# Using Skills in Studio and Memo Agent

Skills let you shape how Memo generates outputs on supported surfaces such as flashcards, notes, practice tests, tutor, podcasts, and more.

URL: https://www.memo.cards/help/skills/using-skills-in-studio-and-memo-agent
Updated: 2026-09-21T00:00:00+08:00

##

What a skill changes

A skill can change the structure, style, or behavior of a run.

Examples:

- a flashcard skill can steer the set toward basic cards, quiz cards, or cloze patterns

- a tutor skill can change the tutoring style

- a practice-test skill can steer the test toward mixed, SAQ, or MCQ formats

- an infographic or podcast skill can change the output style

## Where skills appear

You may see a **Skill** section in customize dialogs for surfaces such as:

- Flashcards

- Notes

- Practice Test

- Tutor

- Mindmap

- Track

- Infographic

- Podcast

If a surface does not show a skill selector, that run is using its normal default behavior.

## Step-by-step

1.  Open a notebook.

2.  Select the sources you want to use.

3.  Open the customize dialog for the output you want.

4.  Choose the skill that best matches the result you want.

5.  Set the other controls for that run, such as language or instructions.

6.  Generate the output.

## How skills work with other controls

Skills do not replace the rest of the dialog.

You can still combine a skill with:

- selected sources

- output language

- question counts

- difficulty

- duration

- custom instructions

## Important notes

- The visible skill list can vary by output type.

- Some skills are default system skills.

- Additional skills can depend on what is enabled or available in your account.

## FAQ

### Do I need to pick a skill every time?

Only on surfaces that show the skill selector. On those surfaces, the selected skill helps shape the run.

### Why does one surface show different skills from another?

Skills are surface-specific. A Tutor skill is not the same thing as a Podcast skill or a Flashcards skill.

### Can I still add custom instructions if I choose a skill?

Yes. Skills and custom instructions work together.