Custom slash commands and skills
Once your project memory is set, the next way to set AI up is to package the jobs you do often, so you are not explaining them from scratch every time. This takes two shapes, a command and a skill, and the difference comes down to who decides when it runs.
A command is a saved shortcut you call yourself by a short /name, like pulling a recipe card from the box when you decide to cook that dish. A skill is an ability Claude can reach for on its own when the job fits, like a specialist on call whose card is already in the head chef’s hand, and because a skill loads only when it is needed it can carry a lot of detail without weighing down every conversation.
It is the on-demand cousin of the project memory above. CLAUDE.md is always on, read every time, so it holds the rules that always apply. A command or a skill stays out of the way until its moment, so it holds the know-how you only sometimes need.
Say it another way
Two ways to save a job you do a lot:
- A command is a recipe card you keep in the box. It does nothing until you reach in and pull it by its short name, then it runs the steps you saved. You decide when.
- A skill is like a specialist cook on call. You do not fetch a card, you just say what you want and the head chef recognises it is a job for that specialist and brings them in. That specialist also carries a whole binder of notes and only opens the page they need, so a skill can hold a lot of detail without cluttering everything else.
So the question is simple: do you want to call it yourself, which is a command, or have the AI reach for it when it fits, which is a skill?
Doing this with Claude Code: Commands and skills
Package a job once, then either call it yourself or let Claude reach for it. Decide by who should trigger it and how much it needs to carry.
A command for a shortcut you trigger. A short saved prompt you call by /name when you want it. Best when you are the one who decides the moment.
A skill for an ability Claude reaches for. Described so Claude can pick it on its own when the job fits, and it can bundle a lot of detail that loads only when needed. Best when you want the AI to notice the moment, not you.
Personal or shared. Keep either just for yourself so it follows you across every project, or put it in the repo so the whole team gets it too.
On-demand, unlike CLAUDE.md. The project memory above is always on, read every time. A command or skill stays out of the way until its moment, so it is where the know-how you only sometimes need belongs.
Part of Ways to set AI up to help.