Custom Skills

Overview

Wilson’s skill system is designed to be extended. Create your own skills by writing a SKILL.md file — no code required. Skills are markdown files with YAML frontmatter that give Wilson domain-specific instructions.

Skill File Structure

Create a folder with a SKILL.md file:

my-skill/
└── SKILL.md

SKILL.md Format

---
name: my-skill
tier: free
description: >
  Brief description of what this skill does and when Wilson should use it.
  This text is injected into the system prompt for automatic skill detection.
---

# My Skill Name

## Workflow

1. **Step one** — Describe what Wilson should do first.
   Use `tool_name` to accomplish X.
2. **Step two** — Next step with specific instructions.
3. **Generate report** — Final output instructions.

## Important Notes

- Any caveats or special handling instructions.

Frontmatter Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`name`	string	Yes	Unique skill identifier (kebab-case)
`tier`	`free` \| `paid`	No	Content tier (defaults to `free`)
`description`	string	Yes	When to trigger this skill. Injected into the system prompt.

Skill Discovery Locations

Location	Priority	Purpose
`src/skills/`	Lowest	Built-in skills
`~/.agentwilson/skills/`	Medium	User-wide skills
`.agentwilson/skills/`	Highest	Project-specific skills

Skills are discovered in order. A skill with the same name in a higher-priority directory overrides the lower-priority one.

Available Tools

Skills can reference any of Wilson’s built-in tools:

Tool	Description
`transaction_search`	Search and filter transactions by date, merchant, category, amount
`categorize`	AI-powered transaction categorization
`spending_summary`	Generate spending breakdowns by category, merchant, or time period
`anomaly_detect`	Find duplicate charges, unusual amounts, forgotten subscriptions
`export_transactions`	Export filtered transactions to CSV or XLSX
`csv_import`	Import transactions from CSV, OFX, or QIF files
`web_search`	Search the web for merchant info or financial questions

Example: Subscription Audit

---
name: subscription-audit
tier: free
description: >
  Identifies recurring charges, forgotten subscriptions, and duplicate
  payments. Trigger when user asks about subscriptions, recurring charges,
  or wants to find charges to cancel.
---

# Subscription Audit

## Workflow

1. **Find recurring charges** — Use `transaction_search` to identify
   transactions that repeat monthly or annually with similar amounts.
2. **Group by merchant** — Aggregate recurring charges by merchant name.
3. **Flag issues** — Use `anomaly_detect` to find:
   - Subscriptions with recent price increases
   - Services not used in 30+ days (if usage data available)
   - Duplicate subscriptions (same service, multiple charges)
4. **Generate report** — List all recurring charges with monthly/annual cost,
   flag those worth reviewing, and calculate potential savings.

Tips

Be specific in workflow steps. Tell Wilson which tools to use and what to look for.
The description field is critical — it determines when Wilson auto-selects the skill.
Use financial verbs: scan, categorize, flag, reconcile, audit, track.
Include “Important Notes” for edge cases and caveats.
Test your skill with different datasets to ensure instructions are clear enough.