> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://skillcliprotocol.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is the Skill CLI Protocol?

SCP (Skill CLI Protocol) is an open convention for giving AI agents capabilities using plain files and standard CLI tools.

No SDKs. No servers. No protocol negotiation. Just a `SKILL.md` file and optionally a script.

```
my-skill/
  SKILL.md       # What the skill does, when to use it
  run.sh         # Optional: executable the agent can call
```

## The problem with MCP

MCP (Model Context Protocol) requires you to build and run a **server process** for every integration. Each server needs JSON-RPC, lifecycle management, capability negotiation, transport configuration, and an SDK.

That's a lot of machinery for "let the AI call a function."

## SCP's approach

A skill is just a markdown file that tells the agent what the skill does and how to use it. The agent reads it, understands it, and acts on it. If the skill needs to run code, it calls a CLI tool — stdin in, stdout out.

**Skills are files. Tools are CLIs. That's it.**

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Create your first skill in 2 minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Why not MCP?" icon="scale-balanced" href="/learn/why-not-mcp">
    Understand the design tradeoffs
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a skill" icon="hammer" href="/develop/create-a-skill">
    Build and share a skill
  </Card>

  <Card title="Registry" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/registry/overview">
    Find and install community skills
  </Card>
</CardGroup>