# Extend agent capabilities > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/air/llms.txt). Air in IDEs supports the following ways to extend agent capabilities: * [MCP servers](#external-mcp-servers) – give agents tools for working with external services, such as issue trackers, code hosting services, or databases. * [Skills](#skills) – give agents reusable instructions for specific kinds of tasks, such as a team workflow or a way to use IDE capabilities. ## Connect external MCP servers Air in IDEs passes the servers that you configure to every new session with an agent that supports [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction). Your MCP servers are defined in the `mcp.json` file: Windows: `C:\Users\\.jetbrains\mcp\mcp.json` macOS: `/Users//.jetbrains/mcp/mcp.json` Linux: `/home//.jetbrains/mcp/mcp.json` To add, change, or remove a server, edit this file. It uses the common `mcpServers` format that other AI coding tools also use, so you can copy a server configuration from them without changes. Air in IDEs supports local servers that use `stdio` and remote servers that use HTTP. SSE transport is not supported. An agent can use a server only if it supports the transport mechanism of the server. The `AI | Air | MCP Servers` page lists your servers along with servers provided by your organization and installed plugins. Use this page to turn servers on or off. Procedure: Add an MCP server 1. Press `Ctrl+Alt+S` (Windows), `⌘ Comma` (macOS), `Ctrl+Alt+S` (Linux) and select `AI | Air | MCP Servers`. ![MCP Servers settings with github and miro-mcp under Your servers, the YouTrack server under Provisioned by your organization, and jetbrains_air_ide under From plugins. Each server has a checkbox that turns it on or off.](images/air_mcp_servers_settings.png) 2. Click Edit MCPs. Air in IDEs opens `mcp.json` in the editor. 3. Add the server to the `mcpServers` object and save the file. A local server takes a `command` with its `args`, and a remote server takes a `url`: ```JSON { "mcpServers": { "youtrack": { "url": "https://youtrack.example.com/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer token-goes-here" } }, "filesystem": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/folder"] } } } ``` 4. On the settings page, click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.refresh.svg) to reload the Your servers list. 5. Select the checkbox next to the server to turn it on, and click OK. After you enable a server, agents can call its tools automatically when they determine that the tools are useful for the current task. A change applies to the next session that you start. Procedure: Manage MCP servers On the `AI | Air | MCP Servers` page: * To change a server, click Edit MCPs, edit the entry of the server in `mcp.json`, and save the file. Then click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.refresh.svg) to reload the list. * To remove a server, click Edit MCPs, delete the entry of the server from `mcp.json`, and save the file. Then click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.refresh.svg) to reload the list. * To copy the configuration of a server, for example to use it in another tool, click ![](images/app.expui.general.moreVertical.svg) next to the server and select Copy Configuration. * To turn a server off without removing it, clear the checkbox next to it and click OK. The server stays in the list, and you can select the checkbox again later to turn it back on. ### Servers from your organization and plugins Besides your own servers, the settings page shows servers that your organization manages and servers that installed plugins provide. These servers are not defined in your `mcp.json` file, so you cannot edit them, but you can turn each of them on or off: * Provisioned by your organization – servers that your organization sets up for you. They are off until you enable them manually. * From plugins – servers that installed plugins provide. For example, Air in IDEs provides the `jetbrains_air_ide` server, which gives agents access to IDE capabilities for the project associated with the session. It supplies the following tools: * Code search and analysis * Inspections * Project information * File and editor operations * Build and run actions * Refactoring * Debugging > **Note:** > The available tools depend on the IDE, the project, installed plugins, enabled skills, and the agent session. The server normally exposes these capabilities through the `execute_tool` router rather than as one fixed list of tools. ## Install and use skills A skill is a set of reusable instructions that tells an agent how to perform a specific kind of task. It can describe a workflow, provide domain knowledge, or explain how to use IDE capabilities, and it can include supporting files such as scripts and references. The agent uses an installed skill automatically when the skill description matches the task. To make the agent follow a specific skill, attach it to your request manually, as described in [Attach context](air-in-ides-interact-with-the-agent.html#prompt-context-attachments). Skills are managed on the `AI | Skills` page. ![AI | Skills settings with the Search skills field and the Installed list. Installed skills show tags for their targets, such as Codex (Global), and bundled skills are listed under Bundled skills with the Bundled tag. Each skill has a checkbox that enables or disables it.](images/air_skills_settings.png) Some skills are bundled with the IDE and its plugins and are listed under Bundled skills. Which bundled skills you get depends on the IDE, the installed plugins, and the project. Procedure: Install a skill 1. Press `Ctrl+Alt+S` (Windows), `⌘ Comma` (macOS), `Ctrl+Alt+S` (Linux) and select `AI | Skills`. 2. In the Available list, select a skill. The right pane shows its description and available installation options. ![A skill selected in the Available list. The right pane shows the skill author, version, and description, the Install button with an arrow for more options, the Open link, and the contents of the skill.](images/air_skills_install.png) 3. Do one of the following: * To install the skill for all projects in the IDE, click Install, or hover over the skill in the list and click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.add.svg). * To install the skill to a different location, click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.chevronDown.svg) next to Install, select Install for, and choose a [target](#skill-installation-targets). ![The Install for submenu of the Install button, listing IntelliJ IDEA, the project name, Codex (Project), Claude Agent (Project), Codex (Global), and Claude Agent (Global).](images/air_skills_install_for.png) You can install the same skill to several targets. Installed skills show a tag for each target they are installed to. ![An installed skill with the IntelliJ IDEA and Codex (Global) tags next to its name.](images/air_skills_tags.png) > **Note:** > Installed skills become available to agents in the next session that you start. Procedure: Import skills from agents outside the IDE If you already use Claude Agent or OpenAI Codex outside the IDE and have skills in their global directories, such as `~/.claude/skills` or `~/.codex/skills`, the Skills page shows a banner that suggests importing them. ![Banner on the Skills page saying that agent skills were found outside the IDE, with the Import to IntelliJ IDEA link.](images/air_skills_import_banner.png) * In the banner, click Import to . Procedure: Add skill directories The Skills page lists skills from the local directories that the IDE scans. By default, these include the IDE skill storage and the global and project directories of Claude Agent and OpenAI Codex. To list skills from another directory on your machine, add it: 1. On the Skills page, click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.settings.svg) Skills Settings and select Manage Skill Directories. 2. Click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.add.svg) in the Global section to use the directory in all projects, or in the Project section to use it only in the current project. ![Manage Skill Directories dialog with the Global section listing the IDE, Codex, and Claude Agent directories and the Project section listing the project, Codex (Project), and Claude Agent (Project) directories. Each directory has an Enabled checkbox.](images/air_skills_manage_directories.png) 3. Specify a Name and the Path to the directory, and click OK. To stop scanning a directory without removing it, clear its checkbox in the Enabled column. Procedure: Add external skill registries A registry is a GitHub repository or directory with published skills. Skills from enabled registries appear in the Available list, and you install the ones you need. The default registry, `https://github.com/JetBrains/skills`, is safety-checked by JetBrains. 1. On the Skills page, click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.settings.svg) Skills Settings and select Manage External Registries. 2. Click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.add.svg), specify the URL of a GitHub repository or directory that contains skills, and click OK. ![Manage External Skill Registries dialog with the JetBrains skills registry on GitHub in the list. The registry has a checkbox that enables or disables it.](images/air_skills_external_registry.png) To keep a registry configured but stop loading its skills, clear the checkbox next to it. Procedure: Manage installed skills On the Skills page, in the Installed list: * To disable a skill, clear the checkbox next to it, or select the skill and click Disable. A disabled skill stays installed, but agents do not receive it until you enable it again. * To uninstall a skill, select it, click ![](images/app-client.expui.general.chevronDown.svg) next to Disable, and select Uninstall. If the skill is installed to several targets, select Uninstall From and choose the target. * To inspect the `SKILL.md` file and other files of a skill, select it and click Open. ### Where skills are installed The target that you choose when you install a skill defines which agents can use it and where: * , for example IntelliJ IDEA – the IDE skill storage. This is the default target. The skill is available in all projects that you open in this IDE. Windows: `C:\Users\\AppData\Local\JetBrains\\ai-agent-extensions\agents\.agents\skills` macOS: `/Users//Library/Caches/JetBrains//ai-agent-extensions/agents/.agents/skills` Linux: `/home//.cache/JetBrains//ai-agent-extensions/agents/.agents/skills` * – the shared skill directory of the current project. The skill is available only in this project. Windows: `C:\Users\\\\.agents\skills` macOS: `/Users////.agents/skills` Linux: `/home////.agents/skills` * Claude Agent (Project) and Codex (Project) – the skill directory of the agent in the current project. The skill is available to that agent only in this project. Windows: Claude Agent: `C:\Users\\\\.claude\skills` OpenAI Codex: `C:\Users\\\\.codex\skills` macOS: Claude Agent: `/Users////.claude/skills` OpenAI Codex: `/Users////.codex/skills` Linux: Claude Agent: `/home////.claude/skills` OpenAI Codex: `/home////.codex/skills` * Claude Agent (Global) and Codex (Global) – the global skill directory of the agent. The skill is available to that agent in all projects, including when you run the agent outside the IDE. Windows: Claude Agent: `C:\Users\\.claude\skills` OpenAI Codex: `C:\Users\\.codex\skills` macOS: Claude Agent: `/Users//.claude/skills` OpenAI Codex: `/Users//.codex/skills` Linux: Claude Agent: `/home//.claude/skills` OpenAI Codex: `/home//.codex/skills` Skills in agent-specific directories are discovered by the agent itself, according to its own rules. A project-level skill is part of the project files, so check it for sensitive information before you commit it.