Notes
Claude
Introduction to Agent Skills
Skills vs. Other Claude Code Features

Skills vs. Other Claude Code Features

Note

TL;DR

  • CLAUDE.md loads into every conversation and is best for always-on project standards. Skills load on demand and are best for task-specific expertise
  • Subagents run in isolated execution contexts — use them for delegated work. Skills add knowledge to your current conversation
  • Hooks are event-driven (fire on file saves, tool calls). Skills are request-driven (activate based on what you’re asking)
  • MCP servers provide external tools and integrations — a different category entirely from skills
  • Each feature handles its own specialty — combine them rather than forcing everything into one approach

CLAUDE.md vs Skills

Side-by-side comparison of what belongs in CLAUDE.md and what belongs in Skills, listed below.

Use CLAUDE.md for:

  • Project-wide standards that always apply
  • Constraints like “never modify the database schema”
  • Framework preferences and coding style

Use Skills for:

  • Task-specific expertise
  • Knowledge that’s only relevant sometimes
  • Detailed procedures that would clutter every conversation
Tip

Skills can also be called explicitly using /your-skill.

Skills vs Subagents

subagents vs. skills

Subagents run in a separate context. They receive a task, work on it independently, and return results. They’re isolated from the main conversation.

Skills add knowledge to your current conversation. When a skill activates, its instructions join the existing context.

Use Subagents when:

  • You want to delegate a task to a separate execution context
  • You need different tool access than the main conversation
  • You want isolation between delegated work and your main context

Use Skills when:

  • You want to enhance Claude’s knowledge for the current task
  • The expertise applies throughout a conversation

Skills vs Hooks

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Hooks are event-driven and fire on events. A hook might run a linter every time Claude saves a file, or validate input before certain tool calls.

Skills are request-driven. They activate based on what you’re asking.

Use Hooks for:

  • Operations that should run on every file save
  • Validation before specific tool calls
  • Automated side effects of Claude’s actions

Use Skills for:

  • Knowledge that informs how Claude handles requests
  • Guidelines that affect Claude’s reasoning

Putting It All Together

A typical setup might include:

  • CLAUDE.md — always-on project standards
  • Skills — task-specific expertise that loads on demand
  • Hooks — automated operations triggered by events
  • Subagents — isolated execution contexts for delegated work
  • MCP servers — external tools and integrations

Each handles its own specialty. Don’t force everything into skills when another option fits better — and you can use multiple at a time.

Use skills when you have knowledge that Claude should apply automatically when the topic is relevant, and combine them with other features for comprehensive customization.

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