> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.serval.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Skills
> Instructions that tell Serval's help desk agent how to handle specific scenarios
Help Desk Skills was formerly called Guidance. Existing customers may still see "Skills (Guidance)" in the UI during the transition. The feature, your existing content, and all links are unchanged.
Skills are instructions you write for Serval's help desk agent. When a user submits a request that matches one of your skills, the agent follows your instructions to respond—adapting its tone and approach while staying true to your procedures. Skills are unique because they combine agent instructions with deterministic workflows to create advanced automations.
***
## When to Use Skills
Use **Skills** when you're giving the help desk agent instructions on **how to act**, **how to respond**, and **what context to consider** while helping an end user. Skills should focus on agent behavior and decision-making—not long-form reference content.
Think of a Skill as "Something that you'd train your new help desk agents on."
Skills are especially useful when you need the agent to:
* Follow a consistent **tone and communication style**
* Apply **language preferences** or formatting rules
* Make decisions in a **multi-step troubleshooting flow**
* Follow an internal **playbook** or **standard operating procedure** (triage, escalation, follow-up)
* Handle edge cases or sensitive situations with the right framing
Best Practice: Keep in mind that Skills should be focused on specific scenarios.
***
## Combining Skills with Serval Tools
From a Skill, tag Workflows, Access Roles, Knowledge Base Articles and Users to help guide the help desk agent when responding to users.
### Skills & Workflows
Skills and workflows **can** work together, but they don't need to be paired in every case.
For straightforward actions with a single input and clear outcome (e.g., password reset, access provisioning), a workflow can usually run without an accompanying skill. A skill becomes important only when **extra context, judgment, or user interaction** is required.
Use **a Skill with a workflow** when:
* The agent needs **significant context** before running the workflow
* The workflow outcome depends on **confirming details with the user**
* A **second input** must be collected conversationally
* There are **edge cases, policy constraints, or expectations** that need to be explained
* The agent needs help **choosing whether or not** to run the workflow
When a skill is used, the recommended pattern is:
1. **Create a workflow** for the single end-to-end action.
2. **Add a skill only when necessary** to explain *when* to run it and *how* to communicate with the user.
### Skills & Knowledge Base
Both Skills and your Knowledge Base can answer user questions. They can be used for separate purposes, but you can also store knowledge in a Skill, if it best fits your company's processes.
| Skills | Knowledge Base |
| :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Instruct the agent on **how to behave** | Provides **reference content** the agent can retrieve externally |
| Tone, language rules, decision logic | FAQs, how-to articles, policies |
| Active instructions ("do this, then this") | Passive information ("here's the answer") |
| Tagging workflows and Serval automations | |
| Self-healing information with [Serval Suggestions](/sections/documentation/suggestions/overview) | |
When in doubt: if it tells the agent *how to act*, it's a Skill. If it tells the agent *what to say*, it's probably Knowledge Base content.
If you don't have a formal Knowledge Base yet, start with a simple shared document or lightweight KB format and build from there. In the meantime, use Skills as an interim way to ensure the agent behaves consistently.
***
## Creating a Skill
Navigate to **Skills** in the sidebar and click **New Skill**.
Enter a **Name** (a short title the agent uses to identify this skill) and a **Description** (when this skill applies—helps the agent match it to requests).
Add your **Content**—the actual instructions the agent follows. Write the skill as direct instructions to the agent, telling it what to do, what to ask, and when to trigger workflows.
The skill editor supports rich text formatting including:
* **Hyperlinks** — Select text and click the add link button, or paste a URL directly with CMD+V to insert clickable links
* **@mentions** — Tag specific users by typing `@` followed by their name
* **Knowledge base references** — Mention and link knowledge base articles directly in your skill content
The skill editor supports up to 50,000 characters per document.
Link workflows to your skill using one of these methods:
* **Type `@` in the content field** to search for and select an existing workflow inline
* **Click the "+" icon** to either add a New Workflow or Browse Workflows (select from existing or installable workflows)
* **Create a workflow directly** from the skill editor using the integrated side panel — build a new workflow without leaving the skill page
* **Browse workflows from the sidebar** — filter by application, tag, and status to find the right workflow
Selected workflows appear as actionable references the agent can execute when following your skill.
Tag users in your skill by typing `@` followed by their name. Select the correct profile from the dropdown to reference specific team members.
Enable **Always use** if you want this skill included in every conversation, regardless of the user's request. [Learn more →](/sections/documentation/skills/always-used)
Click **Save** to publish your skill. The agent will immediately begin using it for matching requests.
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## Reviewing Suggested Changes
When Serval suggests updates to an existing skill, you can review the changes using a diff view:
* **Red strikethrough** highlights text that would be removed
* **Green highlighting** shows text that would be added
This compare view makes it easy to see exactly what changed before accepting or dismissing a suggestion. Serval also handles stale data — if someone else edits the skill while you're reviewing, you'll be notified to prevent accidental overwrites.
***
## Learn How to Build Skills for Your Organization
* [Test example Skills](/sections/documentation/skills/use-cases) use cases for HR, IT, Ops, and Finance.
* Use [Serval Suggestions](/sections/documentation/suggestions/overview) to automatically generate Skills based on existing tickets. Accept, configure, or deny these suggestions to build your skill library. Instruct Serval to remember knowledge or suggest a Skill when handling escalated requests.