Plugins

Connect external services and add specialized tools to your tasks.

Plugins bring document processing, image generation, external data, and other tools into EvoX. This page covers installation, connections, use, and maintenance. For an introduction to the difference between skills and plugins, see Skills and plugins.

Understand plugin status

Manage built-in plugins, custom plugins, and MCP servers in the extension-management interface. Installation alone is not enough: check connection status and available tools too.

• Installed: Added to the environment; required accounts or services may still need connecting.
• Connected: A service connection is established; check which tools it exposes.
• Available or ready: Required preparation is complete. Individual tasks still depend on account permissions, file scope, and approvals.
• Unavailable: Read the status details, check configuration, credentials, processes, or network access, then test again.

The illustrated statuses explain the interface. They do not indicate what is installed or connected on your device.

Find and install

Browse the directory under Extensions, or open the installed list. Before installing, confirm:

1. Who provides the plugin and which task it supports.
2. Whether it needs an account, credentials, or local dependencies.
3. Whether tools only read data or can send, modify, delete, or create remote content.
4. Whether calls incur charges and where data is sent.

Built-in plugins are usually enabled or disabled rather than uninstalled like third-party plugins. Custom MCP servers require a valid launch command, connection address, or local process configuration.

Configure a connection

1. Open the plugin details and check the required connection settings.
2. Enter or select credentials through dedicated secure settings, never in task prompts.
3. Save the configuration and run a connection test.
4. Inspect server status and the tool list to confirm the required tools exist.
5. Complete a bounded read before attempting a write that needs approval.

For example, ask a connected document service to find and list file titles for a specific project before requesting bulk changes. A successful connection means the service is reachable; file access still depends on the account's service-side authorization.

Use plugins in tasks

Describe the task

State the goal, source, and scope so EvoX can work with the available tools. For example:

Find this week's updated project notes in the connected document service. Summarize the titles and contents with source links. Read only; do not change the originals.

For external writes, identify the destination and approval point:

Draft an update from these notes. Show it to me first, and write it to the specified document only after confirmation.

These illustrate how to request work. The plugin must expose the corresponding read or write tools to perform it.

Select a plugin explicitly

Cowork can select plugins from its plugin list. Chat and Code may use an @plugin mention, /mcp, or a plugin-specific command, depending on the entry point and plugin declaration.

When several services can handle similar work, name the connection, project, or folder to avoid ambiguity. If a plugin is disabled, disconnected, or missing credentials, repair that connection before continuing.

Inspect MCP and skills

Use /mcp to open the unified MCP status panel and inspect server connections. In Code, /skills opens skill management.

Skills supply reusable instructions; MCP servers supply callable tools. They can work together, but the skill manager is not the plugin directory and does not grant external-service access.

Permissions and data scope

Installing a plugin does not authorize every action. Reading, modifying, sending, and publishing are distinct operations to review.

• Account scope: Access is limited to resources authorized for the connected account. Project membership does not automatically grant account permissions.
• Tool scope: A plugin can call only the tools it exposes. A document plugin does not imply control of an entire application.
• Data sharing: Check which text, files, or images will be sent to a service.
• Writes: Sending, deleting, publishing, purchasing, and creating remote assets should retain explicit approval.

Image and speech plugins may also require provider configuration and incur usage fees. See Image generation and Voice.

Disable or remove

Disable a plugin when it is not needed. A disabled plugin should stop issuing requests and using its credentials.

Use the removal option in plugin management when available. Removing a plugin does not mean external data is deleted or service-side authorization is revoked. Review service-side access and credential settings when retiring a connection. For built-in plugins, use the disable option provided by the interface.

Troubleshoot common problems

Next steps

• Skills and plugins: Concepts and introductory use.
• Permissions: Task approval boundaries.
• Settings: Service and product configuration.