How to Use AI SDK Skill: Install and Build a Minimal Endpoint

The ai-sdk skill is useful when your goal is implementation, not theory. You can use it to quickly scaffold a small endpoint and validate reliability before broader rollout.

Who this is for

Developers building AI chat/agent endpoints
Teams adding AI features to an existing app
Engineers who need a safe first release checklist

Install the AI SDK skill

npx skills add https://github.com/vercel/ai --skill ai-sdk

Restart your runtime after install.

First task: minimal endpoint dry run

Use a small endpoint dry run first:

Use ai-sdk skill.
Build a minimal chat endpoint.
Requirements:
- 10s timeout
- 2 retries max
- fallback response when provider fails
- return structured error shape

Minimal endpoint acceptance checklist

API key is server-only, never exposed to client bundle.
Timeout and retry caps are explicit.
Error response format is stable for frontend handling.
Logs do not leak sensitive prompt or user data.
Fallback response is deterministic and testable.

Implementation pattern (recommended)

Start with one endpoint and one provider.
Add timeout and retry defaults before feature expansion.
Standardize error payload (code, message, requestId).
Add fallback response and mark fallback in logs.
Run a non-destructive dry run with sample inputs.

Common failure patterns and fixes

Provider auth mismatch (wrong env var scope)
Fix: validate runtime env scope and deployment secret mapping.
Streaming without timeout boundaries
Fix: set hard timeout and fallback to non-streaming response.
Tool/schema mismatch in structured outputs
Fix: validate schema at boundary and coerce invalid fields safely.

Rollback triggers (production safety)

Error rate spike after rollout
Latency exceeds SLA under normal load
Provider outage without fallback path

Quick FAQ

How do I install the AI SDK skill?

Run:

npx skills add https://github.com/vercel/ai --skill ai-sdk

Then restart your runtime.

What is the safest first use case?

Build one minimal endpoint with explicit timeout, retry, and fallback behavior. Do not start with multi-provider orchestration.

Why does endpoint behavior differ between local and production?

Usually because environment variables, timeout defaults, or network constraints differ across environments. Compare config and logs with a single request ID.

Verified detail page: /verified/vercel/ai/ai-sdk
Security checklist: /blog/openclaw-skill-security-checklist
Skill creation guide: /blog/how-to-create-an-openclaw-skill