How to use Computer Skills

Learn how skills in Perplexity Computer deploy specialist agents, how to create your own skills, and how to manage and activate them during conversations.

The Skills page is now part of the Plugins page. Find installed skills on the Installed tab. See Where did Connectors and Skills go?.

What are skills?

Skills are more than reusable instruction sets — they deploy agents. A skill gives Perplexity Computer a methodology for a type of task. Computer then dispatches dedicated sub-agents to carry the work out, often several in parallel, each handling one part of the task and reporting back. The result is consistent, high-quality output for that type of task.

Skills operate similarly to AI workers you can recruit for specific jobs. When you need a presentation built, a dataset analyzed, or research conducted, you don’t install software — Computer deploys the right specialist agents for the task and coordinates their work.

For example, the Slides skill directs Computer through building polished presentations. The Research skill deploys research sub-agents that work through a rigorous multi-round methodology in parallel, with source validation and citations.

Skills activate on demand based on your query. They are part of Perplexity Computer, so they are available on every plan that includes Computer. You can open them from the Plugins page, or they activate automatically when relevant during a conversation.

Skills work together

Computer often combines multiple skills — and the sub-agents each one deploys — to complete a complex task. For example, a research project might use the Research skill to run several research agents in parallel to gather information. Computer can then hand off to the Research Report skill to format findings, or pass to the Slides skill to create a presentation. Computer orchestrates these agents automatically behind the scenes.

Creating your own skills

Computer includes a suite of built-in skills out of the box. However, if these don’t match your specific workflow, you can create custom skills to tailor Perplexity’s behavior for your own workflows. There are two ways to do this:

Create with Computer

1. Open the Plugins page in Computer
2. Select Add custom (or Customize → Skills → Create skill if you don't see Plugins yet)
3. Select Skill.

4. Select Create with Computer.

5. Describe the task you want the skill to handle — Perplexity will help you build the skill through a conversation

This is the easiest way to get started and doesn’t require any technical knowledge.

Upload a skill

If you prefer to import existing skills, you can upload them directly:

1. Open the Plugins page in Computer
2. Select Add custom (or Customize → Skills → Create skill if you don't see Plugins yet)
3. Select Skill.

4. Select Upload skill.

5. Drag and drop your file or click to browse

File requirements

• Upload a .zip file with a SKILL.md file at the root level, or upload a .md file directly

• SKILL.md must include a YAML frontmatter block with a name and description

• Maximum file size: 10 MB

Example SKILL.md format

---
name: weekly-summary
description: >-
  Summarize the week's key events into a concise executive briefing. Use when
  asked for a weekly summary, week-in-review, or status update.
---

## Instructions

1. Gather the most important events and updates from the past week
2. Organize by theme or priority
3. Write a concise summary with key takeaways
4. Include action items if applicable

Tips for writing effective skills

• The description field is critical — Perplexity uses it to decide when to activate the skill, so include keywords and trigger phrases (e.g., “Use when asked to create a presentation”)

• The name must be lowercase with hyphens only (e.g., my-custom-skill), between 1 and 64 characters

• Include clear step-by-step instructions in the body of the file

• Add examples of expected inputs and outputs whenever possible

How to verify it worked

A skill you create or upload appears on the Installed tab of the Plugins page. Open it to confirm the name and description are correct, since the description is what Computer matches against when it decides whether to activate the skill.

Managing skills

Browsing and searching

On the Plugins page, use the Plugins/Skills switch to show standalone skills.

• Installed — Skills you have installed

• Discover — Browse skills to install

Search finds skills by name or description across all tabs. See Find, install, and remove plugins for the full walkthrough.

Workflows were replaced by skills on September 23, 2026. Skills that replaced a workflow were not installed automatically, and not every workflow was migrated. Install each skill you need from the Plugins page. If a workflow you relied on has no matching skill, contact us via Help > Contact Support.

Viewing skill details

Click a skill to open a detailed view that shows its name and description.

Managing installed skills

Use the Enabled switch on the Installed tab to disable a skill without uninstalling it. Uninstall removes that skill copy everywhere, including inside plugins. The plugin stays installed; reinstall the skill to use it there again.

Skills inside plugins

Installing a plugin installs its skills as copies that you manage for your account. Learn more in What are plugins?.

How skills work during a conversation

When you start a task in Perplexity Computer, relevant skills load automatically based on what you’re asking for. Computer recognizes the type of work and deploys the right agents and capabilities for it.

Examples

• Ask to “create a presentation about Q1 results” → The Slides skill activates

• Request “a detailed analysis of renewable energy trends” → The Research skill activates

• Say “show me a chart of monthly revenue” → The Chart skill handles visualization

Your custom skills work the same way. Once created, they’re available in future conversations and will activate when their description matches what you’re asking for.

Skills can collaborate. When a task needs multiple capabilities, skills — and the agents they deploy — work together seamlessly. You maintain full control — skills only activate when they’re relevant to your current task.

Need more help?

Contact us via Help > Contact Support. Include the task link if your question is about a specific Computer task.