The short version
MCP and Skills solve different parts of the same problem. MCP answers βwhat can the agent access?β A Skill answers βhow should the agent do this job?β
| Layer | Question it answers | Example |
|---|
| MCP | What tool or data can I call? | Search docs, read tickets, query inventory. |
| Skill | What steps should I follow? | Review the error, gather logs, compare versions, write a summary. |
A concrete story
Imagine the user says: βFind why the checkout page failed yesterday and write a short incident summary.β
1The Skill gives the planAn incident-analysis Skill tells the agent to collect timeline, symptoms, customer impact, suspected cause, fix, and follow-up actions.
2MCP gives accessMCP servers expose tools for reading logs, searching tickets, checking deploys, and querying monitoring data.
3The agent follows the planIt uses the Skill checklist and calls MCP tools only when a step needs external evidence.
4The final answer is structuredThe Skill defines the report format, while MCP supplied the facts.
Full workflow
User request
β
Agent checks whether a Skill matches the task
β
Skill loads procedure, references, and output rules
β
Agent sees which facts or actions are needed
β
MCP client discovers available servers and tools
β
Agent calls the right MCP tool with structured input
β
MCP server validates, executes, and returns a result
β
Agent applies the Skill procedure to the result
β
Final answer, report, file, ticket, or next action
The rule of thumb
Use MCP whenYou need the agent to reach a tool, API, database, file system, or service.
Use a Skill whenYou need the agent to follow a repeatable method or produce a consistent deliverable.
Use both whenThe agent must use external facts and follow a careful workflow.
Do not mix them upA tool is not a procedure, and a procedure is not a tool connection.