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Bruno Ashford @brunoashfordSubscribeModule 5 · Lesson 5.4 · 12 min
Skills vs. Everything Else
Choose correctly between CLAUDE.md, skills, subagents, connectors and hooks for any business need.
Use ← → to move. The marker highlights text and the pencil draws on the slide; navigation locks while you annotate. Undo removes the last mark, Esc exits.
1CLAUDE.md: what is always true
Facts and rules that apply to almost every task: who you are, your voice, your red lines, your folder map. It loads every session, so keep it short.
2Skills: how a specific task is done
A repeatable procedure that is needed sometimes, not always: proposals, complaint replies, weekly reports. Loaded only when the task calls for it. Custom slash commands saved in .claude/commands still work, but skills do the same job and can also carry supporting files.
3Subagents: who does a large or separate piece of work
A specialist with its own context window, instructions and tool access, defined in .claude/agents and managed with /agents. Use one when a job would crowd your main conversation, like reviewing 200 invoices, or needs a narrow role. Module 7 builds your AI department with them.
/agents4Connectors (MCP): what Claude can reach
Access to other systems such as your CRM, calendar, email or accounting software, added with claude mcp add and checked with /mcp. A skill can use a connector, for example a follow-up skill that reads your CRM. Module 6 covers this.
5Hooks: what must always happen, or never happen
Automatic checks that run at set moments, like before Claude edits a file, configured in settings. Hooks enforce. Skills and CLAUDE.md guide. Use hooks for the few rules where a mistake would be serious. Module 11 covers them.
6Ask Claude to classify your list
Give Claude your list of processes and rules and ask it to sort them. You will see the pattern quickly.
Here is a list of things I want to set up. For each one, tell me whether it belongs in CLAUDE.md, a skill, a subagent, a connector or a hook, and why in one line:
1. Our tone of voice
2. How we write proposals
3. Reviewing 300 supplier invoices
4. Reading deals from our CRM
5. Never editing files in originals
6. The monthly board reportOnce owners discover skills, they want to make everything a skill. Then they discover subagents, connectors and hooks, and the confusion starts. Which one do I use for my sales process? The answer is simple once you see what each one is for.
Think of it as building a team. CLAUDE.md is the company handbook. A skill is a playbook for one task. A subagent is a specialist colleague with a separate desk. A connector is access to another tool. A hook is a rule the system enforces automatically. Each has one job.
Key points
- CLAUDE.md: what is always true.
- Skill: how a specific task is done.
- Subagent: a specialist with its own context.
- Connector: access to another tool.
- Hook: what the system enforces automatically.
Avoid
- Putting task procedures in CLAUDE.md so every session is crowded.
- Relying on a skill instruction for a rule that must never be broken.
- Creating a subagent when a simple skill would do.
- Building a skill to fetch data when what is missing is a connector.
The practice mapped its setup like this. CLAUDE.md: firm description, voice, the rule that tax advice goes through a partner. Skills: engagement letter, client onboarding checklist, monthly management accounts summary. A subagent: a reconciliation reviewer that works through a whole ledger in its own context. A connector: read access to the bookkeeping software. A hook: blocks any edit to the signed-documents folder. Nothing overlapped and everyone knew where to change what.