MCP vs Skills vs Hooks in Claude Code: Which Extension Do You Need?

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-layer architecture diagram Side-by-side comparison across 8 dimensions Same task implemented three different ways Decision framework: when to use which Common mistakes and how to avoid them Read the full article → If you found this useful, check out my blog for more AI engineering guides.