# Bento Skills for AI Agents

Bento Skills is the official Bento skill package for AI agents. It gives tools like Cursor, Claude, Codex, and OpenCode the context they need to choose the right Bento integration path without guessing API shapes.

Use it when you want an agent to add Bento to an app, review an integration, plan a subscriber sync, or choose between Bento MCP, the CLI, SDKs, and n8n.

---

## Install {{ id: 'install' }}

Install the package with the `skills` CLI:

```bash
npx skills add @bentonow/bento-skills
```

Install only the Bento skill globally and skip prompts:

```bash
npx skills add @bentonow/bento-skills --skill bento -g -y
```


> Installing the skill adds guidance files to your AI tool. It does not call the Bento API, read your account, or require Bento credentials during install.


---

## What It Does {{ id: 'what-it-does' }}

Bento Skills helps agents:

- Pick the right Bento surface for the job: MCP, CLI, SDK, or n8n.
- Keep API credentials out of source code and shared prompts.
- Prefer bulk subscriber imports and batch APIs instead of one API call per person.
- Use framework-native setup such as queues, jobs, config, credential stores, and tests.
- Start with read-only inspection or a plan before changing live customer data.


> ⚠️ **Warning**
> Agents can make real changes when they have access to your account or credentials. Ask them to preview, dry-run, or explain the plan before bulk imports, email sends, unsubscribes, tag removals, or template updates.


---

## Skills vs MCP vs CLI {{ id: 'skills-vs-mcp-vs-cli' }}

| Goal | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Build or fix Bento integration code in a repo | Bento Skills plus the relevant SDK reference |
| Inspect or operate on a live Bento account from chat | [Bento MCP](/docs/integrations/mcp) |
| Import CSVs, run terminal automation, or script CI jobs | [Bento CLI](/docs/integrations/cli) |
| Build no-code or low-code workflows | [n8n](/docs/integrations/n8n) |

Bento Skills and Bento MCP work well together. Skills guide implementation work. MCP lets an assistant inspect or operate on a live Bento account when the MCP client is configured.

Supported remote MCP clients can connect to:

```text
https://mcp.bentonow.com/mcp
```

---

## Safe First Prompts {{ id: 'safe-first-prompts' }}

Start with planning or review:

```text
Use the Bento skill to inspect this project and tell me which Bento SDK or tool fits best.
```

```text
Use the Bento skill to review this subscriber import for batching, credentials, and dry-run safety.
```

When you are ready to implement:

```text
Use the Bento skill to add a queued Laravel subscriber sync. Use bulk import, keep credentials in env, and add tests for payload shape and retries.
```

## Related docs

- [Agent onboarding](/agent_onboarding.md)
- [AI Agent Setup](/docs/journeys/ai-agent-setup)
- [Bento MCP Server](/docs/integrations/mcp)
- [Bento CLI](/docs/integrations/cli)