> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wordsmithai.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get Skill

> Read a skill's instructions, files and references.

Returns one skill from [List Skills](https://wordsmithai.mintlify.site/api-reference/skills/list-skills.md), with its instructions, its bundled files and the blueprints, playbooks and repositories it links to.

Each file has a `path` in the skill's folder and a `file_id`. Read a file's text with [Get File Text](https://wordsmithai.mintlify.site/api-reference/files/get-file-text.md). An `@ref[file_upload:<file_id>]` token in the instructions points at one of the files.

Wordsmith keeps the instructions and files of a public skill hidden: `instructions` is `null` and `files` is empty. A community skill shows its instructions but not its files.

## Authentication

Requires an API key, or an OAuth token with `skills:read`.

## Path parameters

**skill\_id** `string` *required*

The skill to read.

## Response

Returns `200` with the skill: the fields [List Skills](https://wordsmithai.mintlify.site/api-reference/skills/list-skills.md) returns, and these.

**instructions** `string | null`

The skill's markdown body. `null` for a public skill.

**files** `object[]`

The bundled files, each with `path`, `file_id` and `content_type`.

**references** `object[]`

The blueprints, playbooks and repositories the skill links to, each with `type`, `id` and `name`.

```bash cURL theme={null}
curl "https://api.wordsmith.ai/api/v1/skills/5f0d2c1e-8a47-4b6e-9c31-2d7e4a9b6f10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-ws-api1-your_api_key_here"
```

```json Response theme={null}
{
  "id": "5f0d2c1e-8a47-4b6e-9c31-2d7e4a9b6f10",
  "name": "nda-review",
  "description": "Review an inbound NDA against our standard positions.",
  "visibility": "private",
  "editable": true,
  "url": "https://app.wordsmith.ai/skills/new?mode=edit&skillId=5f0d2c1e-8a47-4b6e-9c31-2d7e4a9b6f10",
  "created_at": "2026-10-19T09:12:04Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-19T09:12:04Z",
  "instructions": "# NDA review\n\nCheck each clause against references/positions.md and flag any gap.",
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "references/positions.md",
      "file_id": "c1a8e5f2-3b9d-4e07-8f61-0a4d2b7c9e35",
      "content_type": "text/markdown"
    }
  ],
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "playbook",
      "id": "3804d3f1-ba8c-4d5e-97f7-c16466d0ece9",
      "name": "Mutual NDA – customer side"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Errors

| Status | `error_code` | When |
| - | - | - |
| 404 | `resource_not_found` | No skill with this id, or not one the caller can see. |


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.