The simplest way to think about it
Skills teach Claude HOW
A Skill teaches Claude how you want something done. Your brand voice, your writing style, a repeatable workflow you use all the time. You create it once, give it a /slash-command name, and from that point on Claude does it your way every time you call it.
Plugins give Claude MORE POWER
A Plugin is a prebuilt add-on that gives Claude extra tools, commands, and systems it can use. Especially in Claude Code and Cowork. Instead of building everything from scratch, you install a plugin and it comes with skills, connectors, and workflows already packaged together.
What this looks like in practice
Skill example
You create a Skill called /weekly-update. Every Friday you type /weekly-update and Claude reads your email and calendar from the past week, pulls out the highlights, and drafts a summary in your voice. You taught Claude how you want your updates done. That's a Skill.
Plugin example
You install a project management plugin. It comes with 5 skills, 5 agents, and 7 connectors already built. Things like status report generators, risk trackers, and stakeholder update templates. All wired up and ready to use. That's a Plugin.
Where to start
If you're new to Claude, start with one Skill. Pick something you do every single week, teach Claude how you want it done, and save it as a /slash-command. Use it for a week. Once you see how much time that one Skill saves you, then explore plugins.
Most people try to do everything at once and end up using none of it. One Skill, used consistently, will change more about how you work than ten plugins you never customize.
Try these first
3 Skills worth building right now
You can build these in about 2 minutes each. Just tell Claude what you want and say "save this as a Skill called /name."
/inbox-triage
Reads your inbox from the last 24 hours, sorts everything into URGENT, ACTION NEEDED, and FYI, then drafts replies for the urgent ones and saves them as email drafts. Run it every morning. What used to take 45 minutes takes 5.
/meeting-prep
Pulls context from your email, calendar, and files for an upcoming meeting. Gives you a one-page brief: who's in the meeting, what was last discussed, what you need to know, and what to bring up. No more scrambling 5 minutes before a call.
/weekly-summary
Every Friday, type /weekly-summary and Claude reviews your week. What happened, what's still open, what needs attention next week. Drafts a summary you can send to your manager or team. One command, 30 seconds.
Once you're ready
3 Plugins worth exploring
You can browse all available plugins inside Claude Cowork. Go to Cowork → Plugin Library and search by category or role. Here are three good starting points:
Email Manager
Comes with skills for inbox triage, follow-up tracking, and draft management. Connects to your Gmail or Outlook and handles the email workflows most people do manually every day. Good first plugin because you'll use it immediately.
Content Creator
Built for anyone producing content regularly. Includes skills for repurposing, scripting, and scheduling across platforms. If you're creating videos, newsletters, or social posts, this one saves a lot of repetitive work.
Project Tracker
Tracks tasks, deadlines, and status updates across your projects. Comes with agents that can check in on progress and flag things that are falling behind. Connects to Google Sheets, Notion, or whatever you use to manage work.
Where to find Skills and Plugins
Pre-made Skills
Go to Settings → Customize → Skills to see your current Skills and create new ones. You can also browse community-shared Skills inside Cowork. Or just tell Claude "create a Skill that does [thing]" and it'll build one for you on the spot.
Plugin Library
Go to Cowork → Plugin Library to browse all available plugins. You can filter by category (productivity, marketing, sales, etc.) or search for something specific. Each plugin shows what skills, agents, and connectors it includes before you install it. Always hit Customize after installing so the plugin actually knows how you work.
Skills teach Claude how. Plugins give Claude more power. Start with one Skill. Then add plugins when you're ready.
Want the full system?
Master AI by Monday
Knowing the difference between Skills and Plugins is step one. The Weekend Claude Bootcamp walks you through setting up the whole thing for your specific job. You pick your role, follow the steps, and in 2 hours you have Claude fully set up with done-for-you prompts, workflows, Skills, Projects, and a system you'll use every week.
25 different roles to choose from. You find yours and go.