Skills and MCP: How to Choose¶
Skills and MCP servers both extend what an Agent can do, but they solve different problems. If you are new to Agents, first decide how the Agent should work and whether it must access an external system.
In One Sentence¶
- A Skill teaches an Agent how to work by providing reusable knowledge, procedures, constraints, and output standards.
- MCP gives an Agent tools to work with by exposing external tools, data sources, or business systems.
For example, when handling a production alert, a Skill can define the investigation order, evidence requirements, and report format. An MCP server can provide current information from Kubernetes, a code repository, or a deployment system. Together, they let the Agent follow the team's method while using the external information required by the task.
Skill and MCP Differences¶
| Comparison | Skill | MCP server |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Defines the knowledge, steps, and output for a type of work | Provides tools for querying or operating external systems |
| Best suited for | Standard procedures, team conventions, analysis methods, checklists, and report templates | Live data queries, business system connections, and specific operations |
| Automatically grants external access | No | No. Access still depends on the target account, data scope, and Agent permission mode |
| Connects to an external system by itself | Usually no | Yes, but only through the tools exposed by that server |
| Common uses | Alert triage, release checks, incident reviews, and content organization | Code repositories, CI/CD, Kubernetes, knowledge bases, and project systems |
Installing a Skill does not expand an Agent's data access. Enabling an MCP server does not teach the Agent your team's working standards. Configure both when a task needs a defined method and external tools.
How to Choose¶
- To standardize a procedure, decision rule, or output format, use a Skill.
- To query live data or invoke an external tool, use an MCP server.
- To access an external system while following a team procedure, combine a Skill and MCP server.
- If an existing product capability already completes the task, do not add a duplicate Skill or MCP server.
- For a one-time file or a small amount of context, attach or describe it in the task instead of creating a permanent capability.
Recommended Setup Order¶
- Define the Agent's responsibility, allowed data, and prohibited actions.
- Review its existing capabilities and add only the Skills required for that responsibility.
- Enable the smallest necessary MCP scope only when the Agent must connect to an external system.
- Verify the setup with a low-risk task before expanding its use.
Global configuration determines which Skills and MCP servers are available in the workspace. You must still enable the required capabilities separately in each Agent workspace. For sensitive data or write operations, prefer read-only, least-privilege access and retain appropriate human confirmation.
Next Steps¶
- For Skill sources, enablement, and task usage, see Skills.
- For MCP configuration, runtime status, and tool usage, see MCP Servers.