skill-creator
- Use it when:
- You want to write a new skill for Codex or update one you have.
- It does:
- Asks for concrete examples of use, plans the scripts, references and assets they call for, scaffolds the folder with init_skill.py and checks it with quick_validate.py.
- You get:
- A skill folder with SKILL.md, optional scripts/, references/ and assets/, and agents/openai.yaml, the metadata Codex shows in its skill list.
- Its rules:
- Assume the agent is already smart, keep SKILL.md under 500 lines, put all trigger text in the description, keep references one level deep, add no README.
- Unlike Anthropic's skill-creator:
- It has no evals or benchmarks: improvement comes from using the skill on real tasks.
TL;DR
OpenAI's guide to writing skills, a system skill that the latest Codex installs automatically. It explains what a skill is, a folder with a required SKILL.md and optional scripts for code that would otherwise be rewritten, references loaded into context only when needed, and assets used in the output, and the progressive loading behind it: the name and description are always in context, the body loads when the skill triggers, and bundled files load as needed. The process has six steps: gather concrete examples of how the skill will be used, asking you a few questions at a time; work out which scripts, references and assets those examples need; run init_skill.py to generate the folder, a SKILL.md template with TODO placeholders and agents/openai.yaml; write the resources, testing scripts by running them, then SKILL.md in the imperative; validate with quick_validate.py, which checks the frontmatter and naming rules; and iterate after real use. It also matches how specific instructions are to how fragile the task is, from free text to fixed scripts, and names skills in lowercase hyphen-case under 64 characters. The openai/skills repository is marked deprecated; its README points to openai/plugins for current Codex skills.
Summarizes the skill at 49f948f.
npx skills add https://github.com/openai/skills --skill skill-creator skills.sh pageSource on GitHubAll skills from openai/skills
- Total Downloads
- 5,100 on skills.sh, Nov 9, 2026
- Repo stars
- 28,602 openai/skills
- First seen
- Jan 20, 2026 on skills.sh
Weekly values
| Week to | Installs |
|---|---|
| Sep 21 | 194 |
| Sep 28 | 190 |
| Oct 5 | 235 |
| Oct 12 | 130 |
| Oct 19 | 136 |
| Oct 26 | 110 |
| Nov 2 | 123 |
| Nov 9 | 89 |
| Category |
Find, write, vet and route to other skills. Everything for building software: planning, coding, debugging, design, frameworks, cloud, agents and skills. |
|---|---|
| Type |
A multi-step process the agent follows: interview, debug, run a TDD loop, review. |
| Effect |
Its own steps create or change files, git state or local tools. |
| Needs |
Instructions only. Works in any agent that supports skills. |
| Publisher |
A verified publisher on skills.sh, or the company or maintainer behind the product the skill operates. |
| Topics | |
| Stack |
SKILL.md
No copy of its SKILL.md yet.