An API contract diagram (inputs, outputs, scope) overlaid on a SKILL.md file, showing the two are the same shape

Skill Design as Interface Design

TL;DR: An agent skill behaves predictably to about the degree its boundary is specified. Described as a capability (“the agent can now do X”), a skill tends to drift. Described as a contract (declared inputs, declared outputs, a scope it promises not to exceed), it behaves more like a well-designed API. The interface-design habits engineers already have (stable contracts, explicit scope, versioning) seem to transfer directly. The framework’s own direction points the same way: skills as versioned, capability-bounded packages, with boundary enforcement instead of micromanaging how the model reasons. ...

2026-05-25 · 4 min read · 827 words · KbWen · EN