Grok Bot Skills: How to Write, Save and Teach Them

Short answer

A skill is a saved set of instructions for one task, like “Weekly report” or “Reply to reviews”. Do the task with your Bot until it works, ask the Bot to save the method as a skill, test it on a fresh example, and only then put it on a schedule. That order comes straight from xAI’s docs.

As of Oct 26, 2026 (Grok Bot desktop app v0.75.8).

Skill or routine?

A skill says how to do a task.
A routine says which Bot runs it and when. See routines.

Use a skill in chat by typing / and its name. The Skills panel is Ctrl+Shift+W.

The six parts of a good skill

Part	What to write
When to use it	One or two lines, and when not to use it
Inputs and access	Apps, files or logins it needs. If access is missing, it should say so, not guess
Steps	Short, numbered, naming the sources and the order
How to check the result	Every number has a source, every link opens, the format matches
What to return	The exact output and where it goes
What needs approval	Sending, posting, buying, deleting, publishing, changing anything live

When to save one

Save a skill once you’ve done the task at least twice and liked the result. Before that, you’re only saving a guess. Then ask:

Save the process we just used as a skill called “[name]”. Use six headings: When to use it, Inputs and access, Steps, How to check the result, What to return, What needs my approval. Keep it under one page. Show it to me before saving.

Trim the draft, then test it on a new example.

Teach a task: show, don’t type

For work in a website, Teach a task in the composer’s + menu lets you record the workflow once. xAI says recordings can be up to ten minutes and the Bot turns them into a draft skill. Add the decision rules and approval stops it couldn’t see. Details: Teach a task.

One library for all your Bots

Keep a short House rules skill that every Bot loads: your tone, what always needs your OK, and where files go. Keep job skills (like “Invoice chaser”) for the Bot that does that job.

Apps from Connect apps can bring their own skills too. The X detail page, for example, lists one app and one skill.

Connect apps detail page for X, listing one connector under Apps and one skill under Skills

Keep skills small

One job per skill. If it’s longer than a page, split it.
A version line at the top: “v3, Oct 26: added the refund rule.”
Prune monthly: merge duplicates, delete what you don’t use.
Re-test after a website or app changes. Old click-paths break quietly.

Smaller skills also use less of your weekly allowance. See usage and tokens.

FAQ

Do I need to code to write a skill?

No. Skills are plain-language instructions, and the Bot can write the first draft for you.

Can a skill send email by itself?

Only if you let it. Put sends in “What needs approval” and add an Ask first rule. See custom rules.

Where are skills different from memory?

Memory holds short facts and preferences. Skills hold repeatable methods. See Grok Bot memory.

Rather skip the build? The Swarm Toolkit includes tested skills you can import.

Swarm School is an independent site. We’re not affiliated with xAI or Cursor.

Sources

Swarm School is independent and not affiliated with Grok Bot’s makers. Features change; check the official docs for current details.

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Grok Bot skills: how to write, save and teach them