Skill Exchange Actions

@spotify/backstage-plugin-skill-exchange-backend-module-actions

The Skill Exchange Actions module integrates with Backstage's Actions Registry, enabling programmatic discovery of skills and experts within your organization. These actions are ideal for integration with AI assistants, automation workflows, and custom backend plugins.

Installation

To use these actions, install the actions module as described in Setup & Installation.

packages/backend/src/index.ts

backend.add(
  import('@spotify/backstage-plugin-skill-exchange-backend-module-actions'),
);

Available Actions

Each action declares attributes that indicate its behavior:

• readOnly: The action only reads data and does not make modifications
• idempotent: Repeated calls with the same input produce the same result
• destructive: The action can delete or permanently modify data

Action	Attributes	Description
search-skills	readOnly: true, idempotent: true, destructive: false	Discover skills by name, category, or relationships
search-experts	readOnly: true, idempotent: true, destructive: false	Find experts based on skills or team membership

tip

Always check an action's attributes before using it in automated workflows to understand its potential side effects.

---

search-skills Action

Discover skills in your organization by name, category, or relationships.

Use Cases

• Skill discovery: Find skills that match specific criteria for team planning
• Related technologies: Discover skills related to ones your team already uses
• Onboarding: Help new team members explore available learning paths
• Automation: Power AI assistants and chatbots with skill discovery

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
query	string	No	Search term for skill name (partial matching)
category	string	No	Filter by category: DISCIPLINE, FRAMEWORKS, INFRASTRUCTURE, LANGUAGES, TECHNIQUES
limit	number	No	Maximum results to return (1-100, default: 50)
relatedToSkillIds	number[]	No	Find skills related to these skill IDs

Output

Key	Type	Description
skills	Array<{ id: number; name: string; category: string }>	List of matching skills
total	number	Total count of matching results

---

search-experts Action

Find experts in your organization based on skills or team membership.

Use Cases

• Expert discovery: Find subject matter experts for specific technologies
• Team formation: Identify potential team members with required skills
• Code review: Find qualified reviewers for specific technology areas
• Mentorship: Connect mentees with mentors who have relevant expertise
• Knowledge sharing: Identify experts who can lead workshops or training

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
query	string	No	Search term for expert name or description
teams	string[]	No	Filter by team membership
skillNames	string[]	No	Filter by specific skill names
limit	number	No	Maximum results to return (1-100, default: 20)

Output

Key	Type	Description
experts	Array<{ displayName: string; name: string; skills: string[]; teams: string[] }>	List of matching experts
total	number	Total count of matching results

---

Programmatic Usage in Backend Plugins

You can use these actions programmatically in your own backend plugins by accessing the Actions Registry Service:

import {
  createBackendPlugin,
  coreServices,
} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
import { actionsRegistryServiceRef } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api/alpha';

export const myPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
  pluginId: 'my-plugin',
  register(env) {
    env.registerInit({
      deps: {
        actionsRegistry: actionsRegistryServiceRef,
        logger: coreServices.logger,
      },
      async init({ actionsRegistry, logger }) {
        // Get reference to skill exchange actions
        const searchSkillsAction = actionsRegistry.get('search-skills');
        const searchExpertsAction = actionsRegistry.get('search-experts');

        // Use the actions in your logic
        const skillsResult = await searchSkillsAction?.action({
          input: {
            query: 'React',
            category: 'FRAMEWORKS',
            limit: 20,
          },
          logger,
          credentials: {
            /* your credentials */
          },
        });

        logger.info(`Found ${skillsResult?.output.total} skills`);
      },
    });
  },
});

Integration with AI Assistants

These actions work seamlessly with AI assistants and automation tools. When integrating actions into AI-powered workflows, check each action's attributes to understand its behavior:

• Actions with readOnly: true can be called safely without modifying data
• Actions with idempotent: true can be retried safely on failure
• Actions with destructive: true should require explicit user confirmation before execution