context-vs-skill

Decides whether durable knowledge belongs in a skill, context doc, CLAUDE.md, or reference note.

Updated Jul 25, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster --skill context-vs-skill-rorysullivan1
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: context-vs-skill
Source: https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster/tree/main/.claude/skills/context-vs-skill
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster --skill context-vs-skill-rorysullivan1

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? When curating a repository's .claude/ knowledge assets, it is easy to place guidance in the wrong home — burying how-to behavior in passive context docs where it never fires, or duplicating the same guidance in both a brief and a skill until the two copies drift apart. This Skill provides a decision procedure for placing each piece of durable knowledge in exactly one correct home. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Four-home placement model: Distinguishes skills (triggered behavior), context docs (passive reference), CLAUDE.md (always-on session contract), and reference notes (single cross-cutting fact cards). - Ordered decision procedure: A step-by-step sequence of questions — universality, how-to vs facts-about, fire-by-trigger vs pulled-on-demand — that places knowledge on the first clear yes. - Duplication resolution: Rules for splitting content when a brief and a skill cover the same topic, with the skill owning the how-to and the brief keeping orientation, pointers, and reference facts. - Use Case: You find a context brief and a skill both explaining the same transfer procedure. Use this Skill to move the how-to into the skill, shrink the brief to orientation plus a pointer, and keep the two DRY. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to decide where a new piece of guidance should live — a skill, a context doc, CLAUDE.md, or a reference note — and to check for duplication with existing files.

Frequently Asked Questions about context-vs-skill

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I decide between writing a skill or a context doc?▼

Ask whether the content is how-to behavior or facts about a topic. Procedures, recipes, and judgment that should fire by trigger belong in a skill; specs, tables, and orientation material you look up on demand belong in a context doc.

What belongs in CLAUDE.md versus a skill?▼

CLAUDE.md holds only rules that are true every single session, like formatting or environment constants. Anything relevant only sometimes belongs in a skill or context doc, since occasional content bloats the always-loaded session contract.

What should I do when a context brief and a skill teach the same thing?▼

Delete the duplicated how-to from the brief, not the skill. The skill owns the procedure; the brief shrinks to a one-paragraph orientation, a pointer to the skill, and any reference facts the skill does not encode.

Can a skill and a context doc cover the same topic?▼

Yes, when they hold different kinds of content: the skill carries behavior while the doc carries reference facts like schemas, version matrices, or design rationale. Each claim must live in exactly one of them, linked rather than repeated.

When should knowledge become a reference note instead of a full brief?▼

Use a reference note in context/notes/ for a single stable cross-cutting fact or concept, catalogued in the always-loaded INDEX.md. A longer whole-stack operating brief belongs in a flat context/<name>.md document.