---
published: true
id: skills
title: Skills
description: Knowledge captured in João Lopes' learning graph.
tags:
- ai-engineering
- claude-code
- skills
- agent-design
locale: en
resource: https://joaolopes.dev.br/knowledge/concepts/en/skills/
created: '2026-03-19'
---

# Skills
SKILL.md files that define how a specific task should be executed, invoked by name rather than loaded passively.

## Definition
Skills are actively invoked by name (e.g. /pre-pr, /meeting-prep) unlike CLAUDE.md rules which load passively into every session. A skill specifies what to gather, which tools to call, and where to pause for human input. Skills sit above the tool layer — they orchestrate CLI commands and MCP tools, dispatch subagents in parallel, and synthesize results. The feedback loop is fast: describe the workflow, let the agent draft the file, refine, and test.

## Source
- [Extend Claude with skills - Claude Code Docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills)
- [Agent Skills - Claude API Docs](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/overview)

## Related
- [Subagent](/concepts/en/subagent.md)
- [Tool](/concepts/en/tool.md)
- [Workflow](/concepts/en/workflow.md)