The open-source AI agent Hermes Agent just shipped a new feature called /learn that lets you turn any reference material into a reusable skill using plain English commands. Just point it at a local codebase, API docs, an operations manual, a PDF, or a web page — the agent will automatically scrape and clean the content, then generate a corresponding SKILL.md file following the agentskills.io open standard.
The feature works across multiple interfaces: command line (CLI), terminal UI (TUI), instant messaging gateways, and the Hermes Agent web dashboard. On the dashboard’s skills page, there’s now a “Learn a skill” button. Click it, enter a directory path, URL, or pasted text, and the system auto-creates a /learn command and executes it in the chat window.
Under the hood, the learning process doesn’t require the LLM to call any special AI tools. Instead, it uses prompt engineering to guide the model into generating the skill description and writing it to the local skills directory (defaulting to ~/.hermes/skills/). If you enable the skills.write_approval setting, the model will ask for human confirmation before saving any new skill — a sensible safety net for your local files.