# Install a skill (/connect/skills-and-plugins/install)



## What is installing a skill? [#what-is-installing-a-skill]

Installation is conversational: Helio gives your AI teammate the source, and
the teammate uses the active engine's native installation method. You can start
from the curated catalog, a GitHub repository, or an attached skill archive.

## How to Install a Skill [#how-to-install-a-skill]

### From Browse [#from-browse]

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Open Teammate Settings → Skills [#open-teammate-settings--skills]

    Open your DM with the AI teammate, click the **gear icon** in the header, and pick **Skills** in Teammate Settings.

    <LivePreview component="AssistantSkills" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Browse or search [#browse-or-search]

    Switch to **Browse** and find the skill you want to install.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Install [#install]

    Open the capability card, review its description and GitHub source, then
    click &#x2A;*+**. Helio prefills an install request in your DM.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Send and confirm [#send-and-confirm]

    Review the request and press **Send**. The teammate installs the exact
    source and reports back. The capability appears under **Installed** after
    the runtime reports it, usually within about a minute.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### From a GitHub URL [#from-a-github-url]

You can install a skill or plugin that is not in the curated catalog by asking
your AI teammate directly in chat.

1. Open your DM with the AI teammate
2. Send a message with the repository URL, e.g. `Please install https://github.com/yourorg/helio-skill-example`
3. The teammate fetches the repository, installs the skill, and reports back
4. Once installed, it appears under **Installed** in the Skills section

<Callout type="warn">
  A GitHub source outside the curated catalog is not reviewed by Helio. Only
  install repositories you trust.
</Callout>

### From a file upload [#from-a-file-upload]

If you have a skill packaged as a `.zip` with `SKILL.md` at the archive root, attach it in your DM with the AI teammate and ask them to install it as a skill. The teammate unpacks the archive, installs it, and confirms once it appears under **Installed**. To share a skill that lives in a folder, zip the folder first — the chat composer accepts files, not folders.

## Configuring an installed skill [#configuring-an-installed-skill]

There is no per-skill settings editor. Clicking an installed capability shows
its observed runtime details and lets you ask the teammate to remove it. When a
skill needs extra setup, use the existing credential and connection surfaces:

* **API keys** — store the credential in the [Vault](/connect/vault) and grant the teammate access, or share it in conversation when the teammate asks for it
* **OAuth accounts** — connect the provider in **Teammate Settings → Tools**. See [Connect tools](/connect/connect-tools-to-ai-teammates)
* **Other options** — endpoints, organization names, and similar details can just be said in chat; your teammate keeps them in [Memory](/ai-teammates/memory)

<Cards>
  <Card title="GitHub skills" href="/connect/skills-and-plugins/github-skills" description="Build and install custom skills from GitHub." />

  <Card title="Connect GitHub" href="/connect/connect-tools-to-ai-teammates/connect-github-to-ai-teammates" description="Give your teammate access to your repositories." />
</Cards>