Two minute read
What is this, really?
No jargon. A task you keep redoing turns into a short written guide, and the AI you already use follows it. That is the whole idea.
When is it worth it?
Easy test: would you write it down for someone else?
A friend crashes one night
You just tell them the wifi.
It happens once. You say it and move on. That is a one off, no guide needed.
You run an Airbnb
You print a welcome guide.
Wifi, trash day, the coffee maker. Written once so you never reexplain it. That is a skill.
Repeatable + predictable + you don't want to reexplain it = make it a skill.
The only three words you might bump into
Harness
Where your assistant lives. The AI app you use.
Skill
The welcome guide. What to do, written once.
MCP
The universal adapter. How it plugs into your apps.
The whole setup
Everything to get going, on one page
No clicking around. Pick an assistant, follow the four steps, and connect your tools only if you want to. It is all right here.
First, pick your assistant
Any of these work. They all run the same skill you make here. If you already have one through work, use that.
ChatGPT
by OpenAIEasiest place to start. Works in your browser and on your phone.
Go to chatgpt.com
Claude
by AnthropicGreat with documents and longer, careful tasks.
Go to claude.ai
Copilot
by Microsoft and GitHubOften already built into the work tools your job uses.
Go to copilot.microsoft.com
Cursor
by AnysphereHands on, made for people who work in code. Not the place to start.
Go to cursor.com
Then, set it up
Make a free account
Pick one of the assistants above and sign up with your email or your Google or Microsoft login. That account is your token. The free version is plenty to start.
Find the instructions spot
This is where your skill goes. ChatGPT or Claude: make a Project and paste the skill into its instructions. Copilot: paste it at the top of a new chat. Works everywhere: open a new chat, paste the whole skill, and say follow this.
Hand it the skill
Open the skill you made here, copy the whole thing, and paste it in. That pasted guide is the welcome guide your assistant follows.
Give it a real task
Now just ask. Try okay, do this for today. It follows the guide you gave it, step by step. If something is off, tweak the skill and paste it again.
Want the long version? The full harness walkthrough lives here.
Optional: connect your tools
You can make and use a skill without connecting a single tool. When you are ready, MCP is the adapter that lets your assistant reach your email, calendar, or CRM.
- On your own laptop, you make the rules. Add a connector, sign in, done.
- On a work machine, check with IT before connecting work email, your CRM, or company files.
- Only add connectors from a name you trust, and start read only where you can.
See the full safety guide or browse the directory of common connectors.
That's everything.
Prefer to be walked through it one step at a time?