feat(sdk): implement support for custom skills (#19031)

packages/core/src/index.ts

@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ export * from './tools/read-many-files.js';
 export * from './tools/mcp-client.js';
 export * from './tools/mcp-tool.js';
 export * from './tools/write-todos.js';
+export * from './tools/activate-skill.js';
 export * from './tools/ask-user.js';
 
 // MCP OAuth

packages/core/src/skills/skillManager.ts

@@ -107,6 +107,13 @@ export class SkillManager {
     this.addSkillsWithPrecedence(builtinSkills);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Adds skills to the manager programmatically.
+   */
+  addSkills(skills: SkillDefinition[]): void {
+    this.addSkillsWithPrecedence(skills);
+  }
+
   private addSkillsWithPrecedence(newSkills: SkillDefinition[]): void {
     const skillMap = new Map<string, SkillDefinition>(
       this.skills.map((s) => [s.name, s]),

packages/sdk/SDK_DESIGN.md

@@ -141,33 +141,34 @@ Validation (these are probably hardest to validate):
 
 ## `Custom Skills`
 
-> **Status:** Not Implemented.
+> **Status:** Implemented. `skillDir` helper and `GeminiCliAgent` support
+> loading skills from filesystem.
 
 Custom skills can be referenced by individual directories or by "skill roots"
 (directories containing many skills).
 
-```ts
+### Directory Structure
-import { GeminiCliAgent, skillDir, skillRoot } from '@google/gemini-cli-sdk';
 
-const agent = new GeminiCliAgent({
+```
-  skills: [skillDir('/path/to/single/skill'), skillRoot('/path/to/skills/dir')],
+skill-dir/
-});
+  SKILL.md  (Metadata and instructions)
+  tools/    (Optional directory for tools)
+    my-tool.js
 ```
 
-**NOTE:** I would like to support fully in-memory skills (including reference
+### Usage
-files); however, it seems like that would currently require a pretty significant
-refactor so we'll focus on filesystem skills for now. In an ideal future state,
-we could do something like:
 
-```ts
+```typescript
-import { GeminiCliAgent, skill } from '@google/gemini-cli-sdk';
+import { GeminiCliAgent, skillDir } from '@google/gemini-sdk';
 
-const mySkill = skill({
+const agent = new GeminiCliAgent({
-  name: 'my-skill',
+  instructions: 'You are a helpful assistant.',
-  description: 'description of when my skill should be used',
+  skills: [
-  content: 'This is the SKILL.md content',
+    // Load a single skill from a directory
-  // it can also be a function
+    skillDir('./my-skill'),
-  content: (ctx) => `This is dynamic content.`,
+    // Load all skills found in subdirectories of this root
+    skillDir('./skills-collection'),
+  ],
 });
 ```
 
@@ -318,16 +319,16 @@ export interface AgentShellProcess {
 
 Based on the current implementation status, we can proceed with:
 
-## Feature 2: Custom Skills Support
+## Feature 3: Custom Hooks Support
 
-Implement support for loading and registering custom skills. This involves
+Implement support for loading and registering custom hooks. This involves adding
-adding a `skills` option to `GeminiCliAgentOptions` and implementing the logic
+a `hooks` option to `GeminiCliAgentOptions`.
-to read skill definitions from directories.
 
 **Tasks:**
 
-1.  Add `skills` option to `GeminiCliAgentOptions`.
+1.  Define `Hook` interface and helper functions.
-2.  Implement `skillDir` and `skillRoot` helpers to load skills from the
+2.  Add `hooks` option to `GeminiCliAgentOptions`.
-    filesystem.
+3.  Implement hook registration logic in `GeminiCliAgent`.
-3.  Update `GeminiCliAgent` to register loaded skills with the internal tool
+
-    registry.
+IMPORTANT: Hook signatures should be strongly typed all the way through. You'll
+need to create a mapping of the string event name to the request/response types.

packages/sdk/src/agent.ts

@@ -17,12 +17,15 @@ import {
   scheduleAgentTools,
   getAuthTypeFromEnv,
   type ToolRegistry,
+  loadSkillsFromDir,
+  ActivateSkillTool,
 } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 
 import { type Tool, SdkTool } from './tool.js';
 import { SdkAgentFilesystem } from './fs.js';
 import { SdkAgentShell } from './shell.js';
 import type { SessionContext } from './types.js';
+import type { SkillReference } from './skills.js';
 
 export type SystemInstructions =
   | string
@@ -32,6 +35,7 @@ export interface GeminiCliAgentOptions {
   instructions: SystemInstructions;
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
   tools?: Array<Tool<any>>;
+  skills?: SkillReference[];
   model?: string;
   cwd?: string;
   debug?: boolean;
@@ -40,9 +44,10 @@ export interface GeminiCliAgentOptions {
 }
 
 export class GeminiCliAgent {
-  private config: Config;
+  private readonly config: Config;
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
-  private tools: Array<Tool<any>>;
+  private readonly tools: Array<Tool<any>>;
+  private readonly skillRefs: SkillReference[];
   private readonly instructions: SystemInstructions;
   private instructionsLoaded = false;
 
@@ -50,6 +55,7 @@ export class GeminiCliAgent {
     this.instructions = options.instructions;
     const cwd = options.cwd || process.cwd();
     this.tools = options.tools || [];
+    this.skillRefs = options.skills || [];
 
     const initialMemory =
       typeof this.instructions === 'string' ? this.instructions : '';
@@ -67,6 +73,8 @@ export class GeminiCliAgent {
       extensionsEnabled: false,
       recordResponses: options.recordResponses,
       fakeResponses: options.fakeResponses,
+      skillsSupport: true,
+      adminSkillsEnabled: true,
     };
 
     this.config = new Config(configParams);
@@ -83,6 +91,45 @@ export class GeminiCliAgent {
       await this.config.refreshAuth(authType);
       await this.config.initialize();
 
+      // Load additional skills from options
+      if (this.skillRefs.length > 0) {
+        const skillManager = this.config.getSkillManager();
+
+        const loadPromises = this.skillRefs.map(async (ref) => {
+          try {
+            if (ref.type === 'dir') {
+              return await loadSkillsFromDir(ref.path);
+            }
+          } catch (e) {
+            // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+            console.error(`Failed to load skills from ${ref.path}:`, e);
+          }
+          return [];
+        });
+
+        const loadedSkills = (await Promise.all(loadPromises)).flat();
+
+        if (loadedSkills.length > 0) {
+          skillManager.addSkills(loadedSkills);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Re-register ActivateSkillTool if we have skills (either built-in/workspace or manually loaded)
+      // This is required because ActivateSkillTool captures the set of available skills at construction time.
+      const skillManager = this.config.getSkillManager();
+      if (skillManager.getSkills().length > 0) {
+        const registry = this.config.getToolRegistry();
+        const toolName = ActivateSkillTool.Name;
+        // Config.initialize already registers it, but we might have added more skills.
+        // Re-registering updates the schema with new skills.
+        if (registry.getTool(toolName)) {
+          registry.unregisterTool(toolName);
+        }
+        registry.registerTool(
+          new ActivateSkillTool(this.config, this.config.getMessageBus()),
+        );
+      }
+
       // Register tools now that registry exists
       const registry = this.config.getToolRegistry();
       const messageBus = this.config.getMessageBus();

packages/sdk/src/index.ts

@@ -6,4 +6,5 @@
 
 export * from './agent.js';
 export * from './tool.js';
+export * from './skills.js';
 export * from './types.js';

packages/sdk/src/skills.integration.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { GeminiCliAgent } from './agent.js';
+import { skillDir } from './skills.js';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+import { dirname } from 'node:path';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+
+// Set this to true locally when you need to update snapshots
+const RECORD_MODE = process.env['RECORD_NEW_RESPONSES'] === 'true';
+
+const getGoldenPath = (name: string) =>
+  path.resolve(__dirname, '../test-data', `${name}.json`);
+
+const SKILL_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, '../test-data/skills/pirate-skill');
+const SKILL_ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, '../test-data/skills');
+
+describe('GeminiCliAgent Skills Integration', () => {
+  it('loads and activates a skill from a directory', async () => {
+    const goldenFile = getGoldenPath('skill-dir-success');
+
+    const agent = new GeminiCliAgent({
+      instructions: 'You are a helpful assistant.',
+      skills: [skillDir(SKILL_DIR)],
+      // If recording, use real model + record path.
+      // If testing, use auto model + fake path.
+      model: RECORD_MODE ? 'gemini-2.0-flash' : undefined,
+      recordResponses: RECORD_MODE ? goldenFile : undefined,
+      fakeResponses: RECORD_MODE ? undefined : goldenFile,
+    });
+
+    // 1. Ask to activate the skill
+    const events = [];
+    // The prompt explicitly asks to activate the skill by name
+    const stream = agent.sendStream(
+      'Activate the pirate-skill and then tell me a joke.',
+    );
+
+    for await (const event of stream) {
+      events.push(event);
+    }
+
+    const textEvents = events.filter((e) => e.type === 'content');
+    const responseText = textEvents
+      .map((e) => (typeof e.value === 'string' ? e.value : ''))
+      .join('');
+
+    // Expect pirate speak
+    expect(responseText.toLowerCase()).toContain('arrr');
+  }, 60000);
+
+  it('loads and activates a skill from a root', async () => {
+    const goldenFile = getGoldenPath('skill-root-success');
+
+    const agent = new GeminiCliAgent({
+      instructions: 'You are a helpful assistant.',
+      skills: [skillDir(SKILL_ROOT)],
+      // If recording, use real model + record path.
+      // If testing, use auto model + fake path.
+      model: RECORD_MODE ? 'gemini-2.0-flash' : undefined,
+      recordResponses: RECORD_MODE ? goldenFile : undefined,
+      fakeResponses: RECORD_MODE ? undefined : goldenFile,
+    });
+
+    // 1. Ask to activate the skill
+    const events = [];
+    const stream = agent.sendStream(
+      'Activate the pirate-skill and confirm it is active.',
+    );
+
+    for await (const event of stream) {
+      events.push(event);
+    }
+
+    const textEvents = events.filter((e) => e.type === 'content');
+    const responseText = textEvents
+      .map((e) => (typeof e.value === 'string' ? e.value : ''))
+      .join('');
+
+    // Expect confirmation or pirate speak
+    expect(responseText.toLowerCase()).toContain('arrr');
+  }, 60000);
+});

packages/sdk/src/skills.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+export type SkillReference = { type: 'dir'; path: string };
+
+/**
+ * Reference a directory containing skills.
+ *
+ * @param path Path to the skill directory
+ */
+export function skillDir(path: string): SkillReference {
+  return { type: 'dir', path };
+}

packages/sdk/test-data/skill-dir-success.json

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+{"method":"generateContentStream","response":[{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"functionCall":{"name":"activate_skill","args":{"name":"pirate-skill"}}}],"role":"model"},"finishReason":"STOP"}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":7160,"candidatesTokenCount":8,"totalTokenCount":7168,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":7160}],"candidatesTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":8}]}}]}
+{"method":"generateContentStream","response":[{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"text":"Arrr, why"}],"role":"model"}}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":10048,"totalTokenCount":10048,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":10048}]}},{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"text":" don't pirates play poker? Because they always have a hidden ace up their sleeves"}],"role":"model"}}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":10048,"totalTokenCount":10048,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":10048}]}},{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"text":"!\\n"}],"role":"model"},"finishReason":"STOP"}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":7284,"candidatesTokenCount":23,"totalTokenCount":7307,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":7284}],"candidatesTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":23}]}}]}

packages/sdk/test-data/skill-root-success.json

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+{"method":"generateContentStream","response":[{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"functionCall":{"name":"activate_skill","args":{"name":"pirate-skill"}}}],"role":"model"},"finishReason":"STOP"}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":7170,"candidatesTokenCount":8,"totalTokenCount":7178,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":7170}],"candidatesTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":8}]}}]}
+{"method":"generateContentStream","response":[{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"text":"Ar"}],"role":"model"}}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":10058,"totalTokenCount":10058,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":10058}]}},{"candidates":[{"content":{"parts":[{"text":"rr, the pirate skill be active, matey!"}],"role":"model"},"finishReason":"STOP"}],"usageMetadata":{"promptTokenCount":7294,"candidatesTokenCount":12,"totalTokenCount":7306,"promptTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":7294}],"candidatesTokensDetails":[{"modality":"TEXT","tokenCount":12}]}}]}

packages/sdk/test-data/skills/pirate-skill/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+name: pirate-skill
+description: Speak like a pirate.
+---
+You are a pirate. Respond to everything in pirate speak. Always mention "Arrr".