Explicit Invocation
Calling a Skill by name or with a slash command
You'll be able to
- Invoke a Skill explicitly by name when you don't want to rely on routing
- Use a /slash command to call a Skill directly
Read first
Day 4 Lab
- Pick a Skill you want to run on demand, every time, no ambiguity.
- Invoke it by name in your request and confirm it runs.
- Try the
/slashcommand form for the same Skill. - Send a request the router would normally miss, then force it with explicit invocation.
- Decide which Skills you'll always call explicitly vs. let Glean route.
Working Example: Two Ways to Call a Skill
When you don't want to depend on auto-routing, invoke a Skill explicitly — by naming it or with a /slash command. Both bypass the router and run the Skill you named. Verified against assistant_skills.
Auto-routed (Glean decides):
"summarize my week" → Glean picks a Skill from descriptions
Explicit by name:
"Use the Weekly status digest Skill to summarize my week"
Explicit by slash command:
/weekly-status-digest → runs that Skill directly, no routingRouting is convenient; explicit invocation is deterministic. For a Skill you run the same way every time — or one whose description overlaps with others — call it by name or slash so it fires exactly when you mean it to.
Check for understanding
When would you call a Skill explicitly instead of letting Glean route?
Check yourself
1. What is a Glean Assistant Skill?
2. Who can invoke a Personal Skill?
3. When Glean auto-selects a Skill, what does it primarily match against?
4. Which gives you deterministic control over which Skill runs?
5. A Skill keeps firing on the wrong requests. What is the most likely fix?
In 10 seconds
“Don't want to gamble on routing? Call the Skill yourself — name it directly or fire it with a /slash command. Explicit invocation is the deterministic path.”
Sharing Skills