Create and manage Zapier MCP skills

A skill is a reusable, Markdown-based set of workflow instructions your MCP client can load on demand, instead of you repeating the same steps every time. This page covers creating, editing, and managing Zapier MCP skills.

Before you begin

A Zapier MCP server. If you do not have one yet, go to the quickstart.
Your server is in agentic mode. Go to switch modes to check or change it.

Skills vs. individual tools

	Skills	Individual tools
Best for	A multi-step task you repeat, where the steps and judgment calls are the same each time	A single action, or a task where each step depends on what you find along the way
What it captures	Instructions: how to approach the task, in what order, with what checks	One capability: send a message, look up a record, run a search
Where it lives	Tied to the server you create it on	Available on every server, once enabled
How your MCP client uses it	Loads the whole skill into context with `get_zapier_skill`, then follows it	Calls the tool directly with the parameters it needs

Use a skill when you find yourself giving your MCP client the same set of instructions over and over. Use individual tools for anything else, including one-off requests and tasks where the right next step depends on the result of the last one.

A skill is tied to the server you create it on, not to your account. To use the same skill on another server, copy the Markdown across.

Packaged skills

Every server includes a set of skills built by Zapier. They appear in the

Skills tab under By Zapier, separate from any skills you create.

Skill	What it does
Onboarding	Reads from your connected apps to show you a sample workflow when you first connect. This is expected behavior during setup.
Mcp-roast	Generates a humorous roast comparing your email persona to your messaging persona, using any connected email app (Gmail, Outlook) and messaging app (Slack, Teams, Discord).

You cannot edit or delete a packaged skill.

Create a skill

Chat
UI

Ask your MCP client to create the skill for you. Describe the workflow, or paste Markdown instructions, and it calls create_zapier_skill to save it to your server.

Save this as a Zapier MCP skill: [paste your instructions]

Go to mcp.zapier.com and select your server.
Click the Skills tab.
Click + Add skill.
Paste your skill’s Markdown into the text box.
Confirm the Name and Description fields. If your Markdown has name and description frontmatter, these fill in automatically. If not, enter a name and description manually.
Click Add skill.

Edit a skill

Chat
UI

Ask your MCP client to update or delete a skill by name. It calls update_zapier_skill or delete_zapier_skill on your behalf.

Make sure your client reaches for your skills

Your skills live on your Zapier MCP server, not in your MCP client. Most clients do not check that library automatically by default. They rely on an explicit instruction, such as a rule or a direct request, to know when to check it. To make sure your client consistently reaches for your skills, ask it to audit its own instructions:

Audit your custom instructions, rules, or memory for whether they tell you to check my Zapier MCP skills library before concluding a named task, workflow, or skill does not exist. If that instruction is missing, add it: call list_zapier_skills to check for a match, then get_zapier_skill to load it.

Skill format

A skill is a Markdown file with name and description frontmatter, followed by the instructions your MCP client follows:

---
name: my-skill
description: Does something useful
---

# Instructions

1. Step one...

Tips for writing a skill

Give it one job. A skill that covers several unrelated workflows is harder for your MCP client to match to the right situation. Write a separate skill for each distinct task.
Write a specific description. Your MCP client chooses which skill to load based on the description field, not the full instructions. Name concrete triggers, such as “when the user asks to draft a weekly update,” rather than a vague summary, such as “helps with updates.”
State what the skill is not for if it could be confused with a similar workflow. A short exclusion stops your MCP client from reaching for the skill at the wrong time.
Keep it focused, not bare. A shorter skill is easier for your MCP client to load and follow accurately, but cutting context is not the same as cutting length. Keep background that explains a judgment call or why a step matters. Cut background that does not change what your MCP client does.
Name exact tools and parameters where you can. Reference the specific meta-tool and action, such as execute_zapier_read_action with a named action, instead of describing the step in general terms. This removes guesswork at runtime.
Test with a real prompt, then refine. Run the skill the way you expect to trigger it, check whether your MCP client loads and follows it correctly, and adjust the description or steps based on what actually happens.
Audit your skills periodically. As your library grows, review your skills for overlap, such as two skills with similar descriptions or ones that give conflicting steps for the same task. Ask your MCP client to call list_zapier_skills and compare descriptions, then merge, narrow, or remove any that conflict. This keeps your MCP client choosing the right skill consistently.

How Zapier MCP tools work

Meta-tools, auto-provisioning, and agentic mode versus managed mode.

Switch between agentic and managed mode

Check or change your server’s mode.

Overview

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Create and manage Zapier MCP skills

Before you begin

Skills vs. individual tools

Packaged skills

Create a skill

Edit a skill

Make sure your client reaches for your skills

Skill format

Tips for writing a skill

How Zapier MCP tools work

Switch between agentic and managed mode

​Before you begin

​Skills vs. individual tools

​Packaged skills

​Create a skill

​Edit a skill

​Make sure your client reaches for your skills

​Skill format

​Tips for writing a skill

​Related

How Zapier MCP tools work

Switch between agentic and managed mode

Before you begin

Skills vs. individual tools

Packaged skills

Create a skill

Edit a skill

Make sure your client reaches for your skills

Skill format

Tips for writing a skill

Related