Tools + Skills - The Recipe for Better Agents
- When: Monday, June 1 (1:40pm - 3:40pm)
- Where: Town Hall, Forum level
- Instructor: Michael Daigler, Developer Advocate at Apify
AI agents are becoming more popular, but to make them more useful and capable, they need the right tools and instructions to use those tools.
In this workshop, participants will learn both sides of that equation. First, they'll build an Apify Actor: a cloud-hosted tool that any agent can call (think: a scraper, an API wrapper, or a data pipeline).
Then they'll write an Agent Skill: a structured set of instructions (using the open SKILL.md standard) that teaches any coding agent when to reach for that tool, how to call it, and what to do with the results. Actors are the tools. Skills are the recipes. Together, they're how you go from "my agent can kind of do stuff" to "my agent reliably does the right thing."
The skill standard is supported by over 27 platforms, including Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Goose, Gemini CLI, etc. Apify Store has thousands of Actors for which skills can be written.
This workshop is free for attendees of CascadiaJS 2026.
What you'll walk away with:
Understanding how to:
- Build tools
- Write skills that make better use of tools (theirs or anyone else's on the marketplace)
- Publish both
Prerequisites:
- Laptop with internet access
- Node.js, a coding agent (Claude Code or Cursor)
- An Apify account (free credits provided)
About Michael
Michael is a Developer Advocate at Apify, where he focuses on educating and helping developers and AI builders leverage Apify tools for their AI agents and workflows. He also runs AITX Community, a community for AI engineers and entrepreneurs across Texas. He's based in Austin, TX.
Our Sponsors
i always have a good time at @CascadiaJS. still one of my fave talks of all time there but more imptly the people and the vibe that @crtr0 and co create make you feel the JS community in a way that very very few are able to do.
— swyx (@swyx) August 14, 2025
join Sept 18-19 in Seattle! https://t.co/xoOT9pkMSl
I LOVE CascadiaJS. Incredible conference in a beautiful city with solid lineups, wonderful staff, and just the right amount of silly. Also @crtr0 at karaoke. 💙
— Josh Goldberg 🦋 (@JoshuaKGoldberg) June 22, 2024
Congrats & thanks again for such a wonderful time! https://t.co/3jhkI8O6Su
I 💚 CascadiaJS bc it feels like the cool, cult classic of JS events.
— Michelle Bakels (@MichelleBakels) March 28, 2025
It’s got everything — a dedicated fan base of 10+ years, close family vibes, long held traditions (the best karaoke!), sublime locale, and a flair for the atypical/creative conf sessions.
Def apply + attend! https://t.co/yqrEbh0icL
The reason why @CascadiaJS is one of my favorite conferences is because you can truly feel the passion and care that everyone puts into it. There's a real sense of community, it's amazing 🙌👏💜
— Charlie Gerard (@devdevcharlie) September 2, 2022
Once again, @CascadiaJS did not disappoint—I love that we have a community-focused conference right in the PNW. It's always inspiring to hear about what people are making, stretch my perspective, and meet new friends.
— Mark Palfreeman 🪐 (@markpalfreeman) September 3, 2022
Also Sunriver resort was awesome 🤘#CascadiaJS pic.twitter.com/SKlPeHibHE
On my way out of @CascadiaJS, feeling grateful for the work that @crtr0, his family, the staff and volunteers, sponsors, speakers, and all put into this family reunion.
— Tejas Kumar (@TejasKumar_) September 3, 2022
Some wonderful memories were made, and the combination of nature and lovely people made it so special. pic.twitter.com/F4JC0318pe
Wow, what a week at @CascadiaJS! Our team thoroughly enjoyed connecting with other engineers, learning from various talks, & experiencing beautiful Sunriver, OR. We wanted to thank everyone who helped organize this event; it was spectacular, and we cannot wait to be back in 2024. pic.twitter.com/vCO33rBTFa
— Formidable, Now Nearform (@FormidableLabs) September 6, 2022
I'm absolutely blown away by how much @cartwr and the entire team @CascadiaJS lifts up and highlights the people who contribute to and make this conference so special. This is what a conf that focuses on community looks like! 🌲 #cjs19 pic.twitter.com/Yh0CdOzVyx
— Divya (@shortdiv) November 9, 2019
I absolutely LOVED MCing @CascadiaJS! This was such a well organized conference, huge kudos to the speakers, the organizers, the sponsors, and of course the audience + community for making it great. It was a pleasure!! #cjs20 pic.twitter.com/EhqjhYJEVY
— Cassidy (@cassidoo) September 3, 2020
Attended #CascadiaJS last week! Awesome speakers/workshops and very well done virtual/hybrid experience! Can't recommend it enough for developers no matter where they are in their coding journey! 🖥️🌲#webdevelopment #javascript #CascadiaJS2021 #PNW pic.twitter.com/imknQzJmBZ
— Nathan Pickard (@NathanPickard) November 8, 2021
Had an amazing time at @CascadiaJS. See you next year! pic.twitter.com/eJYIkqHVMf
— Treasure Porth (@treasureporth) November 13, 2019
I was honored to participate in #CascadiaJS again this year. I've been so impressed again with all the creativity and effort the organizers, speakers, and community puts into making it a uniquely fun event. ✨ pic.twitter.com/x0byI4utED
— Nicole Oliver (@nixcodes) November 5, 2021
Yeah, tonight was great. #CascadiaJS pic.twitter.com/4hHgTP46fg
— Jessica West (@jessicaewest) November 5, 2021
Awesome @CascadiaJS afterparty at the @LivingComputers
— Welling Guzmán (@wellingguzman) November 17, 2018
I had so much fun. #CJS18 pic.twitter.com/xUiF2iupz6
I can't thank @crtr0, the @CascadiaJS team, and the conference sponsors enough for the opportunity to attend #cascadiajs! Everyone was so encouraging and welcoming, I'm thrilled to bring back what I learned to @MakeThinkCode & @pnca. pic.twitter.com/5hVyhcmyUL
— meganmckissack (@meganmckissack) November 19, 2018