Build a Skill when you have a repeatable workflow you want Pod's AI Agent to run the same way each time. Instead of typing a long prompt every time you need help, you can save the instructions, response format, and browsing preference as a Skill.

This article focuses on creating a Skill from scratch. If you want to start from a pre-built template instead, use the Library tab and see Build your first Skill from the Library.

When to build a custom Skill

Custom Skills are most useful when they help a seller or manager make a decision in a specific moment of work. The best Skills are focused enough to produce useful output repeatedly, but detailed enough to tell the AI Agent what context to use and what kind of answer to return.

Good examples include:

Preparing for a deal review
Checking whether a deal is healthy
Spotting stakeholder gaps before the next call
Drafting a mutual action plan after a PoC discussion
Reviewing stage accuracy before a forecast meeting

If the prompt feels like "analyze everything about this deal," split it into smaller Skills. A narrower Skill is usually easier to trust, test, and improve.

How to open the Skill Builder

Open Pod in the web app.
In the left navigation, open Agents.
Select Skills.
Open Your Skills to create a personal Skill, or Org Skills to create a workspace-wide Skill.
Click Build New Skill or Build New Org Skill.

This opens the Skill Builder.

If you are working in the Chrome Extension and need to create a Skill, Pod opens the web app in a new browser tab.

Choose who can use the Skill

If you are a workspace admin, the builder shows an Org Skill switch. Use this to decide whether the Skill should be personal to you or shared with your workspace.

Leave Org Skill off to create a personal Skill that only you can see and launch.
Turn Org Skill on to create an Org Skill that everyone in the workspace can use.

Only workspace admins can create, edit, or remove Org Skills. Other users can still launch Org Skills on their deals, and they can duplicate an Org Skill into a personal copy if they want their own version.

If you are not an admin, new Skills are created as personal Skills.

Fill in the Skill Builder

The Skill Builder has three required fields, one optional response field, and one optional capability switch. Treat these fields as the instructions that shape how the AI Agent behaves when someone launches the Skill.

Skill Name

Give the Skill a short, recognizable name tied to the job it performs. The name should help someone understand when to choose it from the AI Agent picker.

Examples:

Deal Health Check
Discovery Gaps Finder
Forecast Risk Review
Stakeholder Map Review
Re-engage Stalled Deal

Skill Description

Write a quick explanation of what the Skill does and when someone should use it. This description helps users decide whether the Skill is right for the job.

Example:

Assesses deal health, identifies the top risks and gaps, and recommends next actions to improve win probability.

Skill Prompt

The prompt is the instruction set for the Skill. It tells the AI Agent what to analyze, how to think about the available context, and what to produce.

A strong prompt usually includes:

The workflow moment: what the user is trying to do
The decision the Skill should help with
The signals the AI Agent should use, such as CRM fields, recent activity, emails, transcripts, stakeholder engagement, or playbook coverage
The level of evidence expected
Any limits, ranking rules, or assumptions the AI Agent should follow

Example:

You are helping an AE prepare for a late-stage forecast review. Review the current deal using CRM stage history, recent activity, stakeholder engagement, meeting notes, and transcript summaries. Identify the top 3 risks that could reduce close probability, explain the evidence behind each risk, and recommend the next best action for each one. If evidence is missing, say Unknown and list the question the AE should ask next.

Response Format

Use Response Format to control how the answer should look. This field is optional, but it is one of the best ways to make Skill output easier to scan and reuse.

Good response format instructions include:

Start with a summary table with columns: Area, Status, Evidence, Next action.
Limit the executive summary to 120 words.
Rank the top 3 risks by impact.
Include no more than 5 next steps.
Use bullets, not long paragraphs.

Allow web browsing

Turn on Allow web browsing when the Skill needs live external context, such as public company news, industry updates, or information from a prospect's website.

Leave it off when the Skill should only use Pod's internal deal context. Deal-specific facts should still come from the deal record, activity history, emails, meetings, transcripts, notes, and other connected data inside Pod.

Create the Skill

When the required fields are complete, review the Skill before saving. Make sure the name is easy to recognize, the description explains when to use it, and the prompt is specific enough to produce a repeatable answer.

To save the Skill:

Review the Skill Name, Skill Description, Skill Prompt, Response Format, and web browsing setting.
Click Create Skill.
Pod saves the Skill to Your Skills or Org Skills.

After saving, the Skill appears in the AI Agent picker on deal records. When someone selects it, Pod starts an AI Agent run using that Skill and the current deal context.

Test and improve the Skill

The first version of a Skill does not need to be perfect. The fastest way to improve it is to run it on a real deal, review the answer, and tighten the prompt or response format based on what was missing.

As you test, ask:

Did the Skill use the right context?
Was the answer specific enough to act on?
Did it explain the evidence behind its recommendation?
Was the format easy to scan?
Should the Skill be narrower or split into multiple Skills?

If you want broader prompt-writing guidance, see the AI Agent Best Practices Guide.

Manage the Skill later

After a Skill is created, you can return to Agents -> Skills to edit, duplicate, remove, or automate it.

Use Duplicate when you want to make a personal copy of an existing Skill and adjust it without changing the original.

Use Remove only when you are sure the Skill is no longer needed. Removing a Skill is permanent.

For the full overview of the Skills page, see Build and manage Skills.

Automate or start from a template

Creating a Skill makes it available to run manually. If you want Pod to run that Skill automatically on a schedule or condition, use Agents -> Automations and see Set up Skill automations.

If you do not want to start from a blank prompt, use the Library tab in Agents -> Skills. Library Skills are pre-built templates that you can preview, import, customize, and save as your own Skill. For the full walkthrough, see Build your first Skill from the Library.

Use Build and manage Skills for the full overview of the Skills page.
Use Build your first Skill from the Library when you want to start from a pre-built template.
Use Launch and use AI agents when you want to run a Skill on a deal.
Use Set up Skill automations when you want a Skill to run automatically.
Use AI Agent Best Practices Guide for deeper guidance on writing strong prompts and response formats.