> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://allhandsai-add-agent-settings-page-and-settings-links.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)

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

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

## Settings

The `Settings` area currently includes the following sections:

| Section                                                         | Purpose                                                        |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [`Agent`](/openhands/usage/settings/agent-settings)             | Agent behavior and agent-specific capabilities                 |
| [`LLM`](/openhands/usage/settings/llm-settings)                 | Provider, model, API key, and profile configuration            |
| `Condenser`                                                     | Context compression and summarization behavior                 |
| `Verification`                                                  | Approval, critic evaluation, and verification-related behavior |
| [`Application`](/openhands/usage/settings/application-settings) | UI-level preferences and app behavior                          |
| [`Secrets`](/openhands/usage/settings/secrets-settings)         | Stored secrets used by the active backend                      |

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

## 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)
* [Configure the Critic](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/critic)
* [Setup a Pre-built Automation](/openhands/usage/agent-canvas/prebuilt-automations)