How to create and use skills in Composer

You will learn

Learn how to save reusable instructions as a skill in Composer, use the skill in a conversation, and refine it as your work changes. A skill is useful when you regularly repeat the same directions, such as a newsletter's tone, a campaign review checklist, or the format of a performance summary.

How skills work

A skill tells Composer how to approach a task. Its description explains when the skill is relevant, and its instructions explain what Composer should do. Composer can use a relevant skill when your request matches its description. You can also choose a skill explicitly with an @ mention in chat.

For example, a newsletter skill can tell Composer to lead with the main story, write short paragraphs, and finish with 1 call to action. You supply the current topic, products, and offer in each conversation, while the skill preserves the instructions you want to reuse.

Skills guide Composer's work within the access it already has. If a task needs information from another app, connect that app separately. Saving a skill also doesn't schedule it to run at a recurring time.

Create a skill

Before creating a skill, decide which directions should stay consistent across tasks and which details you will provide each time. Keep changing dates, promotions, and campaign-specific details in your chat prompt so they don't become outdated saved instructions.

Skills created through the form are shared with others in your Klaviyo account and become available for use when you save them. Write instructions that are appropriate for the account, and consider how changes will affect teammates who use the skill.

1. Open Composer and click Customize.
2. Click Skills.
3. Click New, then New skill.
4. Enter a short, recognizable name in Name, such as weekly-newsletter-tone. The name becomes the @ command you use in chat. The form converts spaces to hyphens and letters to lowercase.
5. In Description, explain the task or situation where Composer should use the skill. Be specific enough to distinguish it from your other skills.
6. In Instructions, write the directions Composer should follow, including the desired output and any information it should ask you for.
7. Click Save.

All 3 fields are required. If a live skill already has the same name in the same scope, choose a different name or edit the existing skill.

Example: a consistent newsletter voice

Use this example as a starting point, then adapt it to your brand.

Name

weekly-newsletter-tone

Description

Use when drafting our weekly customer newsletter. Apply our newsletter voice and structure to the topic and offer provided in the conversation.

Instructions

Write in a warm, conversational voice. Use short paragraphs and plain language. Lead with the main story, explain why it matters to the reader, and finish with 1 clear call to action. Avoid exaggerated claims. Ask for the topic, audience, offer, or destination link if a required detail is missing. Don't invent a discount, deadline, or product benefit. Return a subject line, preview text, and email body for review.

The description helps Composer recognize when to use the skill. The instructions make the expected result concrete. A description such as “Help with marketing” gives Composer less guidance about when this particular skill fits.

Use and test a skill

1. Open a Composer conversation.
2. Type @ and begin typing the skill's name, then select it from the menu.
3. Add the details for this task and send your message.
4. Review the result against the skill's instructions and your current request.

For the example above, select @weekly-newsletter-tone and add: “Draft this week's newsletter for returning customers. Feature our new travel collection and link to the collection page. There is no discount. Ask me for any missing details.”

Check whether the response follows the requested voice and format, uses the correct offer, and asks for missing information instead of inventing it. If you keep making the same correction, add that direction to the saved skill. Keep feedback that applies only to this task in the conversation.

You can also ask Composer to use a skill by name or describe a task that matches its description. Use the @ menu when you want to specify which saved skill to use.

Edit or manage a skill

Go to Customize > Skills. Use Search skills to find a skill by its name or description, then open it.

• To change the saved directions, click Edit, update the fields, and click Save. You can also choose Actions > Edit in chat to start a conversation about changing the skill.
• To create a variation, choose Actions > Duplicate, then edit the copy's name, description, and instructions for its new purpose.
• To stop a skill from being used while keeping it for later, turn off the toggle on its detail page. The skill is marked Disabled. Turn the toggle on again when you want it available.
• To remove a skill permanently, choose Actions > Delete, then confirm. Deletion can't be undone.

After updating a skill, try it in a new conversation with a representative task. For a shared skill, check the kinds of requests your teammates use too, so a narrow correction doesn't make the instructions less useful for their work.

If a skill isn't working as expected

If a skill is missing from the @ menu, check that it is enabled and that you are in the Klaviyo account where it is available. Disabled skills remain in the skills list so you can find and turn them back on.

If Composer doesn't choose the skill for a relevant request, try selecting it explicitly with the @ menu. Then revise its description to name the task and situation more clearly.

If the skill is used but the output needs improvement, revise its instructions. Specify the expected format, the information Composer needs, and what it should do when that information is missing. Test the change on a concrete example before relying on the result.