What is the difference between CLAUDE.md and a skills file?

CLAUDE.md is the standing briefing: who you are, how you work, which tools exist, what good output looks like. Claude treats it as baseline context for the project.

A skill is a focused .md playbook for one job—tweet draft, standup prep, meeting recap—usually invoked with a / command.

Handbook versus task card: the handbook stays on; the card comes out when you need that specific outcome.