What is "skills over MCP" and who implements it today?

A new MCP feature, "skills over MCP" (SEP-2640), lets MCP connectors come with pre-loaded skills. In this post, we'll talk about what this feature means, how it works, and who implements it today.

What is "skills over MCP"?

First, some quick definitions:

A skill is a set of written instructions that tells an AI how to do a task, for example how to search for flights. It is a file called SKILL.md, sometimes with extra files.
An MCP server, also called a connector, connects an AI app to another app, so the two can send data back and forth.

Skill A recipe

Instructions that teach AI to do a task your way.

/draft-email-in-your-voiceStops you from repeating yourself

Connector Also called an MCP server

Lets AI read and write data in your other tools.

create_gmail_draftStops you from copying and pasting

"Skills over MCP" means that when a user connects to an MCP server, they automatically get a set of skills to use with that MCP server.

The MCP server decides which skills to send, so it can send different skills to different users, for example based on their login.

Skills over MCP became an official part of MCP in September 2026.

How are skills over MCP different from skills in a plugin?

If you publish an app, there are two ways to give AI apps your skills:

Skills in a plugin. You put the skill files in your plugin and publish the plugin to a store. To change a skill, you publish a new version of the plugin.
Skills over MCP. The skills stay on your MCP server. To change a skill, you change it on your server.

Skills in a plugin

Packaged in the plugin

You put the skills in the plugin files, next to the connector, and publish the plugin to a store.

To change a skill, you publish a new plugin version

Skills over MCP

Sent by the MCP server

You keep the skills on your MCP server. It sends them to each user who connects, along with its tools.

To change a skill, you change it on your server

Which AI apps (e.g. Claude, ChatGPT) support "skills over MCP" today?

Right now, very few AI apps support "skills over MCP".

ChatGPT comes closest, but it doesn't yet use the formal "skills over MCP" spec. It copies up to five skills from the MCP server into the plugin once, when the developer submits it, so later changes on the server do not reach users.

Claude does not support skills over MCP yet. Developers have asked Anthropic to add it in a public request.

The MCP docs track support as it changes. Right now, only a few tools, like ChatGPT, have partial support.

Which MCP servers send skills?

Here are some examples of MCP servers in ChatGPT that don't require sign-in, so we were able to see their skills over MCP. These are sorted by popularity. "Skills in ChatGPT" shows how many of the skills ChatGPT copied into the app's plugin.

App	Skills	Skills in ChatGPT	Skill names
Hugging Face	25	None	`hf-cli` +24 more `hf-cloud-aws-context-discoveryhf-cloud-python-env-setuphf-cloud-sagemaker-deployment-plannerhf-cloud-sagemaker-iam-preflighthf-cloud-sagemaker-production-defaultshf-cloud-serving-image-selectionhf-memhuggingface-besthuggingface-community-evalshuggingface-datasetshuggingface-gradiohuggingface-llm-trainerhuggingface-local-modelshuggingface-lora-space-builderhuggingface-paper-publisherhuggingface-papershuggingface-spaceshuggingface-tool-builderhuggingface-trackiohuggingface-vision-trainerhuggingface-zerogputrain-sentence-transformerstransformers-jstrl-training`
quran.ai	3	All	`grounding-rules` +2 more `interactive-studyonboarding`
Trip.com	2	None	`flexible-flight-search` +1 more `flight-search`
Alpix	1	All	`paint-canvas`
App Atlas	1	All	`browse-apps`
Shop	1	All	`shop`
HookLayer	1	All	`hooklayer-creator-intelligence`
MiniUp	1	All	`miniup-app-lifecycle`
ChatData Sync	5	None	`chatdatasync-lightweight-crm` +4 more `chatdatasync-maintenance-logchatdatasync-rental-propertychatdatasync-study-progresschatdatasync-tracker`
Refermate	1	None	`refermate-consumer`
Kemory by SeKondBrain	1	All	`kemory-memory`
Arez	1	All	`arez-help-mcp`
AppSkyline ASO	3	None	`appskyline` +2 more `aso-researchstore-listing-audit`
Lucebra	22	None	`add_to_cart_and_checkout` +21 more `add_to_wishlistcheck_business_plancompare_coursesenroll_via_business_planget_course_contentget_course_curriculumget_course_detailsget_course_previewget_course_priceget_course_reviewsget_ebooksget_instructor_profileget_learning_pathget_live_sessionsget_my_certificatesget_my_learning_progressget_my_wishlistget_practice_examsrecommend_coursessearch_coursessearch_instructors`
AI Voor Leerlingen	5	All	`ai-tom-lescoach` +4 more `aisha-vakdocentexamenantwoord-nakijkenkies-de-juiste-docentofficiele-examenvraag-oefenen`
Joy	5	All	`event-planning-consultation` +4 more `venue-research-consultationwebsite-content-consultationwebsite-design-consultationwebsite-settings-consultation`
HadithDB	5	None	`companion-biography` +4 more `fiqh-evidence-and-practicequran-tafsir-comparisonsirah-history-researchsource-aware-islamic-narrative`
Lugg	1	None	`book-with-lugg`
Stashiro	5	All	`compose-stashiro-board` +4 more `convert-to-stashfind-stashiro-contentlayout-stashiro-boardmanage-stashiro-workspace`
RubricMark Practice	1	All	`rubricmark-practice-samples`
American Traveler Jobs	1	All	`job-search`
Agentic Atlas	3	All	`applying-a-pattern` +2 more `designing-agent-systemsreviewing-agent-designs`
PolyBlog Blog Builder	2	None	`multilingual-editorial-workflow` +1 more `polyblog`
EasyRegistry	3	All	`add-gifts-to-my-registry` +2 more `find-a-registry-and-choose-a-giftset-up-my-registry`
TÕPS	4	None	`grupitoo-ehitaja` +3 more `instructionslobus-opstunni-kaivitaja`
ShirtLab	1	All	`create-shirt`
Movably	1	All	`london-journeys`
Supovia helpdesk chat	3	None	`supovia` +2 more `support-operationstriage-inbox`
TuneWorks	1	All	`tuneworks-race-garage`
Multilocale	3	None	`localization-workspace` +2 more `localize-an-appmultilocale`
BrinkerAdvisor Rates	3	All	`build-illustrative-ladder` +2 more `compare-fixed-income-ratesfind-current-rates`
CardShow	4	3 of 4	`cardshow-catch-up-on-my-market` +3 more `cardshow-find-my-best-showcardshow-find-online-businessescardshow-prepare-show-day`
UnifyAI	1	All	`unify-commands`
Talkio Practice	1	All	`talkio-practice`
Rapier - Markdown Editor & Art	4	All	`embed-rapier` +3 more `rapier-agent-doorrapier-htmlrapier-markdown`
HairDora	2	None	`hairdora` +1 more `salon-operations`
InvoiceVista Invoice Maker	2	1 of 2	`billing-operations` +1 more `invoicevista`
blablabla: Learn Lines & Tape	3	All	`client-preparation` +2 more `production-preparationrehearse-with-blablabla`
Proper Job	2	1 of 2	`properjob-building-work` +1 more `properjob-estimating`
Commish	1	All	`product-studio`
Piloxa — Certified Mail	6	None	`check-letter-readiness` +5 more `mail-legal-noticepreserve-mailing-evidencesend-certified-mailsend-demand-lettertrack-certified-letter`
Ask Daniel Brain	3	All	`ask-daniel-brain` +2 more `onboardingwrite-like-daniel`
HamzaBHM	1	All	`pod-workflow`
SafeGora	4	All	`carrier-loss-control` +3 more `connect-safegoraconsultant-worksafety-operations`
Store of Scope	1	All	`store-of-scope`
Remap	1	None	`remap-routes`
EdgeBreak	1	All	`edgebreak-trading-guidance`
Paperkin	1	All	`paperkin-book-design`
Shared House	1	All	`holiday-rentals`
RenooLab	5	None	`renoolab-creer-profil-artisan` +4 more `renoolab-developper-clientele-visibilite-btprenoolab-diagnostiquer-securiser-logementrenoolab-planifier-budgeter-travauxrenoolab-trouver-choisir-artisans`
Kronjop	1	None	`kronjop-assistant`
MazenOnline	4	None	`mazenonline-promotions` +3 more `mazenonline-salesmazenonline-shoppingmazenonline-upsell`

How do some specific implementations work?

Hugging Face: 25 guides for developers

Hugging Face sends 25 skills, each a guide to one developer task, like training a model or deploying it to Amazon SageMaker. Many include code: train-sentence-transformers has 31 files, 14 of them Python scripts.

The Hugging Face plugin in ChatGPT has none of these skills.

Shop: one skill for tone and rules

Shopify's Shop sends one skill that tells the AI how to act and how to use Shop's 17 tools. It starts with "Be a warm, thoughtful shopping assistant" and then sets rules that protect the shopper, like never promising a delivery date.

quran.ai: rules that the tools check

quran.ai sends a grounding-rules skill that tells the AI to quote the Quran only from quran.ai's tools, never from memory. Its tools ask for a code that the AI gets by reading the skill, and apps that cannot read skills, like Claude, can get the same rules and code from a tool.

Will more AI apps support skills over MCP?

It's early, and support is limited. Skills over MCP streamlines this process and unlocks new opportunities for companies building connectors: skills live in one place, changes reach users right away, and each user can get the skills that fit them.

However, for AI app hosts like ChatGPT and Claude, this creates a higher demand for governance. They need to review and approve many dynamic versions of each skill, and each updated version as it comes from the server. AI apps will want to be thoughtful about when and how they roll this out.

What should you do?

For now, we encourage you to implement SEP-2640, knowing that ChatGPT limits you to five skills for the moment and that you'll need to resubmit your plugin to change them. Hopefully this will become more dynamic soon.

Methodology

Every day, we connect to the MCP server of each app in the Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Grok stores, without signing in, and ask for its tools and skills. Numbers are from October 25, 2026.

Our analysis of skills over MCP support is limited for servers that require sign-in. More on our methodology page.

A new MCP feature, "skills over MCP" (SEP-2640), lets MCP connectors come with pre-loaded skills. In this post, we'll talk about what this feature means, how it works, and who implements it today.