Skills vs Tools vs Prompts
| Concept | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Skill | Reusable instructions/resources for an agent | How our team builds MCP servers |
| MCP Tool | Executable capability | Deploy service |
| MCP Prompt | Discoverable prompt template | Investigate incident |
Choose based on responsibility
If code must execute, use a tool. If a user should select a domain workflow template, use a prompt. If you want an agent to learn a reusable procedure or development playbook, a Skill may fit better.
They can compose
A Skill can instruct an agent to use particular MCP tools; an MCP prompt can guide a user into a workflow that then uses those tools.