Connectors, skills, and plugins

Add tools and reusable instructions when a task needs more than the files in your project. Connectors expose operations from external services; skills provide instructions, and compatible plugins package supported components.

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Choose the right extension

A skill does not grant access to a service by itself. If its workflow needs an external tool, configure the corresponding connector and account access too.

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Connect external tools

A connector gives the coding agent tools from an external service through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Connect your issue tracker to use a bug report’s reproduction steps, or a design service to bring specifications into an implementation task. The available operations depend on the server and the access granted to your account.

1. Open Settings → Extensions and choose a connector from the catalog. Use New server if you need to configure a custom MCP server.
2. Complete the connector’s sign-in or credential setup and enable it.
3. Choose Test and inspect the discovered tools. A successful test confirms the app can connect and list the server’s tools.

After the test succeeds, name the service and the information to use in your coding request. For example, ask the agent to read a checkout bug report and use its reproduction steps to add a regression test. The agent’s calls appear in the timeline and follow the applicable permission policy.

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Add a custom MCP server

Open New server when your service is not in the catalog. Use the transport and configuration supplied by that server’s documentation: Save the configuration, complete authorization if requested, and run Test. For stdio, the executable and its dependencies must exist on the machine running the connector. A successful test confirms connection and tool discovery; it does not guarantee that your account can access every resource through those tools.

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Use the connection in a task

Name the service and the specific input rather than asking the agent to search everything:

Read the checkout quantity bug in the connected issue tracker. Summarize its reproduction steps, identify the relevant code, and propose a regression test. Do not modify the issue or project files yet.

Inspect the connector’s tool results in the timeline. If the requested resource is unavailable, verify account access and the resource identifier. If the tools themselves are missing, check that the connector is enabled and repeat Test. Configuration changes apply to the next run; an active run keeps its existing configuration.

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Skills and plugins

Extensions also manages skills and plugin packages. A skill supplies instructions for a kind of work. A compatible plugin package can include skills, connectors, and other supported components. In the Skills tab, enable or disable individual skills. Open a package in Packages to inspect its components. Marketplaces lists package sources; adding a source can make more packages available to install. This configuration is shared by local desktop, VS Code, and CLI sessions that use the same local store.

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Install and inspect a package

1. Open Settings → Extensions → Packages and inspect an available package’s source and components.
2. Install the package, then check its components in Skills and Connectors.
3. Enable the components you need and complete any connector authorization.
4. Start a new run and request a small task that exercises the intended workflow.

Adding a marketplace only makes its packages discoverable; it does not connect every service they contain. In Marketplaces, enter an owner/repo, HTTPS URL, or local path under Marketplace source, then choose Add. Use the Skills switches to control which reusable instructions are available to the agent. Local desktop, extension, and CLI sessions can share this configuration through the same store. A remote workspace has its own environment; see tools and credentials for remote workspaces before expecting a local connector or skill to work there. Continue with Quickstart.