Claude Code Hands-On (10): Skills, and When to Reach for Each Extension Mechanism

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Claude Code now has four extension mechanisms: slash commands, MCP servers, hooks, and Skills. They overlap. The first time you have a “Claude should know how to do X” thought, the question is which of the four to use.

This is the closing chapter of the series. Let me lay out the decision tree.

Claude Code Hands-On (3): Custom Slash Commands and Conversation Control

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Built-in slash commands like /clear and /init are the visible part of the iceberg. The main point of the system is for you to write your own commands, which live in your repo.

What a slash command is#

A file at .claude/commands/<name>.md. Contents are a Markdown prompt. Filename becomes the command. After creating the command, you need to restart Claude Code (one of the few places it isn’t hot-reloaded).

Slash-Commands on Chen Kai Blog

Claude Code Hands-On (10): Skills, and When to Reach for Each Extension Mechanism

Claude Code Hands-On (3): Custom Slash Commands and Conversation Control

What a slash command is#