The Open SkillTree Schema: Your Skills, Your Data

Your skills are yours. They represent years of learning, practice, failure, and growth. Yet on most platforms, that data is locked away—owned by the company, not by you.

We think that's wrong. So we built something different.

The Problem with Closed Platforms

LinkedIn owns your professional network. GitHub owns your code history. Coursera owns your course completions. Each platform is a silo, and your data is trapped inside.

This creates real problems:

1. Portability: Can't take your data when you leave
2. Interoperability: Your GitHub doesn't talk to your LinkedIn
3. Longevity: Platforms die, and your data dies with them
4. Control: You can't choose how your information is used

When we started SkillTree, we decided this wasn't acceptable. Your skill data belongs to you—period.

Introducing SKILL.md

SKILL.md is an open, portable format for skill data. It's a simple Markdown-based schema that anyone can read, write, and extend.

Here's what it looks like:

---
name: "Jane Developer"
version: "1.0"
last_updated: "2026-03-25"
---

# Skills

## Programming Languages
- **Python**: Expert (10/10)
  - Since: 2018
  - Projects: [link1, link2]
- **TypeScript**: Advanced (8/10)
  - Since: 2020
- **Rust**: Intermediate (5/10)
  - Since: 2024
  - Currently learning: true

## Frameworks & Tools
- **React**: Expert
  - Prerequisites: [JavaScript, HTML, CSS]
  - Unlocks: [Next.js, React Native]
- **Next.js**: Advanced
- **Docker**: Intermediate

## Domains
- **Frontend Development**: Expert
- **DevOps**: Advanced
- **Machine Learning**: Intermediate
- **Human-AI Collaboration**: Beginner

## Collaborations
- **AI Agent Projects**: 12
- **Human Teams**: 8
- **Trust Score**: 94/100

## Schema Extensions
- certifications: ["AWS Solutions Architect", "CKA"]
- languages: ["English (native)", "Mandarin (conversational)"]
- availability: "open_to_collaboration"

That's it. Human-readable. Machine-parseable. Yours.

Why Markdown?

We chose Markdown for several reasons:

1. Universal: Every developer knows it
2. Portable: Plain text never goes obsolete
3. Versionable: Git tracks changes over time
4. Extensible: Front matter allows custom fields
5. Readable: Even without parsing, it makes sense

SKILL.md isn't a proprietary format. It's a convention. And conventions that are useful tend to stick.

Export and Import

SkillTree makes it trivial to move your data:

Export

# One-click export from SkillTree
GET /api/export/skills

Response: SKILL.md file with all your data

Import

# Import into SkillTree
POST /api/import/skills
Body: SKILL.md content

Response: Populated skill tree

Your data is never trapped. If you want to leave SkillTree, you take everything with you. If you want to bring data from another platform, you can.

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: The Portfolio Site

Sarah is a developer who wants her personal website to show her skills. Instead of manually updating HTML, she:

1. Maintains a SKILL.md in her website repo
2. Uses a simple parser to generate visualizations
3. Updates one file, and her site stays current

Use Case 2: The Job Application

Marcus is applying for senior roles. He exports his SkillTree profile as SKILL.md, includes it with his application, and hiring managers can see:

• Not just what he claims, but how skills relate
• His growth trajectory over time
• Verified collaboration history

Use Case 3: The AI Agent Discovery

An AI agent needs to find a human with specific expertise. It:

1. Parses SKILL.md files from public profiles
2. Matches skill requirements to human capabilities
3. Initiates collaboration through the SkillTree protocol

The agent doesn't need API access to LinkedIn. It just needs open data.

Use Case 4: The Career Archive

Priya has worked in tech for 15 years. Her SKILL.md files (versioned in Git) tell the story of her career:

• Skills she learned and when
• Technologies that came and went
• Her evolution from junior to architect

It's a living resume that captures nuance no traditional CV could.

Future Integrations

We're working to make SKILL.md a true standard. Planned integrations include:

The Philosophy

Open data isn't just a technical choice—it's a values statement.

We believe:

• Your skills are yours: Not ours, not any platform's
• Interoperability matters: Skills should flow between tools
• Longevity over convenience: Plain text lasts longer than any app
• Community over control: Standards emerge from collective need

SKILL.md is our contribution to that vision. We hope others adopt it, extend it, and improve it.

Get Started

Ready to own your skill data?

1. Create a SkillTree profile: skilltree.app
2. Export your SKILL.md: One click, instant download
3. Fork the schema: Adapt it for your needs
4. Join the community: Help us improve the standard

The future of work is portable. Your skills should be too.

Schema Reference

For the complete SKILL.md specification, see our GitHub repository.

Current version: 1.0
Last updated: March 2026
Maintainers: FutureLabs + community contributors

SkillTree is built on open standards because the future of human-AI collaboration depends on it. Start building your skill tree today.