# Root skill.md for product capability discovery

> Publish a root `/skill.md` that tells agents what your product can do, which inputs it needs, and which constraints matter instead of forcing them to infer capabilities from scattered docs.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/root-skill-md-for-product-capability-discovery/
- Source: [mintlify.com](https://www.mintlify.com/docs/ai/skillmd)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Mintlify Docs](/sources/mintlify-docs-mintlify-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-27
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: free
- Channels: AI Search, Documentation, Website
- Stages: agent enablement, activation, documentation, brand trust


## Why this can grow

Discovery is only half the job. After an agent finds the site, it still needs a clean picture of what actions are actually possible. A capability file reduces bad guesses, improves workflow accuracy, and makes the product easier to use from AI tools without stuffing the answer into one long marketing page.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. For SEO and AI search, I care less about clever keyword tricks and more about clarity. A buyer, crawler, or answer engine should quickly understand who this is for, why it works, what proof backs it, and what page deserves to be cited. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where root skill.md for product capability discovery can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the AI Search and Documentation channel.
3. Use the evidence from mintlify.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Mintlify hosts a root `skill.md` file that summarizes product capabilities, required inputs, workflows, integrations, and constraints for AI agents, and says generation or updates can take up to 24 hours.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Agent-skills index for multi-workflow products](/growth-ideas/agent-skills-index-for-multi-workflow-products/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 3 shared stages
- [Reverse-proxy forwarding for agent skill paths](/growth-ideas/reverse-proxy-forwarding-for-agent-skill-paths/) - same source, 3 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Skill frontmatter with compatibility and tool constraints](/growth-ideas/skill-frontmatter-with-compatibility-and-tool-constraints/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages
- [Agent-skills manifest with sha256 integrity](/growth-ideas/agent-skills-manifest-with-sha256-integrity/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [An agent needs a capability page, not just a crawl map](/blog/an-agent-needs-a-capability-page-not-just-a-crawl-map/) - AI Search, brand trust, technical SEO
- [The agent-ready page should announce itself](/blog/the-agent-ready-page-should-announce-itself/) - seo, AI discovery, documentation

## Reading path: AI products

- [An agent needs a capability page, not just a crawl map](/blog/an-agent-needs-a-capability-page-not-just-a-crawl-map/) (2026-05-27T23:59:00Z)
- [The agent-ready page should announce itself](/blog/the-agent-ready-page-should-announce-itself/) (2026-05-27T23:20:00Z)

## Reading path: B2B software

- [An agent needs a capability page, not just a crawl map](/blog/an-agent-needs-a-capability-page-not-just-a-crawl-map/) (2026-05-27T23:59:00Z)
- [The agent-ready page should announce itself](/blog/the-agent-ready-page-should-announce-itself/) (2026-05-27T23:20:00Z)

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.