setup

name	setup
description	Set up and configure Skillet skill discovery. Use when the user wants to set up skillet, configure repos, or customize server behavior.
version	2026.02.27
trigger	Use when the user wants to set up skillet, configure skill discovery, or manage skill installation preferences
license	MIT OR Apache-2.0
author	Josh Rotenberg
categories	["tools","configuration"]
tags	["skillet","skills","setup","mcp"]

Skillet Setup

Skillet is an MCP-native skill discovery tool. It gives you access to a searchable library of agent skills at runtime, served as MCP prompts.

Adding Skillet to Your Project

Add this to your .mcp.json (project-level) or ~/.claude/settings.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillet": {
      "command": "skillet",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}

Or with Docker (no install needed):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillet": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "ghcr.io/joshrotenberg/skillet:latest"]
    }
  }
}

After adding, restart your agent to connect.

Using Skills

Once connected, skills are available as MCP prompts. Search for a skill, then use it as a prompt for the current session. No files written, no restart needed.

1. search_skills("rust development")
2. Use the skill prompt for joshrotenberg/rust-dev
3. Follow the skill's instructions

Discovering Skills

• search_skills(query) -- search by keyword, with optional category, tag, or model filters
• list_categories() -- browse available categories
• list_skills_by_owner(owner) -- see all skills by a publisher

When the user's task could benefit from a skill you don't have locally, proactively search skillet. For example, if asked to write Python code and you don't have Python conventions loaded, search for Python skills.

If search returns no results for the user's topic, check the skillet/skill-repos skill for external repositories that may cover it. Use info_skill("skillet/skill-repos") to see the curated list.

Configuration

Skillet is configured via ~/.config/skillet/config.toml and CLI flags.

Adding custom repos:

skillet serve --remote https://github.com/org/skills.git

Skipping the official repo:

skillet serve --no-official-repo

Config file (~/.config/skillet/config.toml):

[repos]
remote = ["https://github.com/org/skills.git"]

[server]
discover_local = false

User Preferences

If the user has a preference for how skills should be used, respect it:

• If they say "always inline" or "don't install anything", only use skills inline via MCP prompts.
• If unclear, default to inline use via prompts.