Agent Skills Overview

The Problem Skills Solve

When you connect an AI assistant to Adspirer, it gains access to 100+ advertising tools. That's powerful. It's also overwhelming.

Without guidance, the AI sees a list of tools and has to guess which order to use them. Should it research keywords before creating a Google Search campaign? Should it validate creative assets before launching a Meta campaign? Should it check connection status before pulling performance data?

The AI doesn't know. So it guesses.

Sometimes it guesses right. Sometimes it tries to create a campaign without keyword research, fails validation, and wastes your time. Sometimes it retries a failed campaign creation five times, burning through your tool call quota.

Skills fix this.

What Skills Are

Skills are instruction files (SKILL.md) that teach AI assistants the right way to use Adspirer's tools. Think of them as a training manual for advertising best practices.

A skill file contains:

• Workflows: Step-by-step sequences for common tasks ("to create a Google Search campaign, first research keywords, then validate assets, then create")
• Safety rules: Critical guidelines ("always get user confirmation before spending money," "campaigns are created PAUSED," "never retry campaign creation on error")
• Tool reference: Descriptions of all 100+ tools with parameters and use cases
• Platform guidance: When to use each ad platform, minimum budgets, best practices
• Troubleshooting: Common errors and how to handle them

Before vs. After Skills

Without Skills

You: "Create a Google Ads campaign for my SaaS product"
AI: Immediately calls create_search_campaign
Result: ❌ Error: "No keywords provided"
AI: Retries with generic keywords
Result: ❌ Error: "No validated assets"
AI: Gives up or suggests manual intervention

With Skills

You: "Create a Google Ads campaign for my SaaS product"
AI: Follows the workflow:

1. Calls get_connections_status (verify you're managing the right account)
2. Calls research_keywords with your product description
3. Shows you keyword suggestions with real CPC data
4. Calls discover_existing_assets (check if you have images/headlines already)
5. Calls suggest_ad_content if you need new headlines/descriptions
6. Calls validate_and_prepare_assets
7. Calls create_search_campaign with all validated data
8. Asks for your confirmation before creating the campaign
9. ✅ Campaign created PAUSED, ready for your review

Skills turn a vague prompt into a complete, validated workflow.

Supported AI Clients

How to Install Skills

Installation varies by client. All skills are available in the ads-mcp GitHub repository.

Claude Code

git clone https://github.com/amekala/ads-mcp.git /tmp/ads-mcp
cp -r /tmp/ads-mcp/plugins/claude/adspirer/skills/ad-campaign-management ~/.claude/skills/

Cursor

git clone https://github.com/amekala/ads-mcp.git /tmp/ads-mcp
cp -r /tmp/ads-mcp/plugins/cursor/adspirer/skills/ad-campaign-management ~/.cursor/skills/
cp /tmp/ads-mcp/plugins/cursor/adspirer/rules/use-adspirer.mdc .cursor/rules/

Cursor also supports Cursor Rules, which auto-trigger skills based on context (alwaysApply: true).

Codex

git clone https://github.com/amekala/ads-mcp.git /tmp/ads-mcp
cp /tmp/ads-mcp/plugins/codex/adspirer/SKILL.md ~/.codex/skills/adspirer-ads.md

OpenClaw

Skills are bundled with the plugin. No separate installation needed:

openclaw plugins install openclaw-adspirer

What Skills Include

1. Core Workflows

Six proven workflows for common advertising tasks:

• Performance Analysis: Cross-platform reporting, anomaly detection, wasted spend audits
• Keyword Research: Google Ads keyword discovery with real CPC data
• Campaign Creation: Platform-specific flows for Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok
• Budget Optimization: Reallocate spend based on ROAS or CPA
• Account Management: Switch accounts, check usage, manage connections
• Automation: Schedule briefs, create monitors, generate reports

See detailed workflow documentation.

2. Safety Rules

Critical guardrails to prevent expensive mistakes:

• Always check connections first: Run get_connections_status before using platform-specific tools
• User confirmation required: Ask before any action that affects spend (campaign creation, budget changes)
• Campaigns created PAUSED: Never launch campaigns live—user reviews first
• Read-before-write: Research keywords before creating Google Search campaigns, validate assets before launching
• Never retry campaign creation: If it fails, report the error and wait for user input
• Platform minimums: Google $10/day, LinkedIn $10/day, Meta $5/day

3. Tool Catalog

Complete reference of all 100+ tools with:

• Tool name and category
• Type (Read vs. Write)
• Description and use cases
• Required and optional parameters
• Example calls

See full tool catalog.

4. Platform Quick Reference

5. Troubleshooting Guide

Common errors and how to handle them:

• "Connection not found" → Run get_connections_status and reconnect the platform
• "Asset validation failed" → Check image dimensions, file size, URL accessibility
• "Campaign creation failed" → Verify all workflow steps were completed in order
• "Budget below minimum" → Increase to platform minimum ($10/day for Google/LinkedIn, $5/day for Meta)

Why Skills Matter

Skills transform a tool connection into an advertising management system.

Without Skills

• The AI guesses tool order
• Workflows fail mid-execution
• You spend time debugging errors
• Campaign creation takes 10+ prompts back-and-forth
• Risk of expensive mistakes (wrong budget, skipped validation)

With Skills

• The AI follows proven workflows
• Workflows complete successfully on first try
• Safety rules prevent expensive mistakes
• Campaign creation takes 1-2 prompts
• You review and approve instead of troubleshooting

FAQ

Do I need skills to use Adspirer?

No. Skills are optional but highly recommended. Without skills, you'll need to be more explicit in your prompts ("first research keywords, then validate assets, then create the campaign"). With skills, the AI knows to do this automatically.

Can I customize skills for my workflow?

Yes. Skills are plain markdown files. Edit them to change default behaviors, add custom workflows, or modify safety rules. Changes take effect immediately (or after restarting your AI client).

Do skills work with ChatGPT and Claude web?

No. ChatGPT and Claude (web/desktop) don't support skills files. They use Adspirer via MCP connectors, which have full tool access but no workflow enforcement. Consider switching to Claude Code or Cursor if you want skills.

How big are skill files?

It varies by client:

• Claude Code / Cursor: ~8KB SKILL.md
• Codex: ~8KB SKILL.md
• OpenClaw: 14.4KB SKILL.md (most comprehensive)

Do skills slow down the AI?

No. The AI reads the skill file once when it starts, not on every prompt. There's no performance impact.

Next Steps

• View Core Workflows — See step-by-step flows for campaign creation, optimization, and analysis
• Browse Tool Catalog — Full reference of all 100+ Adspirer tools
• Install Claude Code Skills
• Install Cursor Skills + Rules
• Use OpenClaw (skills bundled)