A skill is a set of instructions that teaches Perplexity Computer how to do one type of task well, available on the web and in the Perplexity apps on every plan that includes Computer.
How skills work
Computer doesn’t read every skill in full on every task. It sees each installed skill by its name and description only, and loads the full instructions when it decides the skill fits the request. A skill you don’t need stays out of the way; a skill you do need brings its complete method, and any supporting files, into the task at that moment. Computer can load several skills in one task and combine them: a research request might run the Research skill to gather sources, then hand off to the Slides skill to turn the findings into a presentation.
Because the description decides when a skill loads, it is the most important line in a skill. Write it as the trigger: what the skill is for, and when Computer should use it.
You can also point Computer at a plugin directly: type / in the message box and select it under Plugins to load that plugin’s enabled skills for the task.
What a skill contains
Every skill is built around a SKILL.md file, written in the open Agent Skills format.
Frontmatter: a
name(1 to 64 characters; lowercase letters, digits, and single hyphens) and adescriptionthat tells Computer when to load the skill, and can also say when not to.Instructions: the body of the file, with the steps, standards, and output Computer should follow once the skill loads.
Supporting files (optional): reference documents and scripts that the instructions point to. They are only read or run when the skill is in use.
Where skills come from
Skills reach you from five sources.
| Source | Who creates it | Where you find it |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity skills | Perplexity | Discover tab |
| Personal skills | You, with Add custom | Installed tab |
| Organization skills | Your organization (Enterprise) | Organization tab |
| Project skills | Project members who can edit | Project settings → Skills |
| Skills inside plugins | The plugin’s author | Installed with the plugin |
Table 1 — The five sources of skills and where each appears.
Perplexity skills cover common work such as building presentations, running research, and charting data. Browse them on the Discover tab and install the ones you want.
Personal skills are the ones you create or upload. Select Add custom, then Skill, and choose Create with Computer to describe the skill in plain language, or Upload skill to import a
.zipfile with aSKILL.mdat its root (or a single.mdfile) of up to 20 MB and 100 files.Organization skills are shared by an Enterprise organization with its members. They appear on the Organization tab for anyone in the organization to install, and an administrator can install them for everyone.
Project skills are uploaded in Project settings → Skills and apply inside that Project. Your personal and organization skills stay available there too.
Skills inside plugins arrive when you install a plugin. A plugin bundles connectors and skills into one install. Each plugin includes its own copies of its skills.
Managing your skills
Open Plugins in the sidebar, go to the Installed tab, and switch to Skills (or Customize → Connectors and Skills if you don’t see Plugins yet).
The Installed tab lists your standalone skills. Use the Enabled switch to turn a skill off without removing it, or Uninstall to remove it. Skills that come with a plugin are managed from the plugin’s page: turn them on or off there, and uninstall the plugin to remove them.
Open a skill to check its name and description. If a skill isn’t loading when you expect, the description usually needs clearer trigger phrases.
Skills in an Enterprise organization
Skills work the same way for every member. What changes is who can create and share them.
Administrators set skill permissions per role in Roles & Permissions under Plugins and skills, alongside plugin permissions: whether a role can upload or create personal plugins and skills, create organization plugins and skills, and install the ones they created for everyone. Organization skills live in the Organization plugins and skills library on Organization settings → Plugins and skills, where an administrator can also install a skill for every member or remove it.
On sales-assisted Enterprise plans, Plugins is in beta for a short period before rolling out to all organizations. If you are an administrator, see Manage plugins for your organization for the organization-level controls.
Skills for developers
If you build with the Perplexity Agent API, the same skill format applies: your requests can select built-in skills, define inline skills, or reference custom skills you upload to an API Project. Limits and management differ from Computer; see Skills in the Agent API documentation.
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Need more help?
Contact us via Help > Contact Support. Include the task link if your question is about a specific Computer task.