Skills

Run prompt-only skills with local and remote agents in glaip-sdk. Use this guide to install/load skills, attach them to agents, and run them in the right execution mode.

Use GitHub-backed skills for both local runs and remote deploy. Path-based skills are local-only.

glaip-sdk utilizes the GL Connectors Skills workflow and references the same skill model documented in GL Connectors.

Skills Patterns

GitHub-Based Skills (Recommended)

The recommended way to use skills is via GitHub URLs. This works for both local and remote deployment.

Public GitHub Skills

For public repositories, pass the GitHub skill URL directly:

from glaip_sdk import Agent

github_skill = "https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/copywriting"

agent = Agent(
    name="skills-github-agent",
    instruction="You are a helpful assistant.",
    model="openai/gpt-5",
    skills=[github_skill],
)

result = agent.run("Write landing page copy for PulsePath.")

Private GitHub Skills

For private repositories, set one of these environment variables before running:

export GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN="<your_token>"
# or
export GITHUB_TOKEN="<your_token>"
# or
export GH_TOKEN="<your_token>"

Then use the private URL the same way:

from glaip_sdk import Agent

agent = Agent(
    name="skills-private-github-agent",
    instruction="You are a helpful assistant.",
    model="openai/gpt-5",
    skills=["https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/tree/<branch>/skills/<skill-name>"],
)

Remote Deploy with GitHub Skills

For remote runs, deploy the agent first. With GitHub-backed skills, the SDK normalizes the skills payload and enables filesystem support automatically.

from glaip_sdk import Agent

agent = Agent(
    name="skills-remote-agent",
    instruction="You are a helpful assistant.",
    model="openai/gpt-5",
    skills=["https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/tree/<branch>/skills/<skill-name>"],
)

agent.deploy()
result = agent.run("Write landing page copy for PulsePath.")

Accepted GitHub-based inputs:

• single URL string:

skills="https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/tree/<branch>/skills/<name>"

• list of URL strings: skills=["<github-skill-url-1>", "<github-skill-url-2>"]

Input behavior:

• string or list of strings in skills is treated as GitHub skill source URL(s)

• Skill object from Skill.from_path(...) is treated as a local installed skill

Path-Based Skills (Local Only)

Use local skill folders under .agents/skills/<skill-name>/ and load them with Skill.from_path(...). Note: Path-based skills only work for local runs and cannot be used with remote deployment.

from glaip_sdk import Agent
from glaip_sdk.skills import Skill

skill = Skill.from_path(".agents/skills/copywriting")

agent = Agent(
    name="skills-local-agent",
    instruction="You are a helpful assistant.",
    model="openai/gpt-5",
    skills=[skill],
)

result = agent.run("Write landing page copy for PulsePath.")

Use path-based skills for:

• deterministic local development

• teams managing skill files inside the repository

• explicit skill versioning through Git history

---

Skill Authoring (GL Connectors Skills)

For creating and structuring skills, follow the canonical GL Connectors docs:

• GL Connectors Skills

• Creating a Skill

• Skills, MCP Servers, Pipelines and APIs

In this SDK guide:

• Path-based custom skills are local-only (Skill.from_path(...)).

• For remote deploy, publish your skill to GitHub and use the GitHub tree URL in skills=[...].

Troubleshooting

• ImportError: aip_agents is required for Skill

  • likely cause: local runtime extras are missing

  • fix: install glaip-sdk[local]

• Filesystem override warning during deploy

  • likely cause: filesystem is explicitly disabled in config while skills are set

  • fix: remove the override if unnecessary; SDK auto-enables filesystem for remote deploy

• Missing required SKILL.md

  • likely cause: invalid skill directory

  • fix: add SKILL.md at skill root

• GitHub install failure

  • likely cause: missing dependency or GitHub auth

  • fix: ensure gl-connectors-tools is installed and set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN (or GITHUB_TOKEN / GH_TOKEN) for private repos

Current Limitations and Roadmap

• Skills are currently read/prompt-oriented (SKILL.md, references, examples).

• Path-based custom skills are local-only.

• Agent execution of code inside skill folders is planned (TBD).

---

How Skills Relate to Tools, MCP Servers, and APIs

Use these components together based on responsibility:

• Skills: teach the agent workflow, format, and domain rules.

• Tools: let the agent perform discrete actions.

• MCP servers: expose external tools/resources through a standard interface.

• Pipelines/APIs: run deterministic execution outside the model.

Decision matrix:

If you need...	Start with	Why
The agent to know how to follow a workflow/format	Skill	Encodes instructions, rules, and domain process
The agent to do a discrete action	Tool or MCP server	Executes capabilities against external systems
Deterministic, fixed execution with no model reasoning	Pipelines/APIs	Keeps logic explicit and predictable
Team-specific workflow using existing tools/MCP	Skill + Tool/MCP	Skill teaches process; Tool/MCP provides actions

Use tools or MCP servers for executable actions in the current release.

Runtime Relationship (AIP + GL Connectors Skills)

Conceptual sequence for how glaip-sdk uses GL Connectors skill sources:

Related Documentation

• Agents guide

• MCPs guide