Open format or closed vertical?
The distinction that tells you, for any tool, whether a skill gets imported or rebuilt. Read this page and every other one falls into place.
The idea in one line
Legal AI tools split into two families. In one, a skill is a file that travels. In the other, it's a method you rebuild. Knowing which family you're in tells you everything about what to do.
Family 1 — Open-format tools
They speak the Agent Skills standard (SKILL.md): created at Anthropic, released as an open standard, and since adopted by others. A skill is a file; you import it, export it, and share it as-is.
Who's in it: Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Claude Code, and other agents that read SKILL.md.
What it means for you: a skill from Skillagram (or from Claude) transfers with no rewriting. You import it and it works. Across these tools, a skill is the same skill.
Family 2 — Closed verticals
They have their own "skill equivalent" — Harvey's Workflow agents, Legora's Workflows and Playbooks, Lexroom's query patterns and libraries — but it lives inside the platform. There's no standard file to import: sharing is internal to the firm (or, for Legora, out to clients via Portal).
Who's in it: Harvey, Legora, Lexroom, and most vertical legal AI tools.
What it means for you: a skill from Skillagram isn't "imported." You rebuild it inside the platform from the natural-language instructions — and that's where you use the conversion prompt.
The quick map
| Tool | Family | What you do with a Skillagram skill |
|---|---|---|
| Claude / Claude Code | Open | Import it as-is |
| ChatGPT | Open* | Import it into your workspace (auto-trigger or @-mention) |
| Codex | Open | Drop it in ~/.codex/skills/; it can even adapt it for you |
| Harvey | Closed vertical | Rebuild it in Agent Builder as a Workflow agent |
| Legora | Closed vertical | Rebuild it as a Workflow; standards go in a Playbook |
| Lexroom | Closed vertical | Set up the query pattern + private library by hand |
\ChatGPT: native Skills are in beta on business plans (Business, Enterprise, Edu, Teachers, Healthcare). On Free/Plus, for now, you use Custom GPTs, Projects, or copy-paste.*
When you need the conversion prompt
Only for Family 2. Open-format tools don't need it — the skill is already in the right format. The conversion prompt turns a SKILL.md into clean natural-language instructions you can rebuild inside a closed vertical — stripping out the technical scaffolding and flagging what needs adapting to your jurisdiction.
One thing that holds for both families
The format changes how a skill reaches your tool. It doesn't change the fact that the output must always be reviewed by a professional before use — and adapted to your jurisdiction if it was written for another. A skill scales your judgment; it doesn't replace it.
In short, to get your bearings
- Working in Claude, ChatGPT, or Codex? Import and go.
- Working in Harvey, Legora, or Lexroom? Convert and rebuild.
- Not sure where to start? If you don't use a terminal or code, start with ChatGPT or the vertical tool you already have in the firm. (Note: ChatGPT's native Skills are in beta on business plans; on Free/Plus you'll use Custom GPTs, Projects, or copy-paste.)
Product features change quickly, and tools move between families over time (the verticals are adopting MCP for data connectivity, not yet for portable skills). If anything has changed since this page was written, check the tool's official sources.