> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aether.baimoqilin.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Skills and MCP Servers: Extending Agent Tools

> Add Skills and MCP servers to give the Aether agent specialized capabilities like web search, code execution, or custom API integrations.

Skills and MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers extend the tools available to the Aether agent far beyond its built-in capabilities. Think of them as plug-in modules — each one teaches the agent how to do something new, from browsing the web to calling your own internal APIs.

## Skills

Skills are **packaged sets of tools** that the agent can call during a task. A single Skill might bundle a web-search tool, a screenshot tool, and a clipboard tool together under one cohesive capability set.

### Installing Skills

Install Skills from the **Extensions** page in Aether. You can add a Skill in two ways:

* **Zip import** — Download a `.zip` Skill package and import it via the Extensions page.
* **npm package** — Enter a package name and Aether installs it directly from the npm registry.

### Selecting Skills Per Chat

Open the **Skill picker** in the action tray below the composer input. Each installed Skill appears as a toggle. Enable the Skills you want the agent to use in the current conversation, then send your message.

Skills you select are **scoped to the current chat** unless you save them as defaults.

### Setting Default Skills

To automatically activate a Skill for every new chat, enable it in the Skill picker and tap **Set as Default**. Aether applies that selection to all new conversations going forward. You can still override defaults per chat.

## MCP Servers

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers expose tools over a **standard interface** that Aether speaks natively. This means any conforming MCP server — whether you built it yourself or got it from the community — can immediately hand new capabilities to the agent.

### Supported Transports

| Transport          | Use Case                                                                      |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **StdIo**          | Local process on the same device (e.g., a script running in Termux or Alpine) |
| **StreamableHttp** | Remote server reachable over HTTP — ideal for hosted APIs and cloud services  |

### Adding an MCP Server

1. Go to **Settings → Skills/MCP**.
2. Tap **Add MCP Server**.
3. Enter the server name, transport type, and the command (StdIo) or URL (StreamableHttp).
4. Tap **Save**.

Once added, all tools that the MCP server exposes are immediately available in the agent's tool set during Agent Mode. No restart required.

## Managing Default Skills

Use the **Skill picker** in the composer to enable or disable individual Skills per chat. Your default selection is applied automatically when you open a new chat. You can update defaults at any time without affecting existing conversations.

<Note>
  The **Global Skills Mod** example in the Extension Developer documentation shows you how to build an extension that programmatically manages global Skill defaults across all chats. It's a great starting point if you want to create a custom Skill management experience inside Aether.
</Note>