We’re always cooking up new features for the Alexa Skills Kit to help make the skill-building process faster and easier. Through Alexa Labs, you can get a sneak peek into what we’re creating and gain beta access to new projects. For example, we are currently sharing projects that include a Visual Studio Code toolkit, a Twitch extension, and a sample skill for educational purposes.

Like typical GitHub projects, you can check out Alexa Labs projects and use them as part of your skill development process. You can also provide feedback and help influence the direction and shape a product takes. Alexa Labs enables you to become part of the Alexa Skills Kit research and development process to create novel technologies and solutions you can use to build delightful voice experiences. Projects hosted on Alexa Labs are experimental, and their future plans will be steered by developer feedback and adoption.

Our newest project on Alexa Labs is the Alexa Skills Kit Software Development Kit (SDK) Frameworks for Java. The frameworks enable Java developers to:

• Design an interaction model in code. Now, you can build an entire skill in one project instead of having to manage an interaction model in JSON and intent handler logic in code.
• Leverage the industry familiar Model View Controller (MVC) framework for skill development, which enables you to organize responsibilities using the familiar MVC pattern.

Check out Alexa Labs to learn more about these projects and more. To check out a project, use the clone or download icon, just like any other GitHub repository. To share feedback, click on the “Issues” tab located at the top of the project page.

Build Skills, Earn Developer Perks

Bring your big idea to life with Alexa and earn perks through our milestone-based developer promotion. US developers, publish your first Alexa skill and earn a custom Alexa developer t-shirt. Publish a skill for Alexa-enabled devices with screens and earn an Echo Spot. Publish a skill using the Gadgets Skill API and earn a 2-pack of Echo Buttons. If you're not in the US, check out our promotions in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan, France, Australia, and India. Learn more about our promotion and start building today.