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A skill is installed but not working. What now?

Installation, enablement, task selection and successful execution are separate states.

The short answer

Check recognition, session loading and tool dependencies. Do not respond to every failure with broader permissions or duplicate installations.

Try it in three steps

  • Record the skill, version and client message.
  • Try the smallest matching task and inspect invocation.
  • Separate loading, dependency and permission failures.

A practice prompt

Before you start

Diagnose fictional states without changing an installation.

Practice material (fictional)

The skill is installed, enabled and recognized in a new task, but execution reports a missing document-conversion tool.

Replace placeholders in the prompt with this material, or append the material if there are no placeholders. Reading time excludes doing the exercise.

Check recognition and invocation, reporting the exact error and smallest fix. Do not reinstall or delete configuration.

What to look for (not a recorded test result)

The failure is a tool dependency, not skill installation. Check documented dependencies and alternatives before adding software.

If it goes wrong

Some toggles fully apply only to new sessions; check the client documentation before restarting the task.

Check your result

You can identify the failing layer instead of saying the AI ignored you.

References and scope

The links below support the concepts or product navigation. The steps and exercises are our teaching suggestions, not official certification or measured customer outcomes. Product interfaces and availability may change. References checked on 2026-10-17.

Start with one task

Describe the current process and its slowest step. The initial conversation is free.

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