# Skills

[Docs](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs) / [RightNow Agent](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/agent) / [Skills](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/skills)

Updated 2026-10-11

> **Release status**
>
> RightNow Agent, the terminal coding agent, is paused. Its guides stay online as reference.

A skill is a folder with a `SKILL.md` file. RightNow Agent runs it as a slash command, or loads it when a task matches its description.

## Create a skill

Save this file as `./.rightnow/skills/review-pr/SKILL.md`.

**Text**

```text
---
name: review-pr
description: Review a pull request for correctness and regressions. Use when the user asks for a PR review.
---

# Review pull request

1. Read the changed files.
2. Identify correctness, security, and regression risks.
3. Report findings with file and line evidence.
```

**Skill fields**

| Field | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| name | Lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens, up to 64 characters; other characters become hyphens. Defaults to the directory name. |
| description | What the skill does and when to use it; drives automatic invocation. Up to 1,024 characters. Defaults to the first body paragraph. |
| when-to-use | Optional trigger phrases kept separate from the description. |
| user-invocable | Set to false to hide the slash command. Default true. |
| disable-model-invocation | Set to true to allow only explicit slash invocation. Default false. |
| allowed-tools | Lists the tools the skill uses. A YAML list or a comma- or space-separated string. |
| argument-hint | Shows argument guidance in slash-command autocomplete. |
| model | Accepts a model override value in frontmatter. |
| effort | Accepts a reasoning-effort override value in frontmatter. |
| license | Records a license identifier. |
| compatibility | Records environment requirements. |
| metadata | Stores string key-value pairs; author and short-description are promoted for display. |

RightNow Agent 1.0.5 has no built-in `/create-skill` command, so create the folder and file yourself. Skills reload when their files change on disk.

## Discovery locations

**Skill discovery locations**

| Location, highest priority first | Loads by default |
| --- | --- |
| .rightnow/skills/ and .agents/skills/ from the current directory up to the repository root | Yes |
| ~/.rightnow/skills/ and ~/.agents/skills/ for the user | Only with `machine_wide = true` |
| .claude/skills/ and .cursor/skills/, project and home | No |
| \[skills\] paths entries | Yes |
| Server-synced and bundled platform skills, when present | Yes |
| skills/ in an enabled plugin | Project plugins yes; user plugins only with `machine_wide = true` |

Flat `*.md` files in a matching `commands/` directory become slash commands too. Project discovery scans current and legacy directories together, then applies name and scope precedence.

> **Shipped setting**
>
> The shipped configuration sets `compat.claude.skills = false` and `compat.cursor.skills = false`, which turns off automatic personal skill discovery, including native RightNow skills in `~/.rightnow/skills/` and user plugin skills; project skills, `[skills] paths`, and server and bundled skills still load. Set `machine_wide = true` under `[skills]` to turn it on; a compat value of true also does, and scans that tool's folders.

**TOML**

```toml
[skills]
machine_wide = true             # load ~/.rightnow/skills/ and user plugin skills
paths = ["~/team-skills"]       # extra SKILL.md files or folders
ignore = ["~/team-skills/wip"]  # hide skills under these paths
disabled = ["wip-skill"]        # keep listed, never loaded
```

## Slash and automatic invocation

**Text**

```text
/review-pr 123
```

- Type `/name` and any arguments to run a user-invocable skill.
- RightNow may also invoke a skill when the prompt matches its `description` or `when-to-use`, unless `disable-model-invocation: true`.
- A higher-priority native skill shadows a same-named skill from a lower-priority scope. A same-scope duplicate takes its directory name when that name is free.
- If a skill collides with a built-in command, the built-in keeps the bare name and the skill uses a unique local, repo, user, or plugin-qualified name such as `/repo:commit` or `/acme:login`.

## Inspect discovered skills

**PowerShell**

```powershell
rightnow inspect
rightnow inspect --json
```

Inspect shows discovered skills even when runtime settings keep them inactive; skills from a turned-off compatibility source are tagged `[disabled]`.

## Related guides

Continue with [Plugins](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/plugins), [Hooks](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/hooks), or [MCP Servers](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/mcp). For discovery failures, see [Troubleshooting](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/troubleshooting).

## Previous

[Hooks](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/hooks)

## Next

[Plugins](https://www.rightnowai.co/docs/plugins)