Activate skill tool (`activate_skill`)
The activate_skill tool lets Gemini CLI load specialized procedural expertise
and resources when they are relevant to your request.
Description
Section titled “Description”Skills are packages of instructions and tools designed for specific engineering tasks, such as reviewing code or creating pull requests. Gemini CLI uses this tool to “activate” a skill, which provides it with detailed guidelines and specialized tools tailored to that task.
Arguments
Section titled “Arguments”activate_skill takes one argument:
name(enum, required): The name of the skill to activate (for example,code-reviewer,pr-creator, ordocs-writer).
The activate_skill tool is used exclusively by the Gemini agent. You cannot
invoke this tool manually.
When the agent identifies that a task matches a discovered skill, it requests to activate that skill. Once activated, the agent’s behavior is guided by the skill’s specific instructions until the task is complete.
Behavior
Section titled “Behavior”The agent uses this tool to provide professional-grade assistance:
- Specialized logic: Skills contain expert-level procedures for complex workflows.
- Dynamic capability: Activating a skill can grant the agent access to new, task-specific tools.
- Contextual awareness: Skills help the agent focus on the most relevant standards and conventions for a particular task.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Learn how to Use Agent Skills.
- See the Creating Agent Skills guide.