Salesforce Docs Portal

Write Skill Instructions

Write Markdown instructions that tell the AI model what to do, in what order, and how to use agent actions and context.

Required Editions

Available in: Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions with the Einstein for Sales add-on.
User Permissions Needed
To create, edit, run, and share your own skills in Skill Builder:

AI Skill User permission set

  • Skill User
To create, edit, run, and share all skills in Skill Builder:

AI Skill Manager permission set

  • Skill User
  • Skill Manager

When you open a new skill, choose a starting method on the Instructions canvas. The canvas uses this structure: Objective, Steps, Guidelines, Data & Tools, and Examples.

Start with Outline

Start from a guided template.

  1. In Skill Builder, click New Start with Outline.
  2. Edit the prefilled instructions to fit your use case.
  3. Complete Steps, Guidelines, Data & Tools, and Examples.

Start with AI

Describe the skill in plain language and generate a draft.

  1. Click Start with AI.
  2. In the chat panel, describe what the skill does. For example, Create a skill that opens Salesforce cases including what’s new for the top 3 cases that need me today. Pull the latest comment or email on each so I have context. Include numbered steps, and an output format. Keep it concise.
  3. Review the generated instructions in the canvas.
  4. To keep the generated instructions, click Accept change.
  5. To revise them, enter the change in the text box.
  6. To discard them and start over, click Undo.
  7. Edit the draft in the canvas, or continue in the chat to refine it.

Start with Outline and Start with AI use the same instruction structure: Objective, Steps, Guidelines, Data & Tools, and Examples.

Write instructions for the AI model

  1. In Objective, state the goal.
  2. In Steps, number each task. Reference agent actions by name.
  3. In Guidelines, state what not to do, especially when agent actions change data.
  4. In Data & Tools, name the records or sources the skill uses and the agent actions it runs.
  5. In Examples, show a user request and the expected result.
  6. To add context, click Insert Resource or type @.

Example instruction structure

Objective
You are a support specialist and your goal is to update a case category and type based on the policy document.

Steps
1. Query the case.
2. Compare the case details to the policy document.
3. Update category and type.
4. Pause for approval before writing the changes.

Guidelines
- Don’t close the case.
- Don’t change the case owner.
- Follow the policy document when you set category and type.

Data & Tools
- Use the case record and the policy document.
- Record Query, Record Update

Examples
- When a user says to update this case from the policy, set category and type, then pause for approval.

See Also