tags: [ai, productivity, devtools, tutorial]
commands are great for workflows you trigger explicitly
but what about knowledge claude should apply automatically without you having to remember to invoke it
that's what skills do
commands vs skills
commands are verbs (things you do)
skills are expertise (things claude knows)
how skills actually work
at startup: claude reads only the name and description from each skill. minimal overhead
when you make a request: claude matches your request against skill descriptions. if there's a match, it asks to use it
progressive disclosure. only loads when relevant
commands are tools you pick up
skills are expertise claude develops
you say "review this pr" and claude:
- runs your /review command (explicit action)
- applies your team's code review standards from a skill (automatic knowledge)
both have their place
part 5 of the mastery series
Read the full guide
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