Add workflows with Skills

Skills are reusable packages of instructions and optional supporting files. They give Bearly a consistent method for a particular kind of work, such as reviewing a document, preparing a deliverable, or following a team’s process.

Installing and managing Skills requires the Bearly desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux. A conversation that used a Skill remains readable on the web or on mobile, but return to the desktop app when the Skill needs its installed files or needs to run a local action.

Install a Skill from the Skill Store

1. Open Skills from a chat

   In the Bearly desktop app, select the plus icon beside the message box. Under Settings, select Skills. Bearly opens Settings → Skills at the Skill Store.

2. Browse a repository

   Under Skill repositories, select a repository to expand it. Bearly reads the repository when you open it and then lists the Skills it contains.

3. Review the source before installing

   Select Install beside the Skill you want. Read the Install third-party skill? notice, including the source location and its warning about instructions and scripts.

4. Confirm the installation

   Select I understand the risks only when you trust the source. The Skill then appears under Installed with an Enabled status.

If your organization controls who can add Skills, the store may offer Request instead of Install. You can still browse available repositories and pause Skills that are already installed.

A Skill can contain actions, not just advice

Third-party Skills can include instructions and files that Bearly may run on your computer. A malicious or mistaken Skill could change or delete data. Review the source, consider which files it can reach, and do not install a Skill merely because its name sounds useful.

Use a Skill in a chat

1. Open a new or existing chat in the desktop app.
2. Type /skill, then select Use skill name from the Skills group. The chat shows a Skill skill name control beside the composer.
3. Describe the work you want done. Include the source material, desired result, and any boundaries that matter.
4. Send the message. Bearly opens the selected Skill and follows its instructions while answering.

An enabled Skill may also be used when your request clearly matches its purpose. Selecting it with /skill is the clearest way to tell Bearly which workflow you want.

If the Skill needs to run a local file, Bearly shows a Run script permission request. Open Details to review the command, reason, and other information. Select Allow only when it matches the task, or Deny to keep it from running. Denying the action does not prevent you from continuing the chat with a different approach.

Pause, enable, or remove a Skill

Return to the plus icon → Skills, then use the controls under Installed:

• Pause keeps the Skill installed but removes it from the chat’s available Skills. Select Enable when you want to use it again.
• Uninstall removes an installed Skill from this desktop.
• Unlink removes Bearly’s connection to a linked folder without deleting the original folder.

A Skill marked Managed by your team comes from a team policy. You can pause or enable it, but a team administrator must change or remove the policy assignment.

Install from a trusted source

The Skill Store is the simplest starting point. If a trusted publisher gives you installation details, open Install from source:

• Under Git, enter the repository address and select Add Repository. Keep the supplied folder and version details, or leave the defaults when the publisher does not specify them. Expand the new repository under Skill repositories to install an individual Skill.
• Under URL ZIP, enter the HTTPS address and its SHA-256 verification code, then select Install. The publisher should provide both values.
• Under Folder, select Import Folder to copy a Skill into Bearly, or Link Folder to keep using it from its original location. You can choose one Skill folder or a parent folder that contains several Skills.

Each Skill folder must contain the file that identifies it as a Skill. If Bearly reports No SKILL.md files found in this repository, check the publisher’s instructions or choose the correct folder.

Note

Public GitHub repositories can still be added when Bearly reports that Git is unavailable. Private repositories require Git to be available on the computer.

Use Skills in a project or managed team

Installed Skills belong to the current desktop. A project or team policy can also decide which of those Skills are available in particular chats.

• In a project, open Settings and find Skills. Project owners and writers can add, pause, or remove shared Skills; other collaborators see View only.
• On a managed team, an administrator can supply Skills or limit whether members may add, use, or run them. See Set team policies.

A Skill can therefore be installed and enabled on your computer but absent from one chat because that project’s settings or your team’s policy does not include it.

If a Skill is unavailable

What you see	What to do
Use Skills in the desktop app	Open the same account in Bearly for macOS, Windows, or Linux.
Update Bearly to use Skills	Install the current desktop release, reopen Bearly, and try again.
The Skill is missing after /skill	Open Settings → Skills, confirm it is Enabled, then reopen the chat. Also check whether the chat’s project or team policy limits Skills.
A repository will not load	Check your connection, close and reopen Skills, then expand the repository again.
A linked Skill stopped working	Make sure its original folder still exists at the same location. If it moved, Unlink it and use Link Folder again.
A local action was denied	Send a new message with a safer plan, or retry and select Allow only after the Run script details match your intent.

If all you need is a reusable instruction with a few fill-in fields, create a Prompt Template instead. Prompt Templates do not install files or run local actions.