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Concepts

Understanding the key ideas behind how Claude Skills work.

Claude Code Knowledge Pack7/10/2026

Overview

Concepts

Understanding the key ideas behind how Claude Skills work.

Core Concepts

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  • :material-pipe:{ .lg .middle } Pipelines

    How skills chain together in sequences, with structured handoffs between stages.

  • :material-clock-outline:{ .lg .middle } Session Continuity

    How skills maintain context across sessions spanning days or weeks.

  • :material-swap-horizontal:{ .lg .middle } Handoffs

    The structured documents that pass between skills in a pipeline.

  • :material-toggle-switch:{ .lg .middle } Modes & Registers

    Different operating modes skills offer for different situations.

  • :material-link-variant:{ .lg .middle } Skill Connections

    How skills relate to each other and can be combined for complex workflows.

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Why These Concepts Matter

Skills aren't just instruction sets—they're designed systems with specific patterns that make them powerful:

ConceptProblem It Solves
PipelinesComplex work needs specialists, not generalists
Session ContinuityCreative work happens over time, not in one sitting
HandoffsEach specialist needs clear input from the previous
ModesDifferent situations need different approaches
Skill ConnectionsComplex projects need multiple skills working together

How They Work Together

flowchart TB
    subgraph Pipeline["Pipeline (e.g., Book Factory)"]
        A[Skill 1: Ideation] -->|Handoff Doc| B[Skill 2: Validation]
        B -->|Handoff Doc| C[Skill 3: Architecture]
    end

    subgraph Continuity["Session Continuity"]
        S1[Session 1] -->|v1 doc| S2[Session 2]
        S2 -->|v2 doc| S3[Session 3]
    end

    subgraph Modes["Modes"]
        M1[Deep Mode]
        M2[Quick Mode]
        M3[Connected Mode]
        M4[Clean-Slate Mode]
    end

A typical workflow combines all these concepts:

  1. You start a pipeline at the first skill
  2. Across multiple sessions, you develop the work (continuity via versioned documents)
  3. You choose appropriate modes based on your situation
  4. When ready, the skill produces a handoff document for the next skill

Next Steps