Writing Skills

Skills are markdown files that teach the agent how to handle specific tasks. They are the simplest way to extend Denkeeper.

Anatomy of a skill

Create a file in ~/.denkeeper/skills/:

+++
name = "expense-tracker"
description = "Track and categorize expenses"
version = "1.0.0"
triggers = ["command:expense"]

[requires]
tools = []
+++

## Instructions

When the user reports an expense:

1. Extract the amount, currency, and category
2. Confirm the details with the user
3. Store it in your memory for the weekly summary

## Categories

- Food & dining
- Transport
- Entertainment
- Utilities
- Other

## Response format

Always acknowledge with: "Logged: $AMOUNT for CATEGORY"

Frontmatter fields

Trigger types

• command:name — activates on /name Telegram command
• schedule:pattern — activates on matching scheduler runs
• No triggers — always included in the system prompt

Agent-specific skills

Place skills in an agent’s persona directory to scope them:

~/.denkeeper/agents/work-assistant/skills/standup.md

Agent-specific skills are merged with global skills. Same-name agent skills override global ones.

Testing a skill

1. Create the skill file
2. Restart Denkeeper (skills are loaded at startup)
3. If the skill has a command: trigger, send the command in Telegram
4. Check that the agent follows the instructions