OpenAI tests ChatGPT Skills feature to simplify multi-step tasks with slash commands

OpenAI is reportedly testing Claude-like Skills for ChatGPT

OpenAI is testing a new ChatGPT feature called "Skills," which will be similar to Claude's feature, also called Skills. Up until now, ChatGPT has supported GPTs, which are prompt-engineered to meet your specific needs. On the other hand, Claude Skills are folder-based instructions that teach Claude AI specific abilities, workflows, and domain-specific knowledge. For example, Claude has a frontend design skill plugin, which allows Claude to better understand the interface while you vibe code your web app. According to Anthropic, Skills are: GPT might soon get something similar, and it will also be called Skills. As spotted on X by Tibor, Skills in ChatGPT are codenamed "hazelnuts" and will be available as slash commands, including a Skills editor and an option to convert a custom GPT into a skill. It's unclear when Skills will begin rolling out, but it's likely planned for a January 2026 release.

ChatGPT could soon get a power tool that will forever change how AI works for you

Imagine asking ChatGPT to perform a multi-step chore with a specific set of instructions, with just one word. One of the biggest challenges with using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini is that you don't know the inner workings. You have a vague idea of what the result is going to look like, based on your instructions, but no idea how the AI chatbot mustered it. And as you go from single to multi-step tasks, the situation gets trickier. This is where Skills come into the picture. What's the big shift Think of skills as a set of instructions that can be executed, or applied, with a single word. Claude-maker Anthropic recently introduced Agent skills, an open standard tool that tells an AI agent to perform a specific task using natural language descriptions. Interestingly, OpenAI added support for Agent Skills in ChatGPT Codex. And as per AIRPM engineer and code sleuth Tibor Blaho, agentic skills will soon be available in ChatGPT, as well. He furthcuer added that OpenAI could also offer "an option to convert a custom GPT into a skill." This would be a huge step forward. Recommended Videos Skills are not a new concept. Custom GPTs for ChatGPT serve a similar purpose, and so do Gems for Gemini. Even AI browsers like Dia let you create skills, while Perplexity's Comet browser embraces the same ideas as shortcuts. But why skills? Skills don't require any technical or coding knowledge to create. You can use natural language prompts to create them and pick a name for them, as well. For my work, I have created one called "research." And this was the whole instruction that I used: "When a phrase or term is given, look it up in peer-reviewed journals and science publications, find the most cited papers, and summarize the core findings as bullet points." You can take a look at how the skills builder works in the Dia browser. So, the next time I want to research a topic, I can summon the skill by name and follow up with the query, instead of writing a detailed prompt every single time. With a skill ready, I can simply go ahead with a short command like "/research Manhattan Project" and I will get my answer, in just the exact way I want. But there is another huge benefit of the Agent Skills platform headed to ChatGPT. They are an open-standard, which means these skills will work just as fine across other AI chatbots such as Claude, Copilot and Gemini, as they do with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT to gain Claude-like "Skills" feature

OpenAI is reportedly testing a new ChatGPT feature which will mirror functionalities present in Anthropic's Claude AI. ChatGPT currently supports GPTs, which are prompt-engineered to specific user requirements. In contrast, Claude Skills are folder-based instructions that train the AI in particular abilities, workflows, and domain knowledge. Anthropic states that Claude's Skills are composable, allowing them to stack and be coordinated automatically by the AI. They are portable, maintaining a consistent format across Claude applications, Claude Code, and the API. Skills are efficient, loading only necessary components on demand, and powerful, capable of including executable code for tasks where traditional programming offers greater reliability than token generation. An example is a frontend design skill plugin, which enhances Claude's understanding of interfaces during web application development. OpenAI's version, also expected to be named Skills and internally codenamed "hazelnuts," will be accessible via slash commands, according to an observation on X by Tibor. The feature includes a Skills editor and an option to convert an existing custom GPT into a Skill. While a rollout timeline remains unconfirmed, a January 2026 release is anticipated.

ChatGPT Might Soon Support Skills, Make It Easy to Program Repeat Tasks

OpenAI's Skills feature is built on the agentskills.io standard OpenAI could soon bring a new feature to ChatGPT that eliminates the need to add repeat instructions and prompts over and over. Last week, the San Francisco-based AI giant introduced Skills to Codex, its AI-powered coding agent for developers, which is accessible via a dedicated platform. Now, a tipster claims that the company might soon bring this feature to ChatGPT, alongside a Skills editor and an option to convert a custom GPT into a skill. This feature can save users valuable time. OpenAI Could Bring Skills to ChatGPT In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Tibor Blaho, Lead Engineer at AIRPM, claimed that after Codex, OpenAI is planning to bring Skills to ChatGPT. Skills can be understood as custom instructions or prompts that users can access just by typing a few shortcut letters. This lets them access these specific instructions whenever they want, even if a new chat session has started. For instance, if one uses ChatGPT for research and wants to make sure that the AI always remains grounded to the text or URLs being provided, they can create a shortcut for this instruction instead of typing it over and over. The same can be done to make the chatbot write responses in paragraphs, not use an em dash, or provide responses in a specific number of words. OpenAI followed Anthropic's agentskills.io standard when integrating Skills in Codex. This allows users to activate the feature by tapping the forward slash key, followed by the shortcut they have created. This makes the process intuitive and easy to use. The same could be brought to ChatGPT as well. Blaho also claimed that, alongside skills, OpenAI will add a Skills editor tool that can be used to revisit created skills and edit or update them. Additionally, another option could also be added that converts custom GPTs to Skills. GPTs are essentially mini chatbots where users add specific instructions to make them serve a specific purpose. For instance, a fiction-writing GPT will be good at writing fiction based on command prompts. However, there is one limitation with GPTs, that they only operate in a fixed chat. Skills eliminate that obstacle. However, OpenAI has not officially announced the feature or confirmed its existence. We would recommend readers to take the abovementioned information with a pinch of salt until the company officially unveils or releases Skills in ChatGPT.