Grok Bot skills are saved, reusable instructions that tell a Bot how to do one task the same way every time. This guide covers grok bot skills: where they come from, how a Bot picks them up, how they differ from routines and plugins, and how to write one that works.
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Grok Bot is xAI's agent app. Its docs describe two building blocks for repeat work. A skill is "a reusable set of instructions for how to do a task." A routine tells one Bot when to run a workflow. Get the skill right first. Automate it second.
What Grok Bot skills are
xAI's docs say a skill captures steps, decision rules, expected output, and safety boundaries. You save it once. Then any of your Bots can use it, as long as that Bot has the app or login the skill needs.
The docs push a simple order of work:
- Run the task once as a normal chat.
- Fix it until the result is reliable.
- Save that method as a skill.
- Only then put it on a routine.
Private skills sit in one library that all your Bots share. If a Bot can't find one of your skills, the fix in the docs is to open Connect apps in the sidebar, select the connected count next to the title, and enable the skill for the current Bot under Private skills.
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Where Grok Bot skills come from
A Bot can pick up skills from five places. Each one is named in xAI's docs or in the Grok Bot changelog at x.ai/changelog/bot.
1. Skills you save in chat
Finish a task, then ask the Bot to save the process as a skill with a name. xAI's own example asks for a skill called "Weekly account health" with the source systems, risk definitions, output format, and a rule that customer contact always needs approval.
2. Teach a task
Where Teach a task is available, you show the Bot a browser workflow instead of writing it out. Open a one-to-one Bot chat and its computer view, choose Teach a task, describe the result, do the workflow once, then stop and review the skill it creates. The docs say it records visible computer activity for up to ten minutes and does not record microphone audio. The result is a draft. The docs also say this feature may roll out gradually.
3. Packaged skills and the Add skills dialog
The docs say Connect apps is where you discover and install supported apps and packaged skills. The changelog for v0.78.1 (27 Oct 2026) mentions the Add skills dialog and its library step, which no longer shows a Back button.
4. Skills that ship with plugins
Plugins can bring their own skills. Two changelog lines matter here:
- v0.71.2 (14 Oct 2026): Bots can use up to 200 skills from your installed plugins instead of 24, so skills from plugins you add are no longer left out.
- v0.75.8 (24 Oct 2026): when a Bot installs a plugin while working, it can use that plugin's skills right away.
See Grok Bot plugins and Grok Bot connectors for how the apps themselves get added.
5. Skills from a Bot template
Since v0.77.0 (26 Oct 2026), a Bot's template skills show under Private skills, labelled From template. A shared template carries the Bot's identity, description, skills, and routines. More on that in Grok Bot templates.
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Grok Bot skills vs routines vs plugins
These three get mixed up a lot. They do different jobs.
| Piece | What it is | What it answers | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skill | Reusable instructions for one task | How should this task be done? | Private skills library, shared by all your Bots |
| Routine | A schedule or event trigger owned by one Bot | When should this run? | The Bot's Details tab |
| Plugin | A connected app, which can also bring skills | What can the Bot reach? | Connect apps and the Bot's Plugins list |
| Template | A shareable copy of a whole Bot setup | How do others start from the same Bot? | A template link opened on x.ai |
A routine usually runs a skill. xAI's example routine says: every weekday at 8:00 AM, run the Daily customer-risk skill against the current account list. The skill holds the method. The routine holds the timing. The full setup is in Grok Bot routines.
How to use Grok Bot skills in a chat
The docs keep this simple. To use a skill, ask the Bot for it by name. Use @ to pick Bots, groups, routines, and apps in the composer.
Two changelog details help here:
- v0.68.1 (7 Oct 2026): typing / in the composer no longer opens a menu of skills and actions. Name the skill or use @ instead.
- v0.71.2 (14 Oct 2026): when a Bot's skills can't be loaded, the @ menu no longer shows a Couldn't load skills row.
Want help picking which tasks to turn into skills first? Book a free AI strategy session and map it out with the team.
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How to write good Grok Bot skills
xAI's docs list six things a useful skill states:
- When to use it
- Required inputs and access
- The sequence of work
- How to validate the result
- What to return
- What requires approval
Put those six headings in every skill you save. A skill without a validation step returns whatever it finds. A skill without an approval rule may act when you only wanted a draft.
The docs add trust rules for anything you later automate:
- Have the Bot draft, reconcile, or recommend before it acts.
- Require approval for sending, purchasing, deleting, publishing, or changing production systems.
- Include a rule for missing or stale data.
- Say where partial results get reported.
- Re-test after a website, app, or source format changes.
For skills made with Teach a task, the docs say to add decision rules, failure handling, and approval limits that one example won't show. Then test on a safe example before you schedule it.
Sharing Grok Bot skills with a team
If you belong to a team, you can publish a private skill. On desktop, open Connect apps, select the connected count, open the skill, and choose Publish. If you are on more than one team, choose one under Publish to.
The docs set a few rules:
- A skill needs a description before it can be published.
- After publishing, the button reads Published. Its menu offers Sync to push later edits, Copy link, and Unpublish.
- Skills that came with the app or with a Bot's template can't be published.
- If your team admin turned off publishing for members, ask an admin to publish it.
Team Bots have their own skill controls. Since v0.61.0 (26 Sep 2026), a new Team Bot walks you through plugins, secrets, skills, and files one card at a time. Since v0.64.0 (30 Sep 2026), the creator of a published Team Bot can add teammates under Managers, who can then change its profile, skills, plugins, secrets, and Slack app. And v0.77.0 says Team Bots follow the skill guide of a connector a teammate allowed. The Grok Bot teams page covers the rest.
One warning from the docs: a public template link exposes the Bot's skills and routines to anyone with the link. Strip API keys, internal URLs, and customer data from skills before you share a template.
Grok Bot skills and Hermes
Some teams run the same methods in more than one agent. If you are moving work over, our guide to migrating Grok Bot to Hermes covers bringing Grok Bot skills across. For skill ideas on the Hermes side, see the best Hermes agent skills. To see how a full agent setup fits together, read the Agent OS guide. Julian's own model testing sits in Goldie Bench.
Inside the AI Profit Boardroom, members swap skill templates and routine setups that small businesses use every week.
Grok Bot skills FAQ
Are Grok Bot skills shared across all my Bots?
Yes. xAI's docs say private skills are one library shared by all your Bots. A Bot may still need the right app or login to use a given skill, and you may need to enable it for that Bot under Private skills.
How many plugin skills can a Bot use?
Up to 200 skills from your installed plugins, per the v0.71.2 changelog (14 Oct 2026). The limit before that was 24.
What is the difference between a Grok Bot skill and a routine?
A skill is the method. A routine is the trigger, either a schedule or an event such as a Slack message, an email, or a webhook call. Each routine belongs to one Bot, while skills are available across your Bots.
Can I publish a skill that came from a template?
No. The docs say skills that came with the app or with a Bot's template can't be published. They show under Private skills, labelled From template.
Next steps with Grok Bot skills
Start with one task you repeat every week. Run it, fix it, save it as a skill with all six parts, then schedule it. If you want a second pair of eyes on which tasks to automate, book a free AI strategy session.
Ready to build this out with a team behind you? Grab a free AI strategy session today and get a plan for your first Grok Bot skills.
