Claude Skills GA vs MCP — procedural knowledge bundles vs tool protocol: what each one solves

Anthropic's Claude Skills GA and the MCP (Model Context Protocol) ecosystem both shipped major updates in 2026, but they solve different problems. Skills bundle procedural knowledge (SKILL.md + scripts + references) that the model loads on demand via tool_search when it determines the workflow is needed — Skills answers 'how do I do this task the right way'. MCP is a protocol for connecting models to external tools and data sources — MCP answers 'how do I reach this tool'. A creator-facing agent typically needs both: Skills for the procedural layer, MCP for the tool/data layer.