Skill vs. tool: what's the difference? Guide
A tool is a single capability your agent can use. A skill is a proven playbook that bundles a method with the tools it needs.
Last updated July 16, 2026
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Two of your agent's most important capabilities are tools and skills. They sound similar, but they do different jobs. In short: a tool is a single thing your agent can do, while a skill is a step-by-step method for how to do a whole job well.
What a tool is
A tool is one discrete capability. It's the "means" — a single action your agent can take on its own. Examples include emailing you, saving a result, searching the web, working with files, or generating an image. Connected integrations add more tools, so your agent can also do things like send a message in Slack or look up an order in Shopify.
You can see every tool an agent has on its Tools tab, grouped by integration, with the connected account shown for each one. Built-in tools are always available. Integration tools require you to connect an account first before the agent can use them.
Tip: If an agent didn't do something you expected, it may simply lack the right tool. On the Build tab, ask the AI builder to add it in plain English — for example, "let it send WhatsApp messages."
What a skill is
A skill is packaged expertise — a proven, step-by-step playbook for a specific job, such as writing an SEO blog post or monitoring a brand. It's the "method": it tells your agent how to approach the work, not just what buttons it can press.
Skills load on demand, and installing one does something useful automatically. Along with the playbook, a skill grants the extra tools that method needs. So instead of adding a method and then hunting down each tool it depends on, you get both in a single step.
You can see which skills an agent has on its Skills tab, and you can view how many extra tools each skill brings with it.
The key difference at a glance
| Tool | Skill | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A single capability | An expert playbook for a whole job |
| Answers | What the agent can do | How the agent does something well |
| Scope | One action | A method plus the tools it needs |
| Where to see it | Tools tab | Skills tab |
How they work together
Think of it this way: a tool is a single instrument, and a skill is the recipe that knows which instruments to use and in what order. When you install a skill, your agent gains the recipe and any instruments that recipe calls for.
This is also why an agent can end up with tools you never explicitly gave it. If you notice a capability that wasn't requested directly, a skill most likely granted it as part of its method.
Which one do you need?
- You want the agent to be able to do one specific thing — like search the web or send an email. That's a tool. Ask the AI builder to add it, or confirm it on the Tools tab.
- You want the agent to follow a proven approach to a job — like producing a consistent SEO blog or watching for brand mentions. That's a skill. Add it and the agent gets the method plus the tools that method requires.
Most of the time you don't have to choose manually. As you describe what you want on the Build tab, the AI builder wires up the right tools and skills for you. You can always open the Tools and Skills tabs afterward to review exactly what's in place, and remove a skill the agent no longer needs.
Note: If your agent isn't following a repeatable, high-quality method for a familiar job, it may be missing the matching skill. Installing that skill gives it both the playbook and the tools to carry it out.