Skills System
How Tars manages built-in and user-created skills for specialized capabilities.
Overview
Skills are structured instruction sets stored as markdown files in ~/.tars/.gemini/skills/. They extend Tars’ capabilities by providing step-by-step guides for specific tasks.
Skill Structure
Each skill lives in its own directory:
~/.tars/.gemini/skills/
├── tars-ops/
│ └── SKILL.md
├── create-extension/
│ └── SKILL.md
└── create-skill/
└── SKILL.mdSKILL.md Format
---
name: tars-ops
description: Standardized command list for Tars configuration and maintenance
---
## Instructions
Step-by-step operational guide...The YAML frontmatter provides metadata, and the markdown body contains the actual instructions.
Built-in Skills
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
tars-ops | Standardized command list for configuration, secrets, and maintenance |
extension-builder | Guide for creating new MCP extension servers |
extension-manager | Guide for enabling, disabling, and listing extensions |
skill-creator | Guide for creating new skills |
Skill Synchronization
The installSkills() function runs on every tars start:
- Scans the repository’s
skills/directory for built-in skills - Copies them to
~/.tars/.gemini/skills/, overwriting existing built-in skills - Preserves any user-created skills that don’t conflict with built-in names
This ensures built-in skills are always up-to-date after a package update, while user skills remain untouched.
Creating Custom Skills
Tars can create new skills through the create-skill built-in skill. When asked, it generates a new SKILL.md file with appropriate frontmatter and instructions.
Users can also manually create skill directories in ~/.tars/.gemini/skills/.