Skills vs. Projects vs. Custom Instructions vs. MCP
Understand how Claude's different features handle knowledge and task execution.
Differentiate between Skills, Projects, Custom Instructions, and MCP to leverage Claude effectively.
Projects provide static background knowledge always loaded in chats. Skills offer dynamic, task-specific procedures that activate when needed. Custom instructions apply broadly to all conversations. MCP connects Claude to external services and data sources, enabling tool use, while skills teach Claude how to use those tools.
Use Projects for foundational company information, Skills for specific report generation workflows, Custom Instructions for preferred writing tone, and MCP to connect to a CRM for data retrieval.
Distinguish between Claude's Projects (static knowledge), Skills (dynamic procedures), Custom Instructions (broad guidance), and MCP (external tool integration) to optimize Claude's application for various needs.
Each feature serves a distinct purpose in managing Claude's knowledge and capabilities, allowing for precise control over how and when information or actions are applied.
- What are skills? ↗Claude Help Center · Claude Help Center · Sep 3, 2026 · paraphrased
First seen on Subvolts Sep 3, 2026. Updated Sep 11, 2026. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
- What are skills?Anthropic · Claude Help Center · Sep 3, 2026
The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.
- HeuristicCreating simple custom skills without codingCreate custom skills using Markdown instructions, no coding required for basic functionality. · 4 min
- WorkflowSet up a design system in Claude DesignUpload brand assets to Claude Design to create a reusable UI kit for your team. · 30 min
- TemplateClaude Slides template for presentationsStart presentations with Claude Slides, edit slides directly, and export to PowerPoint or PDF. · 15 min
- TemplateClaude skill.md file structure and metadataTemplate for the core skill.md file, including required metadata and optional content. · 10 min
- ToolClaude Skills for specialized tasks and workflowsFolders of instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude loads dynamically to improve performance on specialized tasks. · 5 min
- Setting tipEnable artifacts in Claude for code execution and file creationTurn on artifacts in Claude settings to allow code execution and file creation for enhanced tool building. · 1 min
Questions people ask
- Which AI tools does this work with?
- The sources used it with Claude.
- Where did this come from?
- Claude Help Center (Claude Help Center). Subvolts collected, normalized and credited it; the link above opens the original.