> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://allhandsai-jmj-model-router-docs.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customize and Settings

> Teach your agent with skills and MCP servers, and configure how it runs with settings.

Agent Canvas separates **Customize** from **Settings**.

* **Customize** — teach the agent new things. **Skills** give it domain knowledge and specific instructions. **MCP Servers** connect it to external tools and data sources.
* **Settings** — configure how the agent runs. Choose your LLM, store secrets, tune context handling, and set agent behavior. Settings are saved per backend.

## Customize

Open the top-level `Customize` area to manage:

* [Skills](/overview/skills)
* [MCP Servers](/openhands/usage/settings/mcp-settings)
* [Plugins](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/plugins)

Use the section navigation inside `Customize` to switch between these pages.

<Note>
  MCP Server configuration lives under `Customize > MCP Servers`, not under `Settings`.
</Note>

When using an OpenHands Cloud backend, **Skills** becomes **Skills and Plugins** and opens the Cloud settings in a new tab. The local `Plugins` page is hidden, while `MCP Servers` remains in Agent Canvas. In Settings, **Cloud** becomes **All Cloud Settings** and an **Integrations** link opens the Cloud integrations page. Switching back to a local backend restores the local navigation.

### Install Skills From Chat

You can install a skill from a conversation with `/add-skill <github-url>`. Because skills load when a conversation starts, Agent Canvas shows a banner after installation with **Start new conversation with this skill**. You will need to select it to start a conversation that includes the new skill.

You can dismiss the banner. It appears again when you install another skill in the same session.

### Check MCP Server Health

Installed MCP server cards check their connection and retain the resulting status:

| Status                    | Meaning                                                                                         | Available action                                           |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Checking`                | Agent Canvas is testing the server connection.                                                  | Wait for the check to finish.                              |
| `Reachable`               | The server responded. For a public or no-auth server, this means credentials were not verified. | Retry the check or view the server documentation.          |
| `Credential check failed` | The server responded but rejected its credentials.                                              | Update credentials, then retry.                            |
| `Connection failure`      | Agent Canvas could not connect to the server.                                                   | Retry, check the configuration, or view its documentation. |

Server URLs and errors redact embedded secrets. Select **Update credentials** to edit a server; saving a corrected configuration refreshes its health status without reloading the page.

## Settings

The `Settings` area currently includes the following sections:

| Section        | Purpose                                                        |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Agent`        | Agent Profile library and agent-specific capabilities          |
| `LLM`          | Provider, model, API key, and profile configuration            |
| `Condenser`    | Context compression and summarization behavior                 |
| `Verification` | Approval, critic evaluation, and verification-related behavior |
| `Application`  | UI-level preferences and app behavior                          |
| `Secrets`      | Stored secrets used by the active backend                      |

On local backends, the `LLM` page also includes an `Available Profiles` area for saved profiles.

In `Settings > Application`, the **Conversation titles** setting selects the LLM profile used to generate conversation titles. **Automatic** uses the active local LLM profile; you can choose another saved profile, like a small, cheap LLM, when you want titles generated independently from the model selected for agent work. The same page shows the installed Agent Canvas version, update availability, and a **Check for updates** button.

Use `Settings > Agent` to choose the active Agent Profile for new conversations. OpenHands profiles reference LLM profiles from `Settings > LLM`; ACP profiles use the external agent's own model configuration.

### Persistent Agent Memory

Open `Settings > Agent Context` to control persistent agent memory. When enabled, new OpenHands and ACP conversations can load saved memory from the workspace and user memory locations into their agent context.

Disable it when you do not want new conversations to load that persistent memory.

<Note>
  Learn more about the Persistent Memory implementation from the SDK Guide: [Persistent Memory](/sdk/guides/persistent-memory)
</Note>

## Configuration Is Per Backend

Both Customize and Settings are tied to the **active backend**. That means:

* Changing backends changes which configuration you are editing
* Skills, MCP servers, secrets, and other settings saved for one backend do not automatically apply to every other backend
* The available options can differ depending on backend capabilities

## Practical Example

You might use this split like this:

* Add a GitHub review skill in `Customize > Skills`
* Add a Slack or fetch MCP server in `Customize > MCP Servers`
* Save your preferred model in `Settings > LLM`
* Store tokens in `Settings > Secrets`

## Related Guides

* [Connect and Manage Backends](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/backends)
* [Agent Profiles](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/agent-profiles)
* [Plugins in Agent Canvas](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/plugins)
* [Configure the Critic](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/critic)
* [Setup a Pre-built Automation](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/prebuilt-automations)