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A skill is a markdown playbook the Surfer MCP server ships. Your assistant reads it and executes it with the server’s tools, pausing where your input matters. You ask for the outcome and the playbook carries the steps you would otherwise prompt one by one. Playbooks update when the server updates. There is nothing to install.

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How to use a skill

You need no special syntax. A skill triggers from a natural request: The assistant matches the request to the surfer-write-article skill and runs the playbook. You can also name the skill: The assistant lists the available skills, each with its name and a description of when it applies, then fetches the playbook it picked.
Skills are not slash commands. The Surfer MCP server registers tools only, and no MCP prompts. Your client does not show skills in its slash command list or prompts menu. Ask in plain language or name the skill in your message.
If your assistant cannot find any skills, its cached tool list is stale; Troubleshooting has the refresh step for each client.

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Available skills

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Which skill do I need?

  • Nothing written yet and you want a finished draft: surfer-write-article.
  • Nothing written yet and you want a plan for a human writer: surfer-create-content-brief (adds SEO Guidelines and AI Search facts) or surfer-create-outline (headings only).
  • Content already exists: surfer-optimize-content.
  • Setting standards for future content: surfer-manage-content-templates.
  • You do not know what to work on: surfer-content-recommendations. It lists the workspace’s recommendations, lets you pick one, and hands the work to surfer-optimize-content or surfer-write-article.
  • Setting a writing style or tone profile: no skill. That is a custom voice, not a template, so manage voices with the voice tools.
  • One-off direction for a single article: no skill either. It goes in the custom instructions that surfer-write-article collects.
Use a skill by default for the six workflows above. Drop to free-form prompts for what the playbooks do not cover: AI Tracker reads, reporting, workspace administration, or a single tool call. Use cases has example prompts for those.

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What happens when you run one

This is what the surfer-write-article playbook does, stage by stage. The playbook’s own numbering groups the work slightly differently; ask your assistant to show you the playbook for the exact wording.
1

Confirms the setup before spending a credit

The assistant lists your workspaces and asks which one to use when several are active. It collects:
  • The main keyword, plus up to 19 secondary keywords
  • The location (default United States) and device (default mobile)
  • Whether to apply your brand knowledge
  • One template, a Surfer preset or one of your workspace’s own
  • A voice
  • Custom instructions
  • Any word count or score targets
Creating a Content Editor uses one Content Editor credit, and the playbook makes the create request safe to retry (Credits and limits).
2

Waits for SERP analysis

Creating the Content Editor takes time; the assistant waits for it or checks its progress, whichever your client supports. It reports a failure or a bounded timeout together with the editor id.
3

Reviews the content plan

It reads three things:
  • The SEO Guidelines: terms, structure targets, topics, questions, competitors
  • The AI Search facts, when AI Search is a goal
  • The editor itself, to confirm the brand toggle, template or voice, and instructions took effect
If you ask for different competitors, it updates the competitor list and re-reads the guidelines before writing.
4

Pauses for your outline approval

When you ask for a reviewable outline, the assistant starts the article in manual outline mode. Generation pauses once the outline is drafted, and the assistant fetches it and shows it to you. Starting generation reserves an AI Article credit on plans that charge separately; see Credits and limits. Only the version you approve goes back, and nothing is written until you sign off.
5

Generates the article

It starts generation and waits while the article moves through outline drafting and writing. Then it reads the stored draft and its SEO, AI Search, and total scores. A score counts only once it is ready; an AI Search score that reports an error or is unavailable is reported, not retried.
6

Iterates toward your targets

If you set an SEO or AI Search score target and it is unmet, the assistant revises in rounds. Each round:
  1. Revises the draft against the guidelines and facts.
  2. Replaces the editor’s content with the revision.
  3. Re-reads the version Surfer stored (see Content Editors).
  4. Waits for the scores to recalculate.
It stops after 3 to 5 rounds or when the score plateaus, and it does not chase the unified total.
7

Hands off

You get the content, the SEO, AI Search, and total scores separately, the Content Editor id, and an edit or share link to the editor.
Every skill follows the same pattern: confirm inputs, execute, pause where your judgment is needed, deliver with links back to Surfer. Which of the steps consume credits is on Credits and limits. Tools: workspaces, Content Editors, guidelines, AI Articles, templates and voices.

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Inspect a playbook

Ask your assistant to list the available skills or show you a playbook before running it. Reading a playbook spends no credits. The playbooks mention an API key for their standalone REST setup. Over MCP, your connection is already signed in; you do not need an API key.