# Skill, plugin, connector, workflow or agent: which one do you need?

Original 5HO practice material. Fictional example. Reviewed 5 October 2026.

## Useful result

You'll finish with a decision record that names the simplest useful capability.

The names overlap, which is not especially helpful when you just want a weekly summary. Choose the missing capability first: instructions, access, a repeatable sequence or independent task execution.

## Set up

Allow 15 minutes. Use the sample and inspect what your existing app supports. A new plugin is not automatically required.

## Practice input

Need: read one project note and draft a weekly summary in a fixed format. Available: notes can be pasted manually; the format has five headings; sharing must wait for Jo.

## Do the task

1. Separate the source-access problem from the writing-method problem.
2. Choose the smallest working combination, starting with pasted notes and a saved prompt.
3. Add a connection only if fetching notes repeatedly is the part worth improving.

## Prompt

Compare a saved prompt, a skill, a connector, a workflow and an agent for this task. Explain what each adds, what it does not add and the simplest first test.

## Refine

Explain where a plugin fits as a package of capabilities and where MCP fits as a connection standard. Avoid treating either as a guarantee of safe access.

## Expected checks

A skill packages a method; a connector supplies access; a workflow orders steps; an agent can choose actions within its tools. Product definitions vary, so check the host app before installing.

## Save

Save a brief capability decision. Test one missing piece at a time instead of installing a whole toolkit.

## Sources

- Model Context Protocol overview: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/2026-07-28/getting-started/intro