Hiring Specialists & Training Them: Connectors + Skills
A connector hires a worker; a Skill writes its job description so it performs the same way every time. Here's the split — and you'll draft your first Skill, ready to finish in Module 3.
Connectors hire. Skills train.
They're complementary: MCP (connectors) provides the tools; Skills provide the repeatable method for using them.
Connectors = hiring a specialist
Plug Claude into a specific app — QuickBooks, Gmail, Canva, Stripe. Directory connectors are broadly available; custom connectors (your own MCP server) need a paid plan.
Anthropic has also been rolling out small-business Cowork bundles with prebuilt workflows across QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, DocuSign, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Square and Stripe. (Verify the current name and contents at launch.)
Skills = the induction manual
A Skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file (plus optional scripts/templates) that teaches Claude to do a task your way — your steps, your voice, your must-checks.
They load on demand ("progressive disclosure") and the same Skill runs across Claude.ai, Claude Code and the API. Anthropic publishes official Skills too (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, design and comms).
Draft your first Skill
Write the plain-English job description for your role from Lesson 1.3. This becomes the seed of a working .skill you'll finish in Module 3. Your draft saves in this browser.
One safety rule for Skills
Only use Skills from trusted sources. A Skill can include scripts — a malicious one could run code or exfiltrate data. Treat installing a Skill like giving a new contractor system access: audit third-party Skills before you use them.
Bake the checkpoints in: the induction manual should say where the junior must stop and ask. A good Skill encodes not just how to do the job, but where a human has to sign off.