Activated by specific keywords in user prompts
• Organization Skills: Team or organization-wide standards
• Global Skills: Community-shared skills and templates

Getting Started with Skills

• For CLI/GUI setup: See Skills Overview
• For SDK integration: See SDK Skills Guide
• For architecture details: See Skills Architecture
• For specific skill types: See Repository Skills, Keyword Skills, Organization Skills, and Global Skills