Agent Skill File
BaseLayer provides a canonical skill file that teaches AI agents how to use your knowledge graph properly. Point your agent framework at this URL:
https://baselayer.id/SKILL.md
What it teaches
The skill file focuses on usage patterns, not setup:
- Ask-first workflow - Search before asking, write back learnings
- Tool usage patterns - When to use ask_question vs record_memory vs vault_fact
- Best practices - Entity quality, avoiding duplication, relationship naming
The file is concise (~140 lines) and assumes MCP connection is already working. It contains zero setup instructions — if an agent is reading it, they’re already connected. Pure usage guidance only.
Core principle: Ask first, guess second
The skill file teaches agents to search your memory before asking you questions:
User: "What did Alice say about the API design?"
Agent (good):
1. ask_question("What did Alice say about the API design?")
2. Synthesize answer from results
3. Only ask user if no results found
Agent (bad):
1. Ask user "Who is Alice?"
2. Waste time on info already in your memory
Each ask_question result is a synthesized answer. It’s cheap to search often and expensive to miss context.
Using with agent frameworks
OpenClaw
OpenClaw agents can reference the skill file directly from their config:
{
"skills": {
"baselayer": "https://baselayer.id/SKILL.md"
}
}
LangChain / LangGraph
Fetch the skill content and include it in your system prompt:
import requests
skill = requests.get("https://baselayer.id/SKILL.md").text
system_prompt = f"""
You have access to BaseLayer memory via MCP.
{skill}
"""
CrewAI / AutoGen
Add BaseLayer tools with the skill content as guidance:
from crewai import Tool
baselayer_tools = [
Tool(name="ask_question", description="Search knowledge graph..."),
# ... with skill content as context
]
Setup is separate
The skill file contains zero connection instructions. If an agent is reading it, the MCP connection is already working. Setup info lives in human-readable docs only.
What about llms.txt?
SKILL.md is for agents (usage patterns). llms.txt is for discovery (architecture, all integrations, connection endpoints).
- Agent learning BaseLayer? → SKILL.md
- Understanding BaseLayer architecture? → llms.txt
Keeping it updated
The skill file at baselayer.id/SKILL.md is always the latest version. If you’ve copied it into your agent config, check back periodically for updates — we improve the guidance as we learn what works.
