AI Agent Skills AI agent skills are specialized capability modules that give agents expert knowledge and domain-specific workflows. They enable agents to perform complex tasks like auditing websites for SEO issues or applying psychological principles to marketing.
What Are Skills? Skills are structured instruction sets that:
Provide domain expertise - Deep knowledge in specialized areasDefine workflows - Step-by-step processes for complex tasksEnable tool access - Permission to use specific commands and CLIsInclude resources - References, templates, and best practices
Think of skills as expert consultants that your AI agent can call upon when needed.
Available Skills The Market Research toolkit includes two powerful skills:
audit-website Audit websites for SEO, performance, security, and 230+ other rules using squirrelscan CLI
marketing-psychology Apply 70+ mental models and psychological principles to marketing decisions
How Skills Work Skills integrate seamlessly into the AI agent workflow:
1. Skill Detection The agent automatically loads relevant skills based on:
User requests (“audit my website”, “apply psychology to this landing page”)
Context detection (finding squirrel.toml or marketing context files)
Explicit invocation (“use the marketing-psychology skill”)
2. Skill Loading When a skill is activated:
# The agent loads the skill instructions Skill loaded: audit-website Version: 1.18 Tools enabled: squirrel CLI
The skill’s knowledge becomes available to guide the agent’s actions.
3. Task Execution The agent follows the skill’s workflows and applies its expertise:
Context Gathering
The agent reads relevant files and understands the current state
Strategy Planning
Using the skill’s mental models, the agent plans the approach
Action Execution
The agent performs actions using skill-approved tools and methods
Result Validation
The agent verifies success using skill-defined criteria
Integration Patterns Pattern 1: Single-Skill Tasks Some tasks use one skill exclusively:
# User request "Audit squirrelscan.com for SEO issues" # Agent loads audit-website skill # Runs squirrel audit https://squirrelscan.com --format llm # Analyzes results and suggests fixes
Pattern 2: Multi-Skill Workflows Complex tasks can combine multiple skills:
# User request "Audit our landing page and optimize it using psychology" # Agent loads both skills: # 1. audit-website - identifies technical and content issues # 2. marketing-psychology - applies mental models to messaging # Combined approach: # - Technical fixes from audit (broken links, meta tags) # - Psychological improvements (scarcity, social proof, loss aversion)
Pattern 3: Skill + Product Context Skills can integrate with product-specific context:
# .claude/product-marketing-context.md Product: TaskFlow Audience: Project managers at 50-200 person companies Pain points: Team coordination, deadline tracking
When the marketing-psychology skill is loaded, it uses this context to tailor recommendations:
# Instead of generic advice: "Use social proof" # Context-aware recommendations: "Show testimonials from project managers at mid-size companies Highlight how TaskFlow solved coordination challenges Address deadline anxiety with progress visualization"
Working with Skills Checking Available Skills To see what skills are available:
# List all installed skills ls ~/.agent/skills/ # View a specific skill cat ~/.agent/skills/audit-website/SKILL.md
Skill Prerequisites Some skills require external tools:
The marketing-psychology skill has no external dependencies - it provides pure knowledge and frameworks.
Creating Skill-Aware Context Help agents use skills effectively by providing context:
.claude/product-marketing-context.md
squirrel.toml
# Product Marketing Context Product: [Your Product Name] Audience: [Target customer profile] Value Proposition: [Core value delivered] Pain Points: [Problems you solve] Differentiators: [What makes you unique]
Skill Workflows Website Audit Workflow Typical flow when using the audit-website skill:
Initial Audit
Run surface scan to identify issues squirrel audit https://example.com --format llm
Fix Issues
Address critical errors and warnings in parallel using subagents
Re-Audit
Verify fixes and identify remaining issues squirrel audit https://example.com --refresh --format llm
Iterate
Continue fixing until score targets are met (typically 85-95+)
Psychology Application Workflow Typical flow when using the marketing-psychology skill:
Understand Context
Read product context and current marketing materials
Identify Models
Select relevant mental models for the specific challenge
Apply Principles
Recommend specific changes based on psychological principles
Validate
Explain the psychology behind each recommendation
Best Practices For Users
Be specific - “Audit my website and fix all SEO issues” vs “check my site”Provide context - Share product info, target audience, and goalsTrust the workflow - Skills contain proven processes, let them guide the workIterate - Complex tasks often require multiple rounds
For Agents
Load skills proactively - Don’t wait to be askedFollow workflows completely - Don’t skip steps or stop earlyParallelize when possible - Use subagents for bulk fixesMeasure and verify - Re-audit after changes, validate improvements
Advanced Usage Skills can work alongside your existing tools:
# Audit site with squirrel squirrel audit https://example.com --format llm # Then run your custom checks npm run validate-links npm run check-accessibility # Combine results for comprehensive analysis
Skill-Guided Development Use skills during development:
# Before deployment 1. Run audit against local dev server 2. Fix issues in code 3. Run tests and type checking 4. Re-audit to verify 5. Deploy with confidence
CI/CD Integration Automate skill workflows in your pipeline:
# .github/workflows/audit.yml name : Website Audit on : [ push , pull_request ] jobs : audit : runs-on : ubuntu-latest steps : - uses : actions/checkout@v3 - name : Install squirrel run : curl -fsSL https://squirrelscan.com/install | bash - name : Run audit run : | squirrel init -n ${{ github.repository }} squirrel audit https://preview.example.com \ --format json \ --coverage quick
Next Steps
Website Auditing Learn how to audit websites and fix 230+ types of issues
Marketing Psychology Master 70+ mental models for better marketing decisions
Need Help? Skills are designed to be self-explanatory, but if you need assistance:
audit-website : Check squirrelscan docs marketing-psychology : Skills include examples and explanations inlineGeneral questions : Skills work best with specific requests and clear context