mapbox / mapbox/mcp-server

Track "Skills over MCP" extension (SEP-2640) for future adoption

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enhancement
Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
357
Forks
45
Avg merge
1d 19h
Merged PRs (30d)
6

Description

Summary

There's an in-progress MCP extension, "Skills over MCP" (SEP-2640, spec repo:
https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-skills), being developed by a
dedicated working group. It lets an MCP server expose reusable workflow
instructions (a SKILL.md + supporting files, following the Agent Skills
format) that clients can discover (skills/list/skills/get) and load
on demand via the existing resources/read primitive.

Why this could matter for us

We already have workflow-shaped knowledge that currently only lives as prose
(docs/, tool descriptions, README), which a model has to infer rather than
load explicitly. Candidates for a future skill:

  • When to use static_map_image_tool vs render_map_tool
  • Chaining isochrone_toolcategory_search_toolrender_map_tool for
    coverage/site-selection analysis
  • The place_details_tool dual-API logic (Places API vs legacy boundary
    fallback)

We already adopt other MCP extensions this way (@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps
backs render_map_tool's interactive UI via MapAppUIResource), so this would
follow an established pattern in this codebase.

Current status (as of 2026-09)

  • Spec-only — no reference SDK/npm package published yet from the
    ext-skills repo.
  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk@1.30.0 (currently pinned here) has no skills
    support.
  • Not actionable yet; revisit once the spec lands in the main MCP repo and
    an SDK/ext-skills package ships (mirroring how ext-apps shipped).

Next steps

  • Watch modelcontextprotocol/ext-skills and the SEP-2640 PR for status changes
  • Once an SDK package exists, prototype one skill (e.g. static-map vs
    render_map guidance) as a proof of concept
  • Re-evaluate whether src/skills/ (mirroring src/resources/ structure)
    is the right home

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by watching modelcontextprotocol/ext-skills and the SEP-2640 PR, then verify whether the MCP SDK or an ext-skills package has shipped. If support becomes available, review the existing src/resources/ structure and prototype one skill such as static-map versus render_map guidance; done means the adoption decision and a viable home for it are documented.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
api, backend-api-design
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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