Let the agent write its own skills instead of installing MCPs

Let the agent write its own skills instead of installing MCPs. Flask creator; uses Pi almost exclusively.

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what to steal

Ask your agent to write a small skill for the job before reaching for an MCP.

Our takeaway from the source, not a quote.

Drawn from this card's sourced fields. Amber = older model named by the source. Rose = cut or replaced.

armin-pi-self-made-skills.toml

# Let the agent write its own skills instead of installing MCPs
# source: https://lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/31/pi/

[rig]
who     = "Flask creator; uses Pi almost exclusively"
author  = "Armin Ronacher"
date    = "2026-01-31"

harness = ["Pi"]
models  = []

[keep]
  - Agent-authored skills
  - CDP skill for browser control
  - Extensions: context, multi-edit, review, loop
  - Intercepts pip/python and redirects
[cut]
  - MCP
  - Browser MCP/CLIs

thing	status	why (per source)
MCP	removed	"There is no MCP, there are no community skills"
Browser MCP/CLIs	replaced	With a hand-built CDP skill

Source: https://lucumr.pocoo.org/2026/1/31/pi/ · https://github.com/aretw0/armin-agent-stuff · checked 2026-10-14

Four tools. No MCP. No sub-agents. It ships.

steal → Before adding a tool, ask if read, write, edit and bash already cover it.

Pi Multi-provider MCP

by Mario Zechner

~/rigs/lws-pi-cold-start.tomlundated

Pi cold start: lazy-load the heaviest tools

steal → Make your heaviest tools opt-in so their schema is paid for only when used.

Pi Heavy tools at startup

by Kevin Lewis

~/rigs/nadimtuhin-mac-controls-pc-r….toml2026-09-01

Laptop as control room, home PC as the engine

steal → Run agents on an always-on box behind one model gateway; reach it with zero open ports.

Claude CodeCodexPi Any model behind 9Rout

by Nadim Tuhin