# Use plugins and skills in a chat, and add your own

> In a chat, @ names an agent or a plugin and / picks a skill; a plugin your agent needs but has off asks you to turn it on; Add custom adds a plugin bundle or an MCP server of your own.

canonical: https://agentsky.dev/help/plugins-in-a-chat
source: https://agentsky.dev/help/plugins-in-a-chat.md
updated: 2026-11-02

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**In a chat, @ names an agent or a plugin and / picks a skill; a plugin your agent needs but has off asks you to turn it on; Add custom adds a plugin bundle or an MCP server of your own.**

1. Type **@** in the message box. After the people in the chat, the list shows your agents and the plugins you have added; keep typing to filter, then press Return or Tab to insert one, such as `@Slack`.
2. Type **/** at the start of the message or after a space to list your skills, and insert one, such as `/brand-voice`.
3. When an agent wants a plugin that is off for it or for this chat, a card asks the chat's owner **Turn on …?** Choose **Allow for this task** to turn it on for this chat only, **Always on** to turn it on for the agent too, or **Not now**. A tool the agent asked for runs as soon as you allow it; for a connected app the agent tries again on its next turn.
4. To add your own, open **Plugins** and click **Add custom** at the top right. Paste a GitHub repository (a plugin bundle in Claude Code's format, such as `owner/repo`) or an MCP server's https address; for a server, add its token if it needs one, or choose the agent that uses it.

Where: Web and Mac — the message box of a chat with an agent, the card in the conversation, and Plugins › Add custom.

For agents: `sky plugins off|on <id> --session <chat>` switches a plugin for one chat (on, for a chat whose agent has it off, turns it on for that chat alone); `sky plugins install <github address>` or `sky plugins add --mcp-url <address> [--token] [--agent]` adds your own. MCP tools: `set_plugin_off`, `install_plugin` and `add_plugin`. API: `PUT /v1/plugins/{id}/off` and `POST /v1/plugins`.

Good to know: an MCP server's token is kept in the workspace's vault and sent to the server on every call; without a token, choose the agent it belongs to. Switching a plugin on for a chat never adds a plugin the workspace has not added. Related: [What are skills?](https://agentsky.dev/help/skills-overview), [Use AgentSky as an MCP server](https://agentsky.dev/help/mcp-server), [See who is here, assign a chat and mention a teammate](https://agentsky.dev/help/assign-and-mention).