claude.md vs SKILL.md — what's the difference?

Pragati Kunwer | Claude Code · Beginner ·🧠 Large Language Models ·1mo ago

About this lesson

Join Agent Skills Academy (free) — https://www.skool.com/agentskillsacademy/about Claude MD and SKILL.md are two different files, and the names do not help — they look almost identical. But the difference is simple once you see it. Claude MD is the always-on file: the standing notes Claude reads every single time, your house rules. SKILL.md is the on-demand file: a specialized instruction file Claude opens only when the moment calls for it. Think of your fridge. Claude MD is the house rules taped to the door, true all day. SKILL.md is the recipe card you pull out only when you are cooking that dish. You do not pick one — they work together. No Python, no framework, just two plain-English files doing two different jobs. Who this is for: anyone curious or confused about AI — beginners, working professionals, retirees, freelancers — and anyone who has mixed up Claude MD and SKILL.md. In this video: 0:00 two files people confuse 0:15 the easiest way to hold it 0:35 Claude MD, de-jargoned 0:55 SKILL.md, de-jargoned 1:20 how they work together About Pragati: 20 years building AI systems at IBM Watson and Nike. Taught LangChain, RAG and AI agents to 29,000 engineers on Udemy — courses Fortune 500 teams train on via Udemy Business. Now teaching the simple way — Claude Code Skills in plain English. Want both files explained with real examples? Comment FILES — it is free inside Agent Skills Academy. #claudemd #skillmd #claudecode #claudecodeskills #anthropic #aiforbeginners #nocode

Original Description

Join Agent Skills Academy (free) — https://www.skool.com/agentskillsacademy/about Claude MD and SKILL.md are two different files, and the names do not help — they look almost identical. But the difference is simple once you see it. Claude MD is the always-on file: the standing notes Claude reads every single time, your house rules. SKILL.md is the on-demand file: a specialized instruction file Claude opens only when the moment calls for it. Think of your fridge. Claude MD is the house rules taped to the door, true all day. SKILL.md is the recipe card you pull out only when you are cooking that dish. You do not pick one — they work together. No Python, no framework, just two plain-English files doing two different jobs. Who this is for: anyone curious or confused about AI — beginners, working professionals, retirees, freelancers — and anyone who has mixed up Claude MD and SKILL.md. In this video: 0:00 two files people confuse 0:15 the easiest way to hold it 0:35 Claude MD, de-jargoned 0:55 SKILL.md, de-jargoned 1:20 how they work together About Pragati: 20 years building AI systems at IBM Watson and Nike. Taught LangChain, RAG and AI agents to 29,000 engineers on Udemy — courses Fortune 500 teams train on via Udemy Business. Now teaching the simple way — Claude Code Skills in plain English. Want both files explained with real examples? Comment FILES — it is free inside Agent Skills Academy. #claudemd #skillmd #claudecode #claudecodeskills #anthropic #aiforbeginners #nocode
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Chapters (5)

two files people confuse
0:15 the easiest way to hold it
0:35 Claude MD, de-jargoned
0:55 SKILL.md, de-jargoned
1:20 how they work together
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