How Claude Skills, Plugins and MCP Connectors Differ

Claude’s Customize settings offer several ways to adapt the assistant to a team’s work, but their names can obscure their different roles. In a guide for users, HubSpot separates the options into three functions: skills provide instructions, MCP connectors link Claude to external services, and plugins package components for distribution.

An MCP connector establishes a live link between Claude and an outside service through an MCP server. Depending on the service and the user’s existing permissions, Claude can read information or take actions there once the connector is enabled. The external service might be a file repository, calendar, issue tracker or CRM. The connector supplies access; it does not, by itself, define the team’s preferred way of completing a task.

A skill addresses that procedural side. It contains written instructions that Claude can load when a request matches the skill’s purpose. Some skills also include scripts or reference files. For a marketing team, those instructions might describe a report format, a review checklist or a brand voice. A skill can explain how Claude should work with information obtained through a connector, but it cannot independently reach a live external service.

How the components work together

Plugins serve as a distribution layer. A plugin can bundle skills, MCP connectors, commands and sub-agents into one installable package that can be shared across a team. This gives teams a way to make a collection of instructions and connections available together, rather than treating each component as a separate choice.

The distinction helps when deciding what a workflow needs. A team seeking a consistent format or review process is dealing with instructions, the role of a skill. A request that depends on information in an external service requires a connection to that service. When a team wants to share a collection of those components, a plugin can package them for installation.

What this means for marketers

Start by separating the information a task needs from the method used to handle it. Use a skill for repeatable guidance such as brand voice or reporting conventions, and consider an MCP connector when Claude needs authorized access to an external source. A plugin can then bring relevant components together for team use.