Getting Started with Skill Engine
Welcome to Skill Engine! This guide will help you understand what Skill Engine is, how it works, and get you up and running in minutes.
What is Skill Engine?
Skill Engine is a universal runtime for AI agent tools and skills. It provides:
- Universal Tool Runtime: Execute tools from any source (WASM, Docker, native binaries, MCP servers)
- Claude Code Integration: Native integration with Claude Code and other AI agents
- Multiple Interfaces: CLI, HTTP API, and MCP protocol support
- Skill Marketplace: Discover and install pre-built skills
- Developer Framework: Build and share your own skills
Architecture Overview
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AI Agents Layer │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Claude Code │ │ Gemini │ │ OpenAI │ │
│ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ │
└─────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────┘
│ │ │
└──────────────────┴──────────────────┘
│
┌────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┐
│ Skill Engine Core │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Interface Layer │ │
│ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ CLI │ │ HTTP API │ │ MCP │ │ │
│ │ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ │ │
│ └───────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼──────────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ┌───────┴─────────────┴─────────────┴──────────────────┐ │
│ │ Skill Runtime Engine │ │
│ │ • Manifest parsing & validation │ │
│ │ • Tool discovery & execution │ │
│ │ • Parameter validation & type conversion │ │
│ │ • Execution history & analytics │ │
│ └───────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────┐
│ Runtime Layer │
│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │ WASM │ │ Docker │ │ Native │ │
│ │ Components │ │ Containers │ │ Binaries │ │
│ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Key Concepts
Skills
A skill is a packaged collection of tools with a manifest (.skill-engine.toml or SKILL.md) that defines:
- Tool names and descriptions
- Parameter schemas
- Runtime requirements (WASM, Docker, native)
- Environment variables
- Documentation
Tools
A tool is an individual function that agents can call. Each tool has:
- A unique name
- Input parameters with types
- Output format
- Description for AI agents
Runtimes
Skill Engine supports multiple runtime environments:
- WASM Component Model: Sandboxed WebAssembly components
- Docker: Containerized tools (FFmpeg, ImageMagick, PostgreSQL, etc.)
- Native: Local binaries on your system
Manifests
Skills are defined using manifests in two formats:
- TOML (
.skill-engine.toml): Traditional configuration format - Markdown (
SKILL.md): Documentation-first format with YAML front matter
Use Cases
For AI Agent Developers
- Add specialized capabilities to your agents
- Access pre-built integrations (GitHub, Slack, Kubernetes, etc.)
- Ensure consistent tool execution across different AI models
For Tool Developers
- Package your tools for AI consumption
- Reach users across multiple AI platforms
- Maintain a single source of truth for tool definitions
For DevOps Teams
- Standardize infrastructure operations
- Provide safe, sandboxed access to production tools
- Enable AI-assisted troubleshooting and automation
Quick Navigation
- Quick Start Guide: Get running in under 10 minutes
- Installation: Detailed installation instructions for all platforms
- Building Your First Skill: Create a custom skill
- Claude Code Integration: Use with Claude Code
- API Reference: Complete REST API documentation
Next Steps
Ready to get started? Head to the Quick Start Guide to install Skill Engine and run your first skill in under 10 minutes.
Have questions? Check out the FAQ or explore the Example Skills for inspiration.