# Dlthub Router > The entry point for building anything with dlthub. Use this skill to route the user to the right workflow toolkit and install it on demand. MUST use when the user asks 'what can you do', 'what can I build', 'what are toolkits', 'how do I build a pipeline', 'I want to pull data from a REST API', 'ingest from a SQL database', 'load CSVs from S3', 'make reports / dashboards', 'transform / model my data', 'add data quality checks', 'how do I deploy / schedule a pipeline', 'I'm new to dlthub', 'where do I start', or seems unsure what to do next after setup. Also use whenever the user expresses a data-engineering goal but no matching workflow toolkit is installed yet — this skill installs it on demand. Do NOT use when the toolkit matching the user's intent is already installed — go straight to its entry skill instead; only route/install when the matching toolkit is missing. Do NOT use when a specific task is already in progress (debugging a pipeline, validating data, adding endpoints) and its toolkit is installed. - Skill: `dlt-hub/dlthub-router` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dlt-hub/dlthub-router` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dlt-hub/dlthub-router/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: dlt-hub (https://skillmd.com/u/dlt-hub) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dlt-hub/dlthub-router --- # dlthub-router Route the user to the right toolkit and skill, then install it. **Fast path first** — the always-loaded toolkit index (in your project rules / `AGENTS.md`) already maps intent → toolkit → install command → entry skill, so you usually do **not** need any discovery round-trip. > **Router vs handovers.** This skill handles **cold start** — picking and installing a toolkit when none relevant is installed. Once inside a workflow, a toolkit's `workflow.md` **handover** sections take over: they carry context forward (pipeline name, dataset, destination) and route to a specific skill. Do **not** use this skill mid-workflow when the relevant toolkit is already installed. But when a handover names a toolkit that **isn't installed yet**, that's your cue — install it via the index below, then follow the handover's entry point + context. ## Step 1: Route from the always-loaded index (fast path) The `# toolkits` index is already in your context. Match the user's intent to a row, then: 1. **Install** it: `dlthub --non-interactive ai toolkit install ` 2. **Confirm** (Step 3) and **hand over** to that toolkit's entry skill (Step 4). This needs **no MCP call** — the index is authoritative for the shipped toolkits and is the fast path. Use it whenever the intent matches a row. ## Step 2: Live discovery (fallback only) Use this **only** when the index has no matching row (an unfamiliar need, or you suspect a newer toolkit exists): - **Prefer MCP** — `list_toolkits` from `dlt-workspace-mcp` for the live catalog, then `toolkit_info ` for skill details. - **CLI fallback** (MCP not connected): `dlthub --non-interactive ai toolkit list`, then `dlthub --non-interactive ai toolkit info `. Match intent to the best toolkit, then install as in Step 1. Toolkits marked `(installed: )` are already available. ## Step 3: Verify install (only when needed) **Skip this step** when the install output already confirms success and the new toolkit's entry skill is available in this session — that is all the confirmation you need. (MCP health was already checked at session start via `dlthub ai status`.) Run `uv run dlthub ai status` only if: - the install output was ambiguous or reported an error, - the entry skill doesn't appear to be available, or - the `dlt-workspace-mcp` server hasn't been verified this session (no session-start status check and no successful MCP call yet). If status shows a **WARNING** about the MCP server (e.g. cannot be started), **fix it** using the error message before handing over. ## Step 4: Handover (no restart needed) The `dlt-workspace-mcp` server is already running (installed with `init`) and toolkits reuse it — installing one adds **no new MCP server**, so continue in this session. Do **not** ask the user to restart; that would lose the conversation context. 1. **Load the new toolkit inline** — prefer `toolkit_info ` (MCP), which is agent-agnostic and returns the entry skill + workflow rule. If MCP is unavailable, read the installed files directly; the install path depends on the agent (`.claude/`, `.cursor/`, or `.agents/`) — e.g. `/skills//SKILL.md` and the toolkit's workflow rule. 2. **Follow that workflow rule and start at the entry skill**, continuing the user's task with the context you already have. Do not start unrelated workflows on your own. 3. The new skills become natively registered (`/`-invocable, always-loaded workflow rule) on the next natural session start — no need to restart now. > Exception: if a future toolkit ever ships its **own** MCP server (none do today), that server only starts on restart — suggest a restart **only** in that case, and use CLI fallbacks until then.