Skills

Skills are specialized AI workflows that extend what the agent can do. Invoke them naturally in conversation or by name.

Each skill is a focused workflow that guides the AI through a specific task. You don't need to memorize commands — just describe what you want and the agent activates the right skill automatically.

CLI/IDE only. Skills are loaded by external AI agents — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and similar tools that read the skill definitions from the project directory. The embedded webviewer does not load or execute skills; its AI chat provides direct script editing assistance without the multi-step workflows described here.

How skills are invoked: Skills activate through natural language. Say "preview the script" and the agent runs the script-preview skill. Say "where is this field used?" and it runs trace. No slash commands or special syntax required.

Script Development

Create, locate, review, refactor, and scaffold FileMaker scripts.

script-preview

core

Generates a human-readable, numbered step outline of a proposed script before committing to XML generation. Lets you review and iterate on logic before any code is produced.

Example prompts

"preview the script" "show me the steps before generating" "outline the logic"

script-lookup

core

Locates a specific script in the parsed XML exports, resolving to both the human-readable version (for understanding logic) and the Save-As-XML version (for conversion to fmxmlsnippet).

Example prompts

"show me the Create Invoice script" "open script ID 142" "find the Sort Line Items script"

script-review

core

Code review of an existing script and its full call tree — all subscripts reached via Perform Script are loaded and analyzed together. Evaluates error handling, structure, naming, performance, and parameter contracts. Groups findings by severity: Critical, Important, Suggestions, and Positive.

Example prompts

"review the Create Invoice script" "code review script ID 87" "assess this script's error handling"

script-refactor

Analyzes an existing script and produces an improved version — better error handling, cleaner variable naming, consolidated repeated logic — while preserving observable behavior. Outputs as fmxmlsnippet ready to paste.

Example prompts

"refactor the Print Report script" "clean up this script" "optimize script ID 205"

multi-script-scaffold

Implements the Untitled Placeholder Technique for building systems of interdependent scripts. Guides you through creating placeholder scripts in FileMaker, captures their IDs via Push Context, then generates all scripts with correct Perform Script wiring in one pass.

Example prompts

"scaffold a multi-script system for invoice processing" "use the placeholder technique" "build a set of interdependent scripts"

Debugging & Testing

Diagnose script issues and verify behavior with automated tests.

script-debug

core

Systematic debugging workflow: reproduce the issue, isolate the failure point, form a hypothesis, verify with runtime data, and produce a fix. At Tier 1 the developer runs scripts manually and provides debug output. At Tier 3 the agent autonomously instruments, deploys, triggers, and iterates.

Example prompts

"debug the Create Invoice script" "this script isn't working right" "I'm getting an unexpected error on line 34"

fm-debug

Low-level runtime state capture. Instruments a script with debug steps that write variable values, error codes, and execution state to agent/debug/output.json via the companion server. Used internally by script-debug, or directly when you need raw runtime data.

Example prompts

"capture the runtime state of this script" "instrument this script for debugging" "what are the variable values at line 22?"

script-test

Generates a companion verification script that exercises a target script with known inputs and asserts expected outputs. Uses the fm-debug infrastructure to report pass/fail results. At Tier 1 you run the test manually; at Tier 3 the agent runs it autonomously.

Example prompts

"write a test for the Calculate Total script" "verify this script handles empty inputs" "prove this works with edge cases"

Planning

Think through requirements and constraints before writing code.

implementation-plan

Structured planning before script creation. Decomposes requirements into discrete concerns, identifies FileMaker objects needed, surfaces platform constraints, and produces a written plan for your confirmation — no code until you approve.

Example prompts

"plan the invoice approval workflow before coding" "decompose the requirements for this feature" "what do we need before building this?"

Schema & Data Model

Design, build, visualize, and modify your database schema.

schema-plan

Design the data model for a new FileMaker solution from a natural language description. Produces a Mermaid ERD showing base tables and relationships, then extends it to a FileMaker-specific model with table occurrences and a relationship specification.

Example prompts

"design a schema for an invoice management system" "plan the data model for a CRM" "create an ERD for this project"

schema-build

Create and modify FileMaker database schema via OData REST calls against a live hosted solution. Three sub-modes: connect (OData setup walkthrough), build (execute table and field creation), and relationships (produce a manual relationship specification checklist).

Example prompts

"build the schema from my plan" "create the Invoices and LineItems tables" "set up OData for my solution"

extract-erd

Derive a true ERD (Mermaid diagram) from an existing FileMaker solution by analyzing table occurrences, relationships, and fields. Collapses utility TOs to base tables and classifies tables as Entity, Join, or Utility.

Example prompts

"extract the ERD from this solution" "show me the database structure" "map the schema visually"

menu-lookup

Locate a specific custom menu or menu set in the parsed XML exports and extract the real UUIDs required before creating or modifying any menu XML. Without these UUIDs, FileMaker silently ignores the paste.

Example prompts

"look up the Records custom menu" "find the menu set for data entry" "I need to modify the Edit menu"

Data Operations

Seed test data and migrate records into your FileMaker solution via OData.

data-seed

Generate realistic seed or test data and load it into a live FileMaker solution via OData. Populates tables with contextually appropriate data while respecting referential integrity and topological ordering (parent tables before children).

Example prompts

"seed 50 test invoices with line items" "populate the solution with sample data" "generate realistic contact records"

data-migrate

Move records from an external source (CSV, JSON, SQL dump, or API response) into a live FileMaker solution via OData. Auto-maps source columns to FM fields with type coercion, gets your approval on the mapping, then executes with error tracking.

Example prompts

"import contacts from contacts.csv" "migrate data from the JSON export" "load the SQL dump into FileMaker"

Layout & UI

Spec, design, and build FileMaker layouts and web viewer applications.

layout-spec

Conducts a design conversation and produces a written layout specification — object list, field bindings, section layout, portal configuration, button wiring, and style assignments. This is the planning phase; no XML or code output.

Example prompts

"spec out the Invoice Detail layout" "what objects should the dashboard layout have?" "create a layout blueprint for the contact form"

layout-design

Generates FileMaker layout objects from a spec or brief. Previews in the webviewer for iteration, then outputs as either FM XML2 fmxmlsnippet (paste into Layout Mode) or self-contained HTML (for the Web Viewer path).

Example prompts

"design the invoice detail layout" "build the layout from the spec" "add a portal for line items to this layout"

webviewer-build

Generates a complete web application inside a FileMaker Web Viewer — self-contained HTML/CSS/JS styled with the FM theme, plus companion FM bridge scripts for bidirectional data flow. Ideal for modern, responsive UI, charts, drag-and-drop, or rich text editing.

Example prompts

"build a web viewer for a Kanban board" "create an interactive chart in a web viewer" "HTML app for drag-and-drop sorting"

Analysis & Reference

Analyze entire solutions, trace object usage, and look up reusable library code.

solution-analysis

Produces a comprehensive profile of an entire FileMaker solution — data model, business logic, UI coverage, integrations, and health metrics. All heavy processing happens on disk via Python; the agent only reads the compact output. Generates a self-contained HTML report with interactive visualizations including force-directed relationship graphs, script call trees, sunburst charts, performance hotspot analysis (unstored/summary fields), and sortable data tables. Supports optional extensions (networkx, pandas, matplotlib) for deeper graph topology analysis and community detection.

Example prompts

"analyze this solution" "give me a solution overview" "what does this solution do?" "generate a solution profile"

trace

Traces references to a FileMaker object across the entire solution. Supports three modes: usage reports ("where is this field used?"), impact analysis ("what breaks if I rename this?"), and dead object scans ("show unused fields/scripts"). Handles ExecuteSQL strings, dynamic references, and ambiguous matches.

Example prompts

"where is the Status field used?" "what breaks if I rename Invoices::Total?" "find all unused scripts" "show dead fields in the Contacts table"

library-lookup

Searches the curated snippet library for reusable fmxmlsnippet code — complete scripts, step block patterns, custom functions, and more. The agent scans the library proactively before writing significant logic and adapts found code to your context.

Example prompts

"use the HTTP request script from the library" "add a timeout loop" "is there a transaction wrapper in the library?"

Deployment Tiers

Skills that produce FileMaker code support multiple deployment tiers, depending on your environment:

Tier 1 — Manual paste

The agent generates fmxmlsnippet XML, validates it, and loads it onto the clipboard. You paste it into Script Workspace yourself. Works everywhere, no setup required.

Tier 2 — Assisted deployment

The agent loads the clipboard and opens the target script tab in Script Workspace via the companion server. You still confirm the paste.

Tier 3 — Autonomous

The agent generates, validates, deploys, and verifies scripts end-to-end via OData and the companion server. Requires OData configuration in automation.json.

Ready to bring AI into your FileMaker development?

agentic-fm is open source and free to use. Star the repo to follow development, or jump straight into the installation guide.

Installation Guide Star on GitHub