MCP vs Skills vs Hooks in Claude Code: Which...

Originally published at heyuan110.com Claude Code has three distinct extension mechanisms: MCP (Model Context Protocol), Skills, and Hooks. They look related on the surface, but they operate at fundamentally different layers: Hooks (bottom layer): Lifecycle event automation — "what must always happen" MCP (middle layer): External tool connections via open protocol — "what can be done" Skills (top layer): Reusable workflows and domain knowledge — "how to do things well" This guide covers: Three-l