Give bots skills: runbooks they load when a job matches

A skill is a runbook: a name, a unique slug, a one-line description of when
it applies, and the markdown body. A run only ever sees the slug and
description (one load_skill tool carries them), and reads the whole body
only when it calls the tool, so a long runbook costs nothing until needed.

Skills are the third extension kind beside MCP servers and custom tools, on
the same botExtensionsSql path, so per-bot, per-workspace and all-bots
grants work the same way, and attachDefaultExtensions hands an every-bot
skill to new bots. load_skill is a reserved tool name, so a custom tool
cannot shadow it, and a built-in wins a clash.

Managed on Settings > Skills; ExtensionRow links each kind to its own page
and a skill never reports a failure, since nothing connects or runs.
This commit is contained in:
2026-10-22 12:31:42 +01:00
parent 379ef35e08
commit 08d02e6033
62 changed files with 1438 additions and 79 deletions
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
import grabBotExtensions from "@/src/functions/backend/db/extensions/grab-bot-extensions";
import grabRunEnvs from "@/src/functions/backend/db/extensions/grab-run-envs";
import type { SkillRecord } from "@/src/types";
import mcpToolName from "@/src/utils/mcp-tool-name";
import redactSecrets from "@/src/utils/redact-secrets";
import mcpHarnessTool from "../../mcp/mcp-harness-tool";
@@ -30,6 +31,11 @@ export type OpenBotExtensions = {
* with no tools listed), so the bot can say so. Empty otherwise.
*/
note: string;
/**
* The skills the run has, for `openBotSkills`: read from the same query
* as the MCP servers and tools.
*/
skills: SkillRecord[];
close: () => Promise<void>;
};
@@ -47,9 +53,11 @@ export default async function openBotExtensions({
taken = [],
signal,
}: Params): Promise<OpenBotExtensions> {
const { servers, tools } = await grabBotExtensions({ bot_id, workspace_id });
const { servers, tools, skills } = await grabBotExtensions({ bot_id, workspace_id });
if (!servers.length && !tools.length) return { tools: [], note: "", close: async () => {} };
if (!servers.length && !tools.length) {
return { tools: [], note: "", skills, close: async () => {} };
}
const envs = await grabRunEnvs({ bot_id, workspace_id });
const secrets = envs.filter((env) => env.secret);
@@ -98,6 +106,7 @@ export default async function openBotExtensions({
return {
tools: result,
skills,
note: notes.length
? `These MCP servers were set up for you but you can't use them right now; if the user needs them, say so (an admin fixes them in Settings, under MCPs):\n${notes.join("\n")}`
: "",
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
import { AppData } from "@/src/data/app-data";
import type { SkillRecord } from "@/src/types";
import openBotSkills from "./open-bot-skills";
function skill(overrides: Partial<SkillRecord> & { slug: string }): SkillRecord {
return {
id: 1,
name: overrides.slug,
description: `When ${overrides.slug} applies.`,
body: `${overrides.slug} body`,
all_bots: false,
enabled: true,
...overrides,
};
}
describe("openBotSkills", () => {
test("no skills means no tool and no note", () => {
expect(openBotSkills({ skills: [] })).toEqual({ tools: [], note: "" });
});
test("a disabled skill is left out entirely", () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo", enabled: false })] });
expect(opened.tools).toHaveLength(0);
expect(opened.note).toBe("");
});
test("one tool, named load_skill, whose description lists the slugs", () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo" }), skill({ slug: "inbox", id: 2 })] });
expect(opened.tools).toHaveLength(1);
expect(opened.tools[0]!.name).toBe("load_skill");
expect(opened.tools[0]!.description).toContain("- seo:");
expect(opened.tools[0]!.description).toContain("- inbox:");
expect(opened.note).toContain("# Skills");
});
test("a built-in that took the name wins", () => {
expect(openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo" })], taken: ["load_skill"] })).toEqual({
tools: [],
note: "",
});
});
test("the tool returns the body of the slug it's given", async () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo", body: "1. Pull rankings" })] });
const output = await opened.tools[0]!.run!({ args: { slug: "seo" }, signal: AbortSignal.timeout(1000) });
expect(output).toBe("1. Pull rankings");
});
test("an unknown slug fails with the slugs it does have", async () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo" })] });
await expect(opened.tools[0]!.run!({ args: { slug: "nope" }, signal: AbortSignal.timeout(1000) })).rejects.toThrow(
/no skill called "nope".*seo/,
);
});
test("a long body is cut at the limit and says so", async () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({
skills: [skill({ slug: "seo", body: "x".repeat(AppData.SkillBodyShownChars + 500) })],
});
const output = await opened.tools[0]!.run!({ args: { slug: "seo" }, signal: AbortSignal.timeout(1000) });
expect(output).toContain("Cut at");
expect(output.length).toBeLessThan(AppData.SkillBodyShownChars + 200);
});
test("an empty body says it is empty rather than returning nothing", async () => {
const opened = openBotSkills({ skills: [skill({ slug: "seo", body: "" })] });
const output = await opened.tools[0]!.run!({ args: { slug: "seo" }, signal: AbortSignal.timeout(1000) });
expect(output).toContain("is empty");
});
});
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
import { z } from "zod";
import { AppData } from "@/src/data/app-data";
import { SkillsNote } from "@/src/data/harness-prompts";
import { LoadSkillToolName } from "@/src/dict/skill-dict";
import type { SkillRecord } from "@/src/types";
import type { HarnessTool } from "../../types";
type Params = {
/**
* The skills the run reaches (`grabBotExtensions`).
*/
skills: SkillRecord[];
/**
* Names the run's built-in tools already use: they win.
*/
taken?: string[];
};
export type OpenBotSkills = {
tools: HarnessTool[];
/**
* For the system prompt: one line per skill, and that the body is read
* with `load_skill`. Empty when the run has none.
*/
note: string;
};
/**
* The skills a run has, as one `load_skill` tool plus the lines that say
* which ones exist. A skill's body costs nothing until the bot asks for it,
* so a run that never needs a long runbook never pays for it.
*/
export default function openBotSkills({ skills, taken = [] }: Params): OpenBotSkills {
const enabled = skills.filter((skill) => skill.enabled);
if (!enabled.length || taken.includes(LoadSkillToolName)) return { tools: [], note: "" };
const by_slug = new Map(enabled.map((skill) => [skill.slug, skill]));
const slugs = enabled.map((skill) => skill.slug);
const list = enabled.map((skill) => `- ${skill.slug}: ${skill.description}`).join("\n");
const tool: HarnessTool<{ slug: string }> = {
name: LoadSkillToolName,
description: `Reads one of your skills in full. Pass its slug. The skills you have, and when each applies:\n${list}`,
schema: z.object({ slug: z.string().trim().min(1, "Pass the skill's slug") }),
run: async ({ args }) => {
const skill = by_slug.get(args.slug);
if (!skill) {
throw new Error(
`You have no skill called "${args.slug}". Load one of: ${slugs.join(", ")}.`,
);
}
const body = skill.body || "";
if (!body) return `The skill ${skill.name} (${skill.slug}) is empty.`;
if (body.length <= AppData.SkillBodyShownChars) return body;
return `${body.slice(0, AppData.SkillBodyShownChars)}\n\n[Cut at ${AppData.SkillBodyShownChars} characters. The skill continues: ask the user to split it if you need the rest.]`;
},
};
return { tools: [tool], note: SkillsNote };
}