Can a skill and a slash command do the same thing?

They can overlap, but they're designed for different triggers. A skill activates when Claude recognises the situation is relevant — you don't invoke it. A slash command runs only when you type its name. If you always want something to happen automatically, make it a skill. If you want it on demand, make it a command.

Should I start with a skill or a command?

Start with a slash command. It's quicker to create (just a prompt in a file) and you'll learn whether the workflow actually repeats. Once you find yourself running the same command at the start of every session, that's the signal to turn it into a skill that applies automatically.

Can I have both for the same workflow?

Yes. A common pattern is a skill that sets the baseline ("always follow our style guide") plus a command that does the active step ("/review"). They complement each other.

Skill vs Slash command in Claude Code

Two of the most useful ways to teach Claude Code your team’s way of working are skills and slash commands. They sound similar — both are reusable, both save you from repeating yourself — but they work in fundamentally different ways.

The one-line version

A skill is knowledge Claude applies automatically when relevant — you never invoke it.
A slash command is an action you trigger explicitly by typing /name.

Think of it this way: a skill is a standing instruction (“always do it this way”), a slash command is a button you press (“do this now”).

How each one works

Skills — automatic know-how

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that describes how to do something — your deploy process, your brand voice, your code review checklist. Claude reads it and applies it whenever the situation calls for it, without you asking.

.claude/skills/brand-voice/SKILL.md

You don’t type /brand-voice. You just say “write a blog post” and Claude already knows the tone, because the skill told it.

Use a skill when: the knowledge should apply every time the situation arises, across every session, without anyone remembering to invoke it.

Slash commands — explicit shortcuts

A slash command is a saved prompt you run by name. Type / and you see the menu — built-in commands like /review and /commit, plus any you’ve created yourself.

/standup

You choose when to run it. It doesn’t fire on its own.

Use a slash command when: you want a repeatable action that runs on demand — not every time, just when you decide.

Side by side

	Skill	Slash command
Trigger	Automatic (Claude decides)	Manual (you type `/name`)
What it holds	Knowledge, conventions, how-to	A prompt or action
Feels like	Standing instructions	A button
Good for	Style guides, deploy steps, review criteria	Standups, reviews, code generation tasks
Created by	A `SKILL.md` file in a folder	A prompt file with a name

The rule of thumb

If you’re correcting Claude on the same thing twice, make it a skill. The knowledge should just be there.

If you keep typing the same long prompt, make it a slash command. The action should be one word.

And when something starts as a command but you find yourself running it every single session — that’s the sign it should graduate to a skill.