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How to Convert Your Docs to Agent Skills (5-Minute Guide)

Tutorial 📅 January 24, 2026 ✍️ OPC Team ⏱️ 6 min

How to Convert Your Docs to Agent Skills (5-Minute Guide)

By OPC Team | January 24, 2026 | 6 min read

TL;DR

Traditional documentation gets 2 retweets. The same content published as a skill gets 350 retweets. That's 100x more engagement. This guide shows you how to convert any documentation into an agent skill in 5 minutes—no coding required. Your docs will go from "read and forget" to "install and execute."

The 100x Engagement Gap

swyx recently observed something fascinating:

"Publish markdown docs to docs website: 2 retweets

Publish markdown docs as 'skills': 350 retweets"

Why such a massive difference?

AI agents can execute skills, but they can only read docs. When someone installs your skill, it becomes part of their AI's permanent knowledge. When someone reads your docs, they forget it by tomorrow.

We're witnessing a shift from "documentation for humans" to "instructions for AI."

What Makes a Good Skill? (The Anatomy)

A skill is just a markdown file with structure. Here's the anatomy:

---
name: your-skill-name
description: What this skill does in one sentence
triggers:
  - keyword that activates this skill
  - another trigger phrase
dependencies:
  - other-skill-if-needed
---

# Your Skill Title

Instructions that AI can follow step-by-step...

The 4 Essential Components

Component Purpose Example
YAML Frontmatter Metadata for discovery name: domain-hunter
Instructions Clear, imperative commands "When user asks for domains, first check availability..."
Examples Real workflows, not abstract concepts "Example: Find .io domains under $20/year"
Scripts (optional) Automation helpers scripts/search.py

Step-by-Step: Convert Any Doc to a Skill

Here's the 5-minute conversion process:

Step Action Time
1 Extract the "How To" section 1 min
2 Rewrite as imperative instructions 2 min
3 Add YAML frontmatter 30 sec
4 Add 2-3 example commands 1 min
5 Test with Claude Code 30 sec

Step 1: Extract the "How To" Section (1 min)

Find the actionable parts of your documentation. Skip:

Keep:

Step 2: Rewrite as Imperative Instructions (2 min)

Documentation is descriptive. Skills are imperative.

Before (Documentation style):

"The API supports rate limiting. Users can configure rate limits using the dashboard or by calling the /settings endpoint. Rate limits help prevent abuse and ensure fair usage across all customers."

After (Skill style):

"When user asks about rate limits:

  1. Check current limits: GET /api/limits
  2. If limits are too low, suggest increasing via dashboard
  3. If user needs custom limits, provide the API call: POST /api/settings { "rateLimit": 1000 }"

The key difference: Tell the AI exactly what to do, not what's possible.

Step 3: Add YAML Frontmatter (30 sec)

---
name: rate-limit-helper
description: Configure and troubleshoot API rate limits
triggers:
  - rate limit
  - too many requests
  - 429 error
  - throttling
dependencies: []
---

Trigger tips:

Step 4: Add 2-3 Example Commands (1 min)

Examples teach the AI the expected workflow:

## Example Workflows

### Check Current Rate Limits
User: "What are my API rate limits?"
Action: Call `GET /api/limits` and display results

### Increase Rate Limits
User: "I'm getting 429 errors, can you help?"
Action:
1. Check current limits
2. Identify which endpoint is hitting limits
3. Suggest increase or optimization strategies

### Custom Enterprise Limits
User: "We need higher limits for our enterprise account"
Action: Provide contact form link and explain enterprise tier options

Step 5: Test with Claude Code (30 sec)

Save your skill and test it:

# Save as SKILL.md in your project
# Then in Claude Code, try:
"Help me with rate limiting"

If the AI doesn't pick up your skill, check your triggers.

Real Example: OPC Skills Conversion

Here's how we converted domain-hunter from a README to a skill:

Before: README.md

# Domain Hunter

A tool to search for available domains and compare prices.

## Features
- Search multiple TLDs
- Compare 8+ registrars
- Find promo codes

## Usage
Run the search script with your desired domain name.

After: SKILL.md

---
name: domain-hunter
description: Search domains, compare registrar prices, find promo codes
triggers:
  - domain
  - registrar
  - buy domain
  - domain availability
dependencies:
  - twitter
  - reddit
---

# Domain Hunter

Help users find and register domains at the best prices.

## When to Use This Skill

Activate when user:
- Asks about domain availability
- Wants to compare registrar prices
- Needs promo codes for domain registration
- Is choosing between TLDs (.com, .io, .dev, etc.)

## Workflow

1. **Gather requirements**: Ask for desired domain name and preferred TLDs
2. **Check availability**: Use WHOIS or registrar APIs
3. **Compare prices**: Check prices across 8 registrars (see price table)
4. **Find promo codes**: Use twitter and reddit skills to search for active codes
5. **Present recommendation**: Show cheapest option with any available discounts

## Price Comparison Table

| Registrar | .com | .io | .dev |
|-----------|------|-----|------|
| Namecheap | $9.98 | $32.98 | $12.98 |
| Cloudflare | $9.15 | $22.15 | $10.18 |
| Spaceship | $9.78 | $14.98 | $11.98 |

## Example

User: "I need a domain for my startup called 'acmetech'"

Response:
1. Check acmetech.com, acmetech.io, acmetech.dev
2. Compare prices across registrars
3. Search Twitter/Reddit for promo codes
4. Recommend: "acmetech.io available at Spaceship for $14.98 (cheapest)"

What changed:

Where to Publish Your Skills

Platform Audience How to Publish
GitHub Open source community npx skills add user/repo
skills.sh Discovery & metrics Listed in registry automatically
Project-level Team only .claude/skills/ or .cursor/skills/
Personal Your workflows ~/.claude/skills/

Publishing to GitHub

# Create skill structure
mkdir -p skills/your-skill
touch skills/your-skill/SKILL.md

# Users install with
npx skills add your-org/your-repo --skill your-skill

Publishing to skills.sh

Skills published on GitHub are automatically indexed by skills.sh. The registry tracks:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Too Vague

❌ Bad: "Help with domains"

✅ Good: "Search for available .com domains under $15/year and compare prices across Namecheap, Cloudflare, and Porkbun"

2. No Triggers

❌ Bad: Missing triggers in frontmatter

✅ Good: Include 3-5 trigger phrases users might actually say

3. Missing Examples

❌ Bad: Abstract instructions without concrete workflows

✅ Good: "User says X → AI does Y → Expected output is Z"

4. Hardcoded Values

❌ Bad: API keys in the skill file

✅ Good: Use environment variables: Set TWITTER_API_KEY in your environment

5. No Dependencies Declared

❌ Bad: Skill uses other skills but doesn't declare them

✅ Good: List dependencies so users install everything needed

Skill Template

Copy this template to get started:

---
name: my-skill-name
description: One sentence describing what this skill does
triggers:
  - primary trigger phrase
  - secondary trigger
  - error message users might mention
dependencies: []
---

# Skill Title

Brief description of the skill's purpose.

## When to Use This Skill

Activate when user:
- [Scenario 1]
- [Scenario 2]
- [Scenario 3]

## Workflow

1. **Step one**: Description
2. **Step two**: Description
3. **Step three**: Description

## Example

User: "[Example user request]"

Action:
1. [First action]
2. [Second action]
3. [Final response]

## Notes

- Important consideration 1
- Important consideration 2

Start Converting Today

Your documentation is invisible to AI agents. Your skills are not.

Try OPC Skills

See real examples of well-structured skills:

npx skills add ReScienceLab/opc-skills

9 skills included: domain-hunter, logo-creator, twitter, reddit, seo-geo, and more.

Create Your Own

  1. Pick one piece of actionable documentation
  2. Follow the 5-minute conversion process above
  3. Test with Claude Code or Cursor
  4. Publish to GitHub

Join the Community

Further Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert documentation to an agent skill?

Follow the 5-step process: (1) Extract actionable "How To" content, (2) Rewrite as imperative instructions, (3) Add YAML frontmatter with name/description/triggers, (4) Add 2-3 example workflows, (5) Test with your AI coding assistant. The entire process takes about 5 minutes.

What is the Skill.md format?

Skill.md is a markdown file with YAML frontmatter that AI coding assistants can load and execute. The frontmatter includes name, description, triggers (keywords that activate the skill), and dependencies (other required skills). The body contains structured instructions and examples.

Which AI platforms support skills?

As of January 2026, 6 major platforms natively support skills: Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, OpenCode, Codex (via adapters), and Droid (Factory). Skills are stored in platform-specific directories like .claude/skills/ or .cursor/skills/.

How long does it take to create a skill?

A basic skill takes 5 minutes to create from existing documentation. More complex skills with scripts and multiple workflows may take 15-30 minutes. The key is starting simple and iterating based on usage.

Do I need to know how to code to create skills?

No. Skills are markdown files. If you can write documentation, you can create a skill. Scripts are optional—many effective skills are pure markdown with structured instructions and examples.

Questions about converting your docs to skills? Open an issue on GitHub.