Attach skills from chat

Overview

Attaching skills from chat lets you add tools and integrations to a conversation without leaving Chat or editing an agent's configuration.

You can turn on ready-to-use skills instantly, browse the full skills library, or connect third-party accounts like Google Calendar and Gmail — all from the message input toolbar.

This is useful when you need extra capabilities on the fly, such as checking a calendar, sending an email, or connecting an external tool, without pre-configuring everything on an agent first.

Prerequisites

To attach skills from chat, you need:

• A Swiftask account with access to the workspace.

• An active Chat conversation.

• For skills that connect to a third-party service (Gmail, Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, Outlook, etc.), the corresponding account credentials.

• Permission to use the skill if it was shared as a Workspace Skill.

Step-by-step guide

1. Open the Chat skills panel

In Chat, look at the message input toolbar. Click the Skills icon, shown as "Skills" followed by the current agent's name.

2. Turn on a quick skill

The Chat Skills panel opens, showing a short list of frequently used skills — for example MCP Connector, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google Calendar, and Gmail.

Click the toggle next to a skill to turn it on for this conversation. Each skill adds specific capabilities to your chat.

3. Browse the full skills library

If you don't see the skill you need in the quick list, click Browse more skills at the bottom of the panel.

The library opens with two tabs:

• ALL – Every available skill, organized by category (Artificial Intelligence, Business Management, Communication, and more).

• WORKSPACE SKILLS – Custom skills already created and shared within your workspace.

Note: If the skill you need already exists under Workspace Skills, select it directly — you don't need to recreate it. To create a brand-new skill, see the Skills (AI tools) documentation.

4. Add a skill

Click Add next to a skill to attach it to your conversation. The skill becomes available immediately and appears in the Attached skills list below the toolbar.

5. Configure a skill that needs a third-party account

Some skills, like Google Calendar or Gmail, require a connected account before they can be used. Clicking the skill opens the Configure the skill dialog.

1. Enter a name in the Tool Name field to identify this connection (default is the skill name).

2. Click Connect next to the account field (for example, "Google Calendar Account") and sign in with your third-party account.

3. Click Save once the account is connected.

The skill is now ready to use for the rest of the conversation.

Practical use cases

Quick calendar check — Attach Google Calendar mid-conversation to ask the AI to check your schedule and suggest meeting times.

On-the-fly email drafting — Enable Gmail to have the AI draft and reference emails without leaving Chat.

Ad hoc external connection — Use MCP Connector to link an external tool or service for a one-off task.

Reusing a workspace skill — Attach a custom skill your team already built (for example, an "Export content to PDF" skill) instead of recreating it.

Tips & best practices

• Attach only the skills you need for the current conversation; remove unused ones to keep the panel simple.

• Once a third-party account is connected, the connection is reused for future conversations — you won't need to reauthenticate every time.

• Check the WORKSPACE SKILLS tab first before creating a new skill; someone on your team may have already built it.

Troubleshooting

The skill I need isn't in the quick list — It may not be a frequently used shortcut. Click Browse more skills and search by name.

The "Configure the skill" dialog keeps asking me to reconnect — Your third-party account session may have expired. Click Connect again and re-authenticate.

I can't find a custom skill — Check the WORKSPACE SKILLS tab. The skill may not have been shared with you; contact your workspace administrator.

Additional resources

• Skills (AI tools) – Learn how to create and configure new skills for an agent.

• Chat – Attaching files & documents – Add files to a conversation.