> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://4ad32a5-spikonado.manicule.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
> For every page in one file, fetch https://4ad32a5-spikonado.manicule.dev/docs/llms-full.txt (large).
> To search and read these docs as tools, connect the MCP server at https://4ad32a5-spikonado.manicule.dev/docs/api/mcp.
> Every agent surface: https://4ad32a5-spikonado.manicule.dev/docs/.well-known/llms-manifest.json

# Instructions and skills (/docs/use/instructions-and-skills)

<!-- agent-signals: reading_time_min: 3 · est_tokens: 913 · updated: 2026-11-12 -->
Related: [Projects and threads](/docs/use/projects-and-threads.md), [Models and providers](/docs/use/models-and-providers.md), [What the agent can do](/docs/use/agent-tools.md), [Hardware](/docs/use/hardware.md), [Purchases](/docs/use/purchases.md), [GitHub](/docs/use/github.md)

> Give the agent project rules with AGENTS.md files, and teach it repeatable workflows with skills stored as SKILL.md files.

## AGENTS.md

`AGENTS.md` files hold instructions the agent follows, such as how to run tests or which branch to open pull requests against. Sprocket loads them before each run:

1. `~/.agents/AGENTS.md`, your personal file for every project.
2. Every `AGENTS.md` from the project root down to the folder you opened.

Each file applies to the folder that contains it and everything below it. Deeper files win when instructions conflict. Sprocket tells the agent to check for more `AGENTS.md` files when it moves into a subfolder.

Sprocket reads up to 32 KiB from your personal file and up to 32 KiB across all project files. It cuts off text past those limits.

## Skills

A skill is a folder with a `SKILL.md` file that teaches the agent a workflow. The agent sees each skill's name and description and reads the full file when a task matches. You can also load a skill yourself by typing `$name` in the composer, or `/name` for skills that load only when you type their names.

### Add a skill

Create a folder named after the skill with a `SKILL.md` inside it:

```md title=".agents/skills/release-notes/SKILL.md"
---
name: release-notes
description: Use when writing release notes from merged pull requests.
---

1. List the pull requests merged since the last tag with `gh pr list --state merged`.
2. Group them under Features, Fixes, and Other.
```

`name` must match the folder name and use 1 to 64 lowercase letters, digits, and single hyphens. Both `name` and `description` are required.

Add `disable-model-invocation: true` to the frontmatter to hide a skill from the agent's list. It then loads only when you type its name.

### Where skills live

Sprocket looks in these folders. When two skills share a name, the first folder in this list wins:

1. `.sprocket/skills/` in the project root
2. `.agents/skills/` in the project root
3. `~/.sprocket/skills/`
4. `~/.agents/skills/`
5. Skills built into Sprocket

The project root is the git repository root, or the working directory outside git. Sprocket loads up to 64 skills.

### Built-in skills

These skills ship with Sprocket and update with it:

| Skill                          | What it covers                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `agent-browser`                | Browsing, testing, and automating websites                     |
| `using-the-signed-in-browser`  | Sites that need a sign-in or show a captcha or bot check       |
| `agent-desktop`                | Operating desktop apps                                         |
| `making-artifacts-and-visuals` | Making artifacts and inline visuals                            |
| `working-with-kicad`           | Editing KiCad schematics and boards, and exporting from KiCad  |
| `designing-wiring-diagram`     | Wiring diagrams for projects built from modules and dev boards |
| `selecting-hardware-parts`     | Choosing parts and suppliers, and writing a BOM                |
| `paying-at-checkout`           | Paying at online checkouts                                     |

These load only when you type their names:

| Skill         | What it does                                         |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| `/cleanup`    | Cleans up the agent's latest design and code changes |
| `/recover-pr` | Brings an old pull request up to date                |
| `/bro`        | Restates the agent's last message in plain language  |