Asset Category Decision Tree

Asset Category Decision Tree

Guide for selecting the right extension type: Skill vs Command vs Agent vs Hook.

Quick Decision Flow

flowchart TD
    START["Need to extend<br/>Claude's capabilities?"]

    Q1{"Does it need to<br/>run automatically<br/>on events?"}
    Q2{"Is it user-invocable<br/>with /command?"}
    Q3{"Does it require<br/>autonomous execution<br/>in separate context?"}
    Q4{"Is it knowledge,<br/>patterns, or<br/>instructions?"}

    HOOK["→ HOOK<br/>Event-triggered automation"]
    COMMAND["→ COMMAND<br/>User-invocable action"]
    AGENT["→ AGENT<br/>Autonomous specialist"]
    SKILL["→ SKILL<br/>Loadable knowledge"]

    START --> Q1
    Q1 -->|"Yes"| HOOK
    Q1 -->|"No"| Q2
    Q2 -->|"Yes"| COMMAND
    Q2 -->|"No"| Q3
    Q3 -->|"Yes"| AGENT
    Q3 -->|"No"| Q4
    Q4 -->|"Yes"| SKILL
    Q4 -->|"No"| START

Detailed Decision Matrix

flowchart TB
    subgraph CRITERIA["Selection Criteria"]
        direction LR
        C1["Invocation Method"]
        C2["Execution Context"]
        C3["Autonomy Level"]
        C4["Persistence"]
    end

    subgraph SKILL_BOX["SKILL"]
        S1["Loaded on demand<br/>or by other assets"]
        S2["Runs in current<br/>context window"]
        S3["Provides guidance,<br/>not autonomous action"]
        S4["Persists as knowledge<br/>for session duration"]
    end

    subgraph COMMAND_BOX["COMMAND"]
        CMD1["User types /name<br/>or model invokes"]
        CMD2["Runs in current<br/>context window"]
        CMD3["Executes defined<br/>action sequence"]
        CMD4["One-time execution,<br/>may modify state"]
    end

    subgraph AGENT_BOX["AGENT"]
        A1["Delegated via<br/>Task tool"]
        A2["Runs in separate<br/>context window"]
        A3["Fully autonomous<br/>within scope"]
        A4["Returns results,<br/>signals DONE/BLOCKED"]
    end

    subgraph HOOK_BOX["HOOK"]
        H1["Triggered by<br/>system events"]
        H2["Runs in shell<br/>or Node.js"]
        H3["Automated,<br/>no human trigger"]
        H4["Executes on<br/>every event match"]
    end

    C1 --> S1 & CMD1 & A1 & H1
    C2 --> S2 & CMD2 & A2 & H2
    C3 --> S3 & CMD3 & A3 & H3
    C4 --> S4 & CMD4 & A4 & H4

Use Case Decision Trees

When to Use a SKILL

flowchart TD
    Q1{"Reusable knowledge<br/>or patterns?"}
    Q2{"Reference material<br/>for multiple tasks?"}
    Q3{"Workflow guidance<br/>or methodology?"}
    Q4{"Tool-specific<br/>expertise?"}

    YES["✅ Create a SKILL"]
    NO["❌ Not a skill"]

    Q1 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q1 -->|"No"| Q2
    Q2 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q2 -->|"No"| Q3
    Q3 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q3 -->|"No"| Q4
    Q4 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q4 -->|"No"| NO

    subgraph EXAMPLES["Skill Examples"]
        E1["rt-ica → Requirements methodology"]
        E2["scientific-thinking → Investigation pattern"]
        E3["verify → Completion checklist"]
        E4["delegate → Delegation template"]
    end

    YES --> EXAMPLES

Skill Characteristics:

• Loadable via Skill(command: "name") or @skillname
• Contains SKILL.md with frontmatter and instructions
• Can include reference files for additional context
• No autonomous execution - provides guidance only

When to Use a COMMAND

flowchart TD
    Q1{"User explicitly<br/>triggers action?"}
    Q2{"Single discrete<br/>operation?"}
    Q3{"Needs argument<br/>parsing?"}
    Q4{"Should appear in<br/>/help listing?"}

    YES["✅ Create a COMMAND"]
    NO["❌ Not a command"]

    Q1 -->|"Yes"| Q2
    Q1 -->|"No"| NO
    Q2 -->|"Yes"| Q3
    Q2 -->|"No"| NO
    Q3 -->|"Any"| Q4
    Q4 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q4 -->|"No"| NO

    subgraph EXAMPLES["Command Examples"]
        E1["/am-i-complete → Check completion"]
        E2["/think → Step-back reasoning"]
        E3["/sessions → Session management"]
        E4["/how-to-delegate → Delegation guidance"]
    end

    YES --> EXAMPLES

Command Characteristics:

• Invoked with /commandname or /commandname args
• Lives in .claude/commands/ directory
• Markdown file with frontmatter
• Executes in orchestrator's context
• Can fork context if context_fork: true

When to Use an AGENT

flowchart TD
    Q1{"Requires autonomous<br/>decision-making?"}
    Q2{"Needs separate<br/>context window?"}
    Q3{"Specialist expertise<br/>for specific domain?"}
    Q4{"Should signal<br/>DONE/BLOCKED?"}

    YES["✅ Create an AGENT"]
    NO["❌ Not an agent"]

    Q1 -->|"Yes"| Q2
    Q1 -->|"No"| NO
    Q2 -->|"Yes"| Q3
    Q2 -->|"No"| NO
    Q3 -->|"Yes"| Q4
    Q3 -->|"No"| NO
    Q4 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q4 -->|"No"| NO

    subgraph EXAMPLES["Agent Examples"]
        E1["context-gathering → Research specialist"]
        E2["code-review → Quality specialist"]
        E3["plugin-assessor → Validation specialist"]
        E4["skill-refactorer → Refactoring specialist"]
    end

    YES --> EXAMPLES

Agent Characteristics:

• Delegated via Task(agent="name", prompt="...")
• Lives in .claude/agents/ directory
• YAML frontmatter with model, tools, allowed_tools
• Runs in isolated context window
• Returns results to orchestrator

When to Use a HOOK

flowchart TD
    Q1{"Triggered by<br/>system event?"}
    Q2{"No human<br/>intervention needed?"}
    Q3{"Same action<br/>every time?"}
    Q4{"Shell or Node.js<br/>execution?"}

    YES["✅ Create a HOOK"]
    NO["❌ Not a hook"]

    Q1 -->|"Yes"| Q2
    Q1 -->|"No"| NO
    Q2 -->|"Yes"| Q3
    Q2 -->|"No"| NO
    Q3 -->|"Yes"| Q4
    Q3 -->|"No"| NO
    Q4 -->|"Yes"| YES
    Q4 -->|"No"| NO

    subgraph EXAMPLES["Hook Examples"]
        E1["session-start-rtica.js → Auto-load rt-ica"]
        E2["pre-commit → Validate before commit"]
        E3["post-tool → Log tool usage"]
    end

    YES --> EXAMPLES

Hook Characteristics:

• Defined in settings.json hooks array
• Triggered by events: session-start, pre-tool, post-tool, etc.
• Runs shell command or Node.js script
• Cannot prompt user - automated only
• Exit codes control flow (0=continue, non-0=block)

Comparison Table

Decision Flowchart Summary

START: What capability do I need?
│
├─► Runs on system events automatically?
│   └─► YES → HOOK
│
├─► User explicitly invokes with slash?
│   └─► YES → COMMAND
│
├─► Needs separate context, autonomous work?
│   └─► YES → AGENT
│
└─► Knowledge, patterns, or guidance?
    └─► YES → SKILL

Common Mistakes

Combination Patterns

Assets often work together:

flowchart LR
    HOOK["Hook<br/>Auto-triggers on event"]
    SKILL["Skill<br/>Loads knowledge"]
    COMMAND["Command<br/>User invokes action"]
    AGENT["Agent<br/>Executes autonomously"]

    HOOK -->|"Loads"| SKILL
    COMMAND -->|"Uses guidance from"| SKILL
    COMMAND -->|"Delegates to"| AGENT
    AGENT -->|"Follows patterns in"| SKILL

Example: session-start-rtica.js

1. Hook triggers on session start
2. Loads rt-ica skill
3. Skill provides requirements assessment methodology
4. User can also invoke via /rt-ica command

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