The SURFACE framework
Everything in Signal OS flows from one philosophy:| Letter | Stage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| S | Show up | Do cool things onchain. Your content is authentic because you’ve actually done it. |
| U | Unpack | Document what you did and reflect on the results. |
| R | Return value | Write to solve someone’s problem. Speak to your former self. |
| F | Filter | Clarity compounds. Consistent writing sharpens your thinking over time. |
| A | Anchor | Own one category. Dominate before you expand. |
| C | Capture | Let the work accumulate. Every piece lays foundation for the next. |
| E | Earn | Reputation first. Monetise too early and you lose trust. |
Two content pipelines
Signal OS runs two parallel pipelines. Most creators run both at the same time.Authority pipeline
For: Something you actually did onchain.You document it, record the result, then reflect on what it meant.
Growth pipeline
For: A take, a framework, or a story you want to develop.You capture the idea, outline it, write in Obsidian, then publish.
Not sure which pipeline fits your content? Run
/social-guide — it scans your folders and tells you exactly where you are and what to do next.Your creator journey
Signal OS detects where you are based on what files exist in your repo. There are four phases:Phase 1 — Clarity
Condition:
NORTHSTAR.md is empty.What to do: Run /social-mission. This is a brand positioning interview — it asks you questions one at a time and fills in your NORTHSTAR.md when you’re done.Every other skill reads this file. It’s the foundation of the whole system.Phase 2 — First wins
Condition:
NORTHSTAR.md is set, but you have no authority content or no founder story yet.What to do:/social-doc— Your first documentation tweet. Proves you’re active./social-founder— Your origin story. The most important article you’ll write.
Phase 3 — Authority rhythm
Condition: At least one authority folder with doc files exists.What to do: Run the authority loop continuously. Every time you do something onchain:
- Document it with
/social-doc - Record what happened with
/social-result - Extract the insight with
/social-reflect - Archive it when done with
/social-archive
Phase 4 — Growth engine
Condition: Growth content exists beyond your founder story.What to do: Phases 3 and 4 run simultaneously. The ideal weekly rhythm is one authority cycle and one growth article.
| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| Sunday | Pre-article CTA + pin |
| Monday | Publish article |
| Tuesday | Post-article CTA + new pin |
| Daily | At least 10 replies |
| Ongoing | Standalone tweets via skills |
How your files are organised
Signal OS writes files to two folders inside your repo:content/authority/[Idea_Name]/
content/authority/[Idea_Name]/
content/growth/[Idea_Name]/
content/growth/[Idea_Name]/
One folder per article. The article file itself has no stage prefix — all other stage files do:
archive/
archive/
When a piece is fully published, the whole folder moves here via
/social-archive. Nothing gets renamed. The archive/content_index.md file tracks everything you’ve ever published.