Add an AI Skill as a tool in AI Agent - Add an AI Skill directly as a tool in an AI Agent to invoke AI capabilities.

Automation 360

Add an AI Skill directly as a tool in an AI Agent to invoke AI capabilities.

About this task

AI Skills are a first-class tool type in AI Agent. You can add them directly from the Tools tab without an intermediary Task Bot or API Task wrapper. In this phase, AI Skills added as tools always run using remote (cloud) execution.

Before you begin

Ensure you have an AI Agent open in the editor. For more information, see Create and manage AI Agent.

Adding an AI Skill as a tool uses the same Roles and permissions required to add any other tool type, no separate role is needed.

Procedure

  1. In the AI Agent editor, navigate to the Tools tab and click + Add tool.
  2. From the drop-down, select AI Skill....

    A new tool card appears in the Tools panel and the Tool configuration panel opens on the right.

  3. In the AI Skill field, click Choose and select the AI Skill you want to use.
    Important:

    If you select an AI Skill created before v.41 release, the following warning appears: One-time re-save required for this AI skill. Before you can use this skill in AI Agent, open it and re-save it to continue. Open the AI Skill, make a minor change (for example, add a space or update any field), and then save the skill. After saving, return to this step and select the AI Skill again. Ensure you have the latest package selected.

  4. In the Tool description for AI field, enter a concise description of what this tool does. The AI Agent uses this description to determine when to invoke the tool.
  5. Under Input descriptions for AI, select the input variables you want the AI to populate and enter a description for each.
    Note:

    Input variables of type File are disabled and cannot be selected. File inputs are not supported when running an AI Skill as a tool in AI Agent. This is expected behavior.

  6. Under Output descriptions for AI, select the output variables the AI Agent should use and enter a description for each.
    Note:

    The result_citations output variable is disabled. Citation output is not currently supported in AI Agent. This is expected behavior.

  7. Under Execution mode, select where the AI Skill will run:
    • Remote execution runs the skill on a remote device from the configured device pool.
    • Local execution (main window) runs the skill on the local desktop where the AI Agent is running.
  8. Set the Queue timeout (hours, minutes, and seconds) to specify how long the AI Agent waits before timing out if the AI Skill does not start. The minimum is 1 minute and the maximum is 24 hours.
  9. Optional: Under End-user display configurations, enter a Task name description for AI — a concise, present-tense description of the tool call shown to the end user in the Co-pilot interface.
  10. Optional: Select Hide this tool from end user if you do not want this tool call to appear in the Co-pilot interface.
  11. Click Save to save the AI Agent.

Results

The AI Skill is now available as a tool in your AI Agent. The agent invokes the skill based on the tool description you provided and passes inputs and outputs according to the descriptions defined.

What to do next

Test your agent by clicking Run to verify the AI Skill tool is invoked correctly. For more information on testing and running an AI Agent, see Create and manage AI Agent.

When the AI Agent runs, the AI Skill tool appears as a step in the Test/Debug pane. Select the step to view its output details in the right pane.