description: "Specialized knowledge packages that enhance agent capabilities"
---
Skills are structured knowledge packages that give Strix agents deep expertise in specific vulnerability types, technologies, and testing methodologies.
## The Idea
LLMs have broad but shallow security knowledge. They know _about_ SQL injection, but lack the nuanced techniques that experienced pentesters use—parser quirks, bypass methods, validation tricks, and chain attacks.
Skills inject this deep, specialized knowledge directly into the agent's context, transforming it from a generalist into a specialist for the task at hand.
## How They Work
When Strix spawns an agent for a specific task, it selects up to 5 relevant skills based on the context:
```python
# Agent created for JWT testing automatically loads relevant skills
create_agent(
task="Test authentication mechanisms",
skills=["authentication_jwt", "business_logic"]
)
```
The skills are injected into the agent's system prompt, giving it access to:
- **Advanced techniques** — Non-obvious methods beyond standard testing
- **Working payloads** — Practical examples with variations
- **Validation methods** — How to confirm findings and avoid false positives
## Skill Categories
### Vulnerabilities
Core vulnerability classes with deep exploitation techniques.
Community contributions are welcome. Create a `.md` file in the appropriate category with YAML frontmatter (`name` and `description` fields). Good skills include:
