hello

name	hello
description	Sample knowledge-only skill demonstrating the SKILL.md layout

Hello skill

This is the minimal SKILL.md format PasClaw understands. Drop a directory named hello/ (the directory name does not need to match name: but it keeps things readable) under ~/.pasclaw/workspace/skills/ and the agent will pick it up automatically the next time pasclaw agent, pasclaw serve, or any other tool-loaded entry point runs.

Frontmatter fields

Field	Meaning
name	Required. The identifier the agent uses to refer to this skill. Lowercase + underscores by convention.
description	One-line summary shown in the system prompt's SKILLS section. Keep it short — the model decides whether to consult the SKILL.md based on this line.
kind	Optional. shell makes the skill a callable tool that runs the shell: command; prompt returns the rendered prompt: template; omitted (the common case) makes the skill knowledge-only — no tool registered, just markdown the model reads on demand.
shell	Required for kind: shell. Shell command line. {{var}} placeholders are substituted from the JSON args before exec.
prompt	Required for kind: prompt. Template string returned verbatim with the same {{var}} substitution.
schema	Optional JSON schema describing the args object passed to a callable skill. Single-line JSON. Defaults to {"type":"object"} (any args accepted).

Body conventions (this part)

Everything after the closing --- is markdown. The model loads it via fs_read when it decides to consult this skill — keep it focused, well-structured, and treat it as documentation the model will actually read once and follow. Picoclaw / nanobot / Anthropic agent-skills all share this format, so a skill written for any of those will work in PasClaw with no changes (and vice versa).

When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user asks anything containing the word "hello" in the example domain. Since this is the sample skill, the realistic answer is "never in production" — replace this with the trigger conditions that match your actual workflow.

What to do

1. Greet the user.
2. Ask what they actually want.
3. Stop.

That is the whole skill. Real skills are usually 10–100 lines of procedural knowledge, with optional scripts/ (executables the model can call) and references/ (deeper documentation) directories alongside this SKILL.md — Phase 4 of the skills overhaul will wire those in. For now, SKILL.md + frontmatter + body is the contract.