Mod ولا Skill ولا MCP ولا Hook: اختار الطريقة الصح تزيد فيها على Claude CodeMod, Skill, MCP or Hook: Pick the Right Way to Extend Claude Code

Key terms

Skill

A SKILL.md file of instructions. Claude reads it when it needs it, so you stop pasting the same instructions.

MCP

A server that gives Claude new tools so it can reach an outside system, like a database, Notion or your calendar.

Settings hook

A shell command, HTTP request or prompt that runs on an event, like a tool call. It allows, blocks or logs. It draws nothing.

Mod

A plugin with JavaScript or TypeScript that runs inside Claude Code. It can draw a pane, add a command, or hold a tool call before it runs.

The steps

1. 1

   Step 1

   Write the problem in one sentence

   Before you install anything, write what bothers you in one sentence. For example: I paste the same report instructions every week, or Claude cannot see my database.

   That sentence picks the tool. Most people install something bigger than their problem.

   PromptPick the tool

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   Here is my problem with Claude Code: [one sentence]. Tell me which one fits: a Skill, an MCP server, a settings hook, or a mod. Use the comparison table in the official Claude Code docs and explain why in two lines.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Pasting the same instructions? Write a Skill

   If you paste the same instructions into every chat, that is a Skill. One Markdown file, written once, read by Claude when it needs it.

   Put it in .claude/skills in your project, or in your personal folder so it works everywhere.

   PromptWrite the Skill

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   Turn these instructions into a SKILL.md for Claude Code: [paste the instructions]. Add a short description that says when Claude should use it, then the steps in order.

   Tip: Make the description at the top clear. Claude decides from it when to open the Skill.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Claude needs an outside system? Add MCP

   If Claude cannot reach a system you use, you need an MCP server. Add it from the terminal with one command and Claude sees its tools.

   Only use servers from sources you trust. They give Claude real access to your data.

   PromptThe command

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   claude mcp add [name] -- [command]

4. 4

   Step 4

   Block or log an event? Settings hook

   If you have a script and want it to run when Claude calls a tool or when you send a prompt, that is a settings hook. It lives in settings.json under hooks.

   It can allow, block or change a tool call's arguments, but it draws nothing in the interface.

   PromptAsk for the hook

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   Write a Claude Code settings hook on PreToolUse that blocks any Bash command matching [the pattern to block]. Give me the settings.json snippet and explain it line by line.

5. 5

   Step 5

   Want a pane or a custom command? Ask for a Mod

   A mod is the only one that draws inside Claude Code: a pane beside the chat, a band above the prompt, or a command that runs at once. It can also hold a risky command and ask you first.

   The easy way: describe what you want in a Claude Code session and Claude writes the mod. Anthropic shares official samples like token-weather, blast-radius and replay-theater.

   PromptAsk for the mod

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   Write a Claude Code mod that does this: [describe the pane or command]. Make it a complete plugin and explain what each hook does before I run it.

6. 6

   Step 6

   Check any Mod before you install it

   A mod runs with your permissions: it reads your files, sees every prompt, and can approve tool calls for you. Before you install one, get its files and run validate.

   The hooks and calls lines in the output show which events it handles and what it asks Claude Code to do.

   PromptThe command

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   claude plugin validate ./[mod-folder]

   Tip: If something changes suddenly, start Claude Code with --safe-mode to turn every add on off for one session.

Ready prompts to copy

These are the add ons installed in my Claude Code: [paste the /plugin list]. Sort them: which ones I really need, which ones to remove, and why.