AI Skills vs Prompts vs MCP — what's the difference? (in 5 minutes)
Prompt, Skill, MCP — three words people mix up constantly. Here's the difference explained with a “team” analogy, and when to use which.
The team analogy
Picture the AI as an employee:
- Prompt = a work order — tells it what to do this time
- Skill = a built-in ability — it applies on its own when a task matches
- MCP = a plug to real tools — lets it actually reach files, the web, databases
They are not competitors — you use all three together in one job.
What a Prompt is
A Prompt is the text you type to the AI — a one-off work order. Write it well and you get a good result, but it's gone when you close the chat.
More: What is an AI Prompt · Prompt catalog
What a Skill is
A Skill (e.g. Claude Skills / SKILL.md) is specialised know-how you install ahead of time; the AI picks it up on its own when a task fits — a code-review Skill, a slides Skill, a natural-Thai-writing Skill — no need to re-explain the how every time.
More: What are AI Skills · Skills catalog
What MCP is
MCP is different from the two above — it doesn't teach the AI how to think; it lets the AI connect to real tools and data — read files, search the web, manage GitHub.
More: 10 MCPs worth trying · MCP catalog
Side-by-side
| Prompt | Skill | MCP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | a one-off order | built-in know-how | a tool connector |
| Who invokes it | you type it | the AI, automatically | the AI, when real tools are needed |
| Persistent? | no — gone on close | yes — installed | yes — connected |
| Reaches real tools? | no | no (know-how only) | yes |
So which do you use?
- One-off task in the chat → Prompt
- Something you do often and want the AI good at → Skill
- Needs to touch real files/web/database/accounts → MCP
Want all three bundled for one job? That's a Loadout.