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How Muse skills work

A Muse skill is a text file that tells Muse how to do one job. It holds a name, a description, and the steps Muse follows when you use a trigger phrase. You add one by pasting its install prompt into a Muse chat.

What a SKILL.md file holds

Every skill is a file named SKILL.md. It opens with two fields between --- lines, called frontmatter. Here is the frontmatter of Deal Hunter:

---
name: deal-hunter
description: Scan marketplace listings for brand-new, private-seller items priced well below conservative resale value. Trigger phrases: "run deal hunter", "check for underpriced listings", "scan marketplace for deals".
---

The name is the skill’s short name. The description is one line that says what the skill does and lists its trigger phrases.

Four sections follow the frontmatter:

  • Purpose says what the skill is for.
  • Workflow lists the steps Muse takes, in order.
  • Output Contract sets the exact shape of what Muse reports back.
  • Operating Rules sets hard limits, such as never asking you for a password.

You can read every section before you install. Each entry page in this directory shows the full source.

Trigger phrases

A trigger phrase is what you say to Muse to start a skill. Deal Hunter has three: “run deal hunter”, “check for underpriced listings”, and “scan marketplace for deals”.

Muse tells you the trigger phrases when it finishes an install. You can also find them in the description line of the source.

Where skills live

Muse keeps each skill in its own folder in its workspace:

~/workspace/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Prompt packs live in a separate folder, at ~/workspace/prompts/<name>.md.

The folder name usually matches the skill’s name. It can differ when you already had a skill with that name and Muse saved the new one under another name. How to install a Muse skill covers that case.

Four kinds of entry

This directory lists four kinds of entry. Each one installs a little differently.

  • Skill. A SKILL.md file that you start with a trigger phrase.
  • Prompt pack. A reusable prompt you call by name. Muse saves it and doesn’t run it during the install.
  • Workflow. A skill on a schedule. Muse asks you to confirm the time before it creates the recurring job.
  • Config. A snippet for a setting, like your feed prompt. Muse asks you before it writes the setting.

Install a newer version

To update a skill, paste its install prompt again. Muse can spot the skill you already have and offer to save the new one under a different name. Keep both, or replace the old one if you want only the new version.

What installing shares

Installing copies the skill into your own Muse environment. It gives the author nothing.