Skill Builder

Overview

The Skill Builder module is a built-in module that connects a conversation agent to the ELITEA Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for skill management operations. When enabled, the agent can create, update, and manage skills directly from chat without navigating to the Skills menu. Key Capabilities:

List skills in the project with filtering and search
Create new skills with initial versions
Retrieve skill details and version configurations
Update skill metadata and version content
Create new versions for existing skills
Link and unlink skills to agent versions
Delete skills and skill versions

The Skill Builder module must be enabled in your agent configuration or project settings. It requires the elitea_core/skills MCP endpoint and appropriate permissions.

Prerequisites

MCP Enabled: MCP features must be enabled on the platform.
Skill Builder Module: The module toggle must appear in the Modules list.
Permissions: User role with skill creation and editing permissions.
Project Scope: The module operates on the current project skills only.

The Skill Builder module can only access and modify skills in the project where the conversation is running. Skills from other projects are not accessible.

How It Works

When the Skill Builder module is enabled, the agent connects to the ELITEA MCP server and gains access to skill management tools. The agent can then:

List and search skills in the current project with filtering options
Create new skills with required metadata and an initial “base” version
Read skill details including all version information
Update skills by modifying metadata or version content
Manage versions by creating, updating, or deleting skill versions
Link skills to agents by attaching skill versions to agent versions

Available MCP Tools:

Tool	Purpose	Key Parameters
List skills	Search and filter skills in the project	`query`, `tags`, `author_id`, `statuses`, `limit`, `offset`
Create skill	Create a new skill with initial version	`name`, `description`, `versions` (with initial version data)
Get skill details	Retrieve full skill metadata and version config	`skill_id`, optional `version_id`
Update skill	Modify skill metadata or version content	`skill_id`, optional `version_id`, update payload
Create version	Add a new version to an existing skill	`skill_id`, `name`, `instructions`, `tags`, `meta`
Link/unlink skill	Attach or detach skill from agent version	`skill_id`, `skill_version_id`, `has_relation`
Delete skill	Remove a skill and all its versions	`skill_id`
Delete version	Remove a specific skill version	`skill_id`, `version_id`

Enabling Skill Builder

You can enable Skill Builder in three ways: as a default setting for all new chats and agents, for a specific conversation, or in an individual agent configuration.

Recommended: Enable the Ask User module alongside Skill Builder for the best experience. When enabled, the agent can ask structured clarifying questions with interactive options if your skill creation request is missing information. Without Ask User, the agent can only request information through normal chat responses.

In Project Settings

Navigate to Settings in the main menu.
Go to the General section.
Find the Skill Builder row under default modules.
Toggle Chats on to enable Skill Builder by default for all new conversations.
Toggle Agents on to enable Skill Builder by default for all new agents.
Click Save.

New chats and agents in this project will have Skill Builder enabled based on your toggle settings.

In a Conversation

Navigate to your conversation.
Click the + icon in the chat input toolbar.
Hover over Modules to open the flyout panel.
Find Skill Builder in the list and toggle it on.
A success notification appears: “Modules configuration updated”.

Once enabled, the agent has access to skill management tools for that conversation.

In Agent Configuration

Navigate to Agents in the main menu.
Select the agent you want to configure or create a new agent.
In the TOOLS section, locate the MODULES subsection.
Find the Skill Builder toggle (click Show all if needed).
Toggle Skill Builder on.
Click Save.

New conversations with this agent will have Skill Builder enabled by default.

Using Skill Builder

Creating a New Skill

Step 1: Type Your Request in the Chat Describe what skill you want to create. You can provide all details upfront or let the agent ask clarifying questions. Example:

Create a skill called "code-review-assistant" that reviews Python code 
for PEP 8 compliance and common security issues

Step 2: Answer Clarifying Questions (If Needed) If required information is missing, the agent response depends on whether Ask User is enabled:

Ask User enabled: The agent asks 1-4 focused questions using structured prompts with single-select, multi-select, or free-text options. Questions appear one per step with “Question X of Y” progress indicators and Back/Next navigation. Example questions:
- “What should this Skill help the user accomplish?”
- “Who is the primary audience?” (Product Managers, Developers, QA Engineers, Other)
Ask User disabled: The agent requests missing information in a normal chat response or explains that it cannot safely proceed without clarification.

Step 3: Review Created Skill

After successful creation, the skill automatically opens in Canvas mode for review and editing.
A Skill: [skill name] chip also appears in the chat, which you can click later to reopen the skill.
The created skill is added to your project and can be accessed later via the Skills menu.

Skill Management

Once the Skill Builder module is enabled, you can manage skills directly from chat by describing what you want to do:

Action	Description
Update an Existing Skill	Describe the changes you want to make to an existing skill. The agent modifies the skill metadata (name, description, tags, meta) or version content (instructions, tags, meta) while preserving existing functionality.
Create a New Version	Request a new version of an existing skill by specifying the version name and changes. The agent creates the new version while keeping the original version intact.
List and Search Skills	Ask to search for skills in your project. The agent searches by name, description, tags, or other criteria and returns matching skills with their details.
Link Skills to Agents	Request to link a skill to an agent. The agent attaches the skill version to the specified agent, making it available when the agent runs.

Published or embedded skill versions cannot be updated. Create a new version instead.

Best Practices

Enable Ask User Module

Always enable the Ask User module alongside Skill Builder. This is the recommended configuration for the best experience:

With Ask User enabled: The agent can ask structured clarifying questions (1-4 questions) with interactive single-select, multi-select, or free-text options when required information is missing. Questions display with progress indicators (“Question X of Y”) and navigation controls.
Without Ask User: The agent can only request missing information through normal chat responses, which is less structured and may require multiple back-and-forth exchanges.

How to enable both together:

In Project Settings: Toggle both Skill Builder and Ask User under Default Modules
In Agent Configuration: Enable both modules in the MODULES section
In Conversations: Enable both from the Modules flyout panel

Skill Creation

Provide clear, detailed instructions that explain what the skill should accomplish
Use descriptive skill names (lowercase, hyphens only) that indicate the skill purpose
Include specific requirements, constraints, and expected behavior in instructions
Provide complete information (name, description, instructions) upfront to minimize clarification rounds
Test the skill immediately after creation to verify it works as expected
Add relevant tags to improve discoverability across your project

Version Management

Create new versions for significant changes rather than modifying existing versions
Use descriptive version names that indicate what changed (e.g., “v2-with-validation”, “updated-for-api-v3”)
Document changes between versions in the version description or meta field
Never attempt to update published or embedded versions. Always create a new version instead
Keep the base version as a stable foundation and iterate with named versions

Module Configuration

Enable Skill Builder by default in Project Settings if your team frequently creates skills
Enable Skill Builder only for agents that need skill management capabilities to avoid unnecessary clutter
Review and organize created skills periodically to maintain project quality
Use appropriate permissions to control who can create and modify skills

Working with Chat

Provide complete information (name, description, instructions) in your initial request to skip clarification questions
Be specific when updating skills. Describe exactly what should change
Use the skill chip in chat to quickly reopen and review the skill in Canvas mode
Search for existing skills before creating duplicates to avoid redundancy
If skill creation fails, verify all required fields meet validation requirements (name format, character limits)

Limitations

Project-scoped: Can only access skills in the current project.
Version names: Must be unique within each skill, “base” is reserved.
Published versions: Cannot be updated after publishing.
Permissions required: User must have appropriate skill management permissions.
MCP requirement: Platform must have MCP features enabled.

Skills - Complete guide to creating and managing skills
Agents - How to configure agents and enable modules
Chat - Conversation features and module management
Ask User Module - Recommended module to use with Skill Builder

Chat & Conversations

Indexing

Agents, Pipelines & Skills

Credentials & Toolkits

Entity Management

Overview

Prerequisites

How It Works