vercel/ai · error · Error

The provider does not support skills. Make sure it exposes a

Error message

The provider does not support skills. Make sure it exposes a skills() method.

What it means

uploadSkill (packages/ai/src/upload-skill/upload-skill.ts:33) resolves a SkillsV4 API from the provider: it uses `api.uploadSkill` if present, otherwise calls `api.skills()`. If the provider exposes neither, it throws this Error. Skills upload is an optional provider capability that this provider has not implemented.

Source

Thrown at packages/ai/src/upload-skill/upload-skill.ts:33

};

export async function uploadSkill({
  api,
  files,
  displayTitle,
  providerOptions,
}: {
  api: SkillsV4 | ProviderV4;
} & Omit<SkillsV4UploadSkillCallOptions, 'files'> & {
    files: UploadSkillFile[];
  }): Promise<UploadSkillResult> {
  const skillsApi: SkillsV4 =
    'uploadSkill' in api
      ? api
      : typeof api.skills === 'function'
        ? api.skills()
        : (() => {
            throw new Error(
              'The provider does not support skills. Make sure it exposes a skills() method.',
            );
          })();

  const normalizedFiles: SkillsV4File[] = files.map(file => ({
    ...file,
    data:
      file.data instanceof Uint8Array || typeof file.data === 'string'
        ? { type: 'data', data: file.data }
        : file.data,
  }));

  const result = await skillsApi.uploadSkill({
    files: normalizedFiles,
    displayTitle,
    providerOptions,
  });

View on GitHub (pinned to 69428b1f8b)

Solutions

1. Pass the correct provider instance that implements skills support (check `typeof provider.skills === 'function'`).
2. Upgrade the provider package to a version with SkillsV4 (skills()/uploadSkill) support.
3. Add a capability check before calling uploadSkill and handle unsupported providers gracefully.
4. Choose a provider that supports skill uploads if this capability is required.

Example fix

// before
await uploadSkill({ api: openai('gpt-4o'), files }); // wrong object
// after
if (typeof openai.skills !== 'function') throw new Error('Skills unsupported');
await uploadSkill({ api: openai, files });

function supportsSkills(api: unknown): api is { skills(): SkillsV4 } {
  return api != null &&
    (typeof (api as any).skills === 'function' || 'uploadSkill' in (api as any));
}
if (!supportsSkills(provider)) throw new Error('Provider does not support skill uploads');

function hasSkillsApi(api: unknown): api is { skills(): SkillsV4 } | { uploadSkill: SkillsV4['uploadSkill'] } {
  return typeof api === 'object' && api !== null &&
    ('uploadSkill' in api || typeof (api as { skills?: unknown }).skills === 'function');
}

try {
  await uploadSkill({ api: provider, files });
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.includes('does not support skills')) {
    throw new Error(`${providerName} does not support skill uploads; use a provider with skills() support`);
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `uploadSkill({ api: provider, files, ... })` with a provider instance that has no `skills()` factory method and no `uploadSkill` method.

Common situations: Calling uploadSkill against a provider package/version without skills support; passing a model or a different provider's object; using a provider that only supports files but not skills; outdated dependency versions.

Related errors

• The provider does not support file uploads. Make sure it exp
• maxEmbeddingsPerCall must be greater than 0
• maxInputBytesPerCall must be greater than 0
• No image generated.
• No object generated: the model did not return a response.

AI-assisted analysis of vercel/ai@69428b1f8b (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/98bb2fdddde44eb5. Report an issue: GitHub.