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

# Plans and Skills FAQs

> Quick answers to common questions about building and running Plans and Skills.

Short answers to the questions that come up most often. For the full detail, follow the links to the related pages.

## Basics

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What's the difference between a Plan and a Skill?">
    A Plan is a process: a defined sequence of steps your agent follows. A Skill is knowledge it applies, such as a framework, a policy, or a tone of voice. The two can be used independently or together. A Skill can be assigned directly to an agent, or used to enhance a Plan by giving it extra knowledge to draw on. See [Plans overview](/features/build/plans) and [Skills overview](/features/build/skills).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do my users see the Plan?">
    Users can follow a Plan as it runs. While a Plan is active, a progress panel shows each step by name and checks it off as the agent works through it. On narrow screens the panel appears as a collapsible progress summary under the agent's reply. The Plan's name also appears if you show it as a welcome card or in the prompt menu. What stays behind the scenes is the setup: the step instructions, handle, and description.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does the agent decide when to run a Plan?">
    It matches what the user says against the Plan's description, and reads the handle, the same way it chooses any other tool. You can also surface a Plan as a welcome card or in the prompt menu so users start it directly. Clear handles and descriptions make this reliable. See [best practices](/build-optimize/AMS/plans-skills-best-practices).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I attach Plans and Skills to an agent?">
    You can do it in the Agent Management Studio or through the API. In the Agent Management Studio, you assign Plans and Skills to an agent as you build or edit them. Unlike Workflows, a Plan doesn't need to be wrapped in a native MCP server first. You attach it to the agent directly, which keeps setup simpler. To do it programmatically, use the [Agents API](/deploy/api/agents-api) or the [Agent Sessions API](/deploy/api/agentsessions-api). See [Create a Plan](/build-optimize/AMS/create-a-plan) for the step-by-step, including assigning a Plan to an agent.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Using Plans

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I edit a Plan after it's live?">
    Yes. Reopen it any time to change the steps, details, attached Skills, or assigned agents. Your changes apply to new conversations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does Strict step order do?">
    With it on, the agent follows every step in order and skips nothing. With it off, the agent can skip a step when the user already gave that information earlier in the conversation, so it doesn't ask twice. See [Create a Plan](/build-optimize/AMS/create-a-plan).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can the agent run more than one Plan at a time?">
    No. One Plan runs at a time. The agent finishes or exits the current Plan before it starts another.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many steps should a Plan have?">
    Keep it short and focused. Aim for around 10 steps or fewer, and if a process needs more, split it into smaller Plans. See [best practices](/build-optimize/AMS/plans-skills-best-practices).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many Plans can I attach to an agent?">
    You can attach up to 20 Plans to a single agent.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a Plan use my tools or take actions in other systems?">
    Not yet. Today a Plan guides the conversation and can search your knowledge. The ability to assign specific tools to individual plan steps, called tool-aware plans, is coming soon.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why isn't my Plan triggering?">
    The usual causes are that the Plan isn't assigned to the agent, or its description and handle aren't clear enough for the agent to match it to the user's request. A handle clash can also be the problem: if the Plan's handle matches another Plan, Skill, or external tool on the same agent, the Plan can be dropped from the agent session entirely, so it never gets a chance to run. Check it's assigned, confirm there are no name clashes across its Plans, Skills, and external tools, then make the description specific about when to use it and give it a clear, meaningful handle. See [best practices](/build-optimize/AMS/plans-skills-best-practices).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I'm seeing a name clash warning. What does it mean?">
    Two things on the agent, across its Plans, Skills, and tools, share the same name or handle. That can cause errors or unpredictable behavior, so give each one a distinct name and resolve the warning before you rely on the agent. See [best practices](/build-optimize/AMS/plans-skills-best-practices).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Skills

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What should I put in a Skill, and how long should it be?">
    A Skill is a focused piece of knowledge on a single topic, such as a framework, a set of guidelines, a tone of voice, or reference material. One to two pages is the sweet spot, and that's where Skills are most effective. Based on industry standards, we recommend keeping a Skill under 8 to 10 pages (around 500 lines of text); if it grows beyond that, split it into separate Skills. See [Create a Skill](/build-optimize/AMS/create-a-skill).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many Skills can I attach?">
    You can attach up to 20 Skills to an agent, and up to 20 Skills to a Plan.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Migration

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do Plans replace Workflows?">
    Plans are the way to build multi-step processes going forward. Workflows keep working for now, but we're aiming to retire them on 31 July 2026, so move your processes across before then. See [Migrating Workflows and Capabilities to Plans](/build-optimize/AMS/migrating-workflows-to-plans).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What about Capabilities?">
    Capabilities move to Plans too. The simplest way is to copy a Capability's prompt or its steps into the Plan Creator Agent and let it build the Plan for you. See the [migration guide](/build-optimize/AMS/migrating-workflows-to-plans).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to migrate everything at once?">
    No. You can move one process at a time, and Plans and Workflows run side by side until you do. Aim to finish before Workflows are retired on 31 July 2026. If you'd like help, please contact your Customer Success Manager.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Availability

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I can't see Plans or Skills in my Agent Management Studio">
    Plans and Skills are rolling out gradually. If you don't see them yet, talk to your Mindset AI contact.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>