# What's the difference between MCP and Claude Skills?

MCP gives Claude access to external tools and data that live outside the conversation; Skills teach Claude how to use what it already has, loading a folder of instructions only when a task calls for them.

The cost pattern is the real difference. Once an MCP server is connected, its tool definitions sit in context whether or not a given turn uses them, and a large integration can cost tens of thousands of tokens just describing what it offers before [the model ever emits a single tool call](/answers/tool-calling/what-is-tool-calling). A Skill stays off to the side until the model judges a task matches it, so having many installed costs nothing until one actually fires. MCP is the way to reach something live: a ticket system, a database, a calendar. A Skill is the way to hand over a repeatable procedure, a checklist or a house style, without paying for it on every turn. Most real setups run both, one supplying access and the other supplying the know-how to use it well.

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Sources:
- Anthropic: Extending Claude's capabilities with skills and MCP servers: https://claude.com/blog/extending-claude-capabilities-with-skills-mcp-servers (fetched 2026-09-17)

Source: https://tessary.ai/answers/mcp-tool-reliability/whats-the-difference-between-mcp-and-claude-skills
More on Mcp tool reliability: https://tessary.ai/answers/mcp-tool-reliability
From Tessary, agent reliability for AI agents in production: https://tessary.ai