02c486e162* Update documentation for Skills Extension SEP and related resources - Revised links and descriptions in README.md to reflect the submitted Skills Extension SEP (PR #2640). - Updated current status in approaches.md to indicate submission of the Skills Extension SEP. - Clarified tracking information in open-questions.md regarding the Skills Extension SEP submission. - Adjusted related work in related-work.md to include the Skills Extension SEP and mark a rejected proposal. - Changed status in sep-draft-skills-extension.md to 'submitted' and updated author information. - Enhanced skill-uri-scheme.md to indicate the incorporation of feedback into the submitted Skills Extension SEP. * Move rejected SEP-2093 to the bottom of SEPs and Proposals table Keeps the list active-proposals-first so readers aren't distracted by the struck-out entry. 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Mark SEP-2076 as closed and move to the bottom of proposals table PR #2076 was closed without merge on 2026-02-24. 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Use SEP-2640 naming convention per MCP SEP guidelines Per https://modelcontextprotocol.io/community/sep-guidelines, a submitted SEP is named "SEP-<PR-number>". Rename in-repo references from "PR #2640" to "SEP-2640" and update the draft doc heading from the "SEP-0000" placeholder to "SEP-2640". Also mark Approach 1's SEP-2076 status as closed (2026-02-24, no sponsor found); approaches.md still listed it as "Draft, seeking sponsor". 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Fix SEP-2076 closure rationale Closure followed the WG's decision to first explore a convention-based approach using existing primitives, not a sponsor issue. 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Refine SEP-2640 description in README to clarify proposal details * Link issues and meeting notes in Open Questions README row 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Surface SEP-2640 in README and related-work table order README: move the Skills Extension SEP from the bottom of the Repository Contents table to sit after Approaches, matching the narrative flow (framing → options → proposal → supporting material). related-work.md: lead the SEPs and Proposals table with SEP-2640 (this WG's headline proposal), followed by the prerequisite PR #2527. 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> * Add 'Open work' link to README header pointing to open PRs Signals that alternative proposals, decisions, implementations, and other in-flight contributions are welcome — SEP-2640 is one direction, not the only one. 🦉 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
46 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
46 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
# Skills Over MCP Working Group
|
|
|
|
> ⚠️ **Experimental** — This repository is an incubation space for the Skills Over MCP Working Group. Contents are exploratory and do not represent official MCP specifications or recommendations.
|
|
|
|
**Charter:** [modelcontextprotocol.io/community/skills-over-mcp/charter](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/community/skills-over-mcp/charter) — mission, scope, membership, active work items, and success criteria.
|
|
**Project board:** [Skills Over MCP WG](https://github.com/orgs/modelcontextprotocol/projects/38/views/1)
|
|
**Meeting notes:** [Skills Over MCP WG discussions](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/discussions/categories/meeting-notes-skills-over-mcp-wg)
|
|
**Discord:** [#skills-over-mcp-wg](https://discord.com/channels/1358869848138059966/1464745826629976084)
|
|
**Open work:** [Pull requests](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-skills/pulls) — proposals, decisions, implementations, and other in-flight contributions welcome.
|
|
|
|
## Why Skills Over MCP?
|
|
|
|
MCP servers give agents tools, but tools alone are insufficient for complex workflows — tool descriptions tell an agent *what* a tool does, not *how to orchestrate* multiple tools to achieve a goal. Skills bridge this gap. They are structured "how-to" knowledge: multi-step workflows, conditional logic, and orchestration instructions that can run to hundreds of lines.
|
|
|
|
Skills are *context*, and MCP is a *context protocol*. Agents already connect to remote services over MCP to get tools — they can get the know-how to use those tools through the same channel. A remote MCP server can serve both its tools and the instructions for using them together, as a single atomic unit. This also enables automatic discovery (connect to a server, find its skills), dynamic updates (server-side changes flow without reinstall), multi-server composition (skills orchestrating tools across servers), and enterprise distribution (RBAC, multi-tenant, version-adaptive content) — all through infrastructure MCP servers already provide.
|
|
|
|
See [why-and-when.md](docs/why-and-when.md) for the full value proposition and a guide for when MCP distribution applies vs. simpler alternatives.
|
|
|
|
## Problem Statement
|
|
|
|
Native "skills" support in host applications demonstrates demand for rich workflow instructions, but there's no convention for exposing equivalent functionality through MCP primitives. Current limitations include:
|
|
|
|
- **Server instructions load only at initialization** — new or updated skills require re-initializing the server
|
|
- **Complex workflows exceed practical instruction size** — some skills require hundreds of lines of markdown with references to bundled files
|
|
- **No discovery mechanism** — users installing MCP servers don't know if there's a corresponding skill they should also install
|
|
- **Multi-server orchestration** — skills may need to coordinate tools from multiple servers
|
|
|
|
See [problem-statement.md](docs/problem-statement.md) for full details.
|
|
|
|
## Repository Contents
|
|
|
|
| Document | Description |
|
|
| :--- | :--- |
|
|
| [Problem Statement](docs/problem-statement.md) | Current limitations and gaps |
|
|
| [Why Skills Over MCP?](docs/why-and-when.md) | Value proposition and decision guide |
|
|
| [Use Cases](docs/use-cases.md) | Key use cases driving this work |
|
|
| [Approaches](docs/approaches.md) | Approaches being explored (not mutually exclusive) |
|
|
| [SEP-2640: Skills Extension](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/2640) | Proposal to serve skills over MCP via the Resources primitive. Original working draft: [`docs/sep-draft-skills-extension.md`](docs/sep-draft-skills-extension.md). Comments and review happen on the PR. |
|
|
| [Open Questions](docs/open-questions.md) | Unresolved questions with community input (see also [issues](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-skills/issues) and [meeting notes](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/discussions/categories/meeting-notes-skills-over-mcp-wg)) |
|
|
| [Experimental Findings](docs/experimental-findings.md) | Results from implementations and testing |
|
|
| [Related Work](docs/related-work.md) | SEPs, implementations, and external resources |
|
|
| [Decision Log](docs/decisions.md) | Record of key decisions with context and rationale |
|
|
|
|
## Contributing
|
|
|
|
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for how to participate.
|