How to Set Up Skills

Learn how to add OriginalVoices skills to your AI agent and start conducting audience research in minutes.

What You'll Need

Before you begin:

• An AI agent that supports skills (Claude, Manus, Cursor, Windsurf, or Claude Code)
• OriginalVoices connected to your assistant (see integration guides)
• A skill file from the Skills Library

Quick Setup (3 Steps)

Step 1: Download a Skill

1. Go to the Skills Library
2. Browse available skills (Deep Customer Research, ICP Discovery, Ad Copy, etc.)
3. Click the download link for the skill you want
4. Save the .md file to your computer

Each skill is a single markdown file that contains all the instructions your AI needs.

Step 2: Upload to Your AI Assistant

Choose your platform:

1. Open claude.ai and go to Settings
2. Click Capabilities
3. Navigate to the Skills section
4. Click Add skill
5. Select Upload a skill
6. Choose the .md file you downloaded
7. The skill is now active in your account

Step 3: Start Using the Skill

That's it! The skill is now active. Start a new conversation and ask naturally.

Example with Deep Customer Research skill:

"I need to understand what parents think about screen time management apps. Research parents aged 28-45 in the US with children under 12."

Your AI agent will:

1. Recognize that this matches the skill's purpose
2. Automatically activate the skill
3. Follow the structured workflow
4. Query OriginalVoices Digital Twins
5. Deliver a comprehensive research report

No special commands needed

You don't need to mention the skill by name or use any special commands. The AI reads all your skills and activates the right one based on what you're asking.

Managing Your Skills

View All Skills

Go to Settings > Capabilities > Skills to see all installed skills. You'll see:

• Skill name and description
• When it was added
• Toggle to enable/disable
• Option to remove

Enable or Disable Skills

1. Go to Settings > Capabilities > Skills
2. Find the skill you want to toggle
3. Use the switch to enable or disable it
4. Disabled skills won't activate, but remain installed

Remove Skills

1. Go to Settings > Capabilities > Skills
2. Click on the skill you want to remove
3. Select Remove skill
4. Confirm deletion

How Skills Work Under the Hood

When you ask a question, your AI agent:

1. Reads all installed skills to understand what each one does
2. Matches your request to skill descriptions using semantic understanding
3. Activates the best-fit skill automatically (you don't need to specify which)
4. Follows the workflow step-by-step as defined in the skill file
5. Calls OriginalVoices tools at the right moments (like ask_twins)
6. Delivers results in the format specified by the skill

Skills use the open Agent Skills standard, which means they work across compatible AI tools without modification.

Troubleshooting

Skill Not Activating

Problem: You ask a question but the skill doesn't seem to activate.

Solutions:

• Make sure OriginalVoices is connected (check integration guides)
• Verify the skill is enabled in your assistant's settings
• Try being more explicit: "Use Deep Customer Research to understand parents aged 28-45..."
• Check if your question matches the skill's description (view it in the library)

Upload Failed

Problem: Skill file won't upload.

Solutions:

• Verify the file is a .md (markdown) file
• Check that the file isn't corrupted (try re-downloading)
• Make sure your AI agent supports skills (check the platform documentation)
• Try uploading in a different browser if using a web interface

Skill Runs But No Results

Problem: Skill activates but doesn't return OriginalVoices data.

Solutions:

• Verify OriginalVoices is properly connected (integration guides)
• Check your audience description is specific enough
• Ensure you have available query credits
• Try the query manually first: ask the AI "Query OriginalVoices about [your topic]"

Skills Conflicting

Problem: Multiple skills seem to activate at once or the wrong skill activates.

Solutions:

• Disable skills you're not currently using
• Be more specific in your request to match one skill clearly
• Name the skill explicitly: "Using the ICP Discovery skill, help me find..."

Tips for Success

Be Specific With Audiences

Skills work best when you provide detailed audience descriptions:

Good: "Parents aged 28-45 in the US with children under 12 who are concerned about screen time"

Too vague: "Parents interested in kids' health"

Use Skills at the Right Time

• Deep Customer Research: When you need comprehensive qualitative insights
• ICP Discovery: When you don't know who to target yet
• Ad Copy skills: After you know your audience and have a product/concept
• Creative Testing: When you have concepts ready to validate

Chain Skills Together

You can use multiple skills in sequence:

1. Start with ICP Discovery to find your target audience
2. Use Deep Customer Research to deeply understand them
3. Create campaigns with Google Ad Copy or Facebook Ad Copy
4. Validate concepts with Pre-Test & Validate Creative

Keep Skills Updated

Check the Skills Library periodically for:

• New skills added
• Updated versions of existing skills
• Improved workflows

Platform-Specific Notes

Claude (claude.ai)

• Skills persist across all conversations in your account
• Maximum 50 skills per account
• Skills are private to your account

Manus

• Skills are stored as files in your local filesystem
• You can edit skill files directly for customization
• Changes take effect immediately

Cursor & Windsurf

• Skills load as agent/cascade rules
• Work within your IDE alongside your code
• Great for product development workflows

Claude Code

• Skills are project-specific (stored in .claude/)
• Different projects can have different skills
• Skills can reference project files and context

Next Steps

Now that you know how to set up skills:

1. Browse the Skills Library - Download your first skill
2. Learn what skills are - Understand how they work in detail
3. Try a quickstart - Get OriginalVoices connected if you haven't yet
4. Explore integrations - See platform-specific setup guides

Common Questions

Can I edit a skill after uploading?

Yes, but it depends on your platform. In Manus and Claude Code, skills are files you can edit directly. In Claude web, you'd need to remove and re-upload a modified version.

Do skills work offline?

No. Skills need to connect to OriginalVoices to query Digital Twins, which requires an internet connection.

Can I create my own skills?

Yes! Skills follow the Agent Skills standard. You can create custom skills by writing markdown files with YAML frontmatter.

Are skills secure?

Yes. Skills are markdown files with instructions. They can't execute arbitrary code or access your system beyond what your AI agent normally can.

How many skills can I install?

This depends on your AI agent. Claude allows up to 50 skills. Other platforms may have different limits or no limits at all.

Do skills cost extra?

No. Skills themselves are free. You only pay for your AI agent's usage and any OriginalVoices query credits you use.