A skill lets you teach Claude to do almost anything. But what if what bugs you isn't what it knows, but the app: information that never shows up on screen, an action that runs without warning you, a button that doesn't exist? That's what Claude Code mods are for, launched by Anthropic in October 2026.
A mod is a set of changes made of small JavaScript or TypeScript functions that run inside Claude Code and react to what happens in it. In other words, it changes the app, not just the instructions you give the AI.
What's the difference between Skill, MCP and MOD?
- Skill: instructions the AI reads when it needs them. Changes what it knows and does.
- MCP: a connection to outside services. Changes which tools it has.
- Mod: runs inside the app. Changes what shows on screen and what happens before an action runs.
A skill teaches the AI what to do. A mod changes the place where it does it.
The three don't compete. They can all live in the same extension package, called a plugin.
What a mod can do
- Draw a panel beside the conversation or a strip above the prompt, with buttons and text fields.
- Redraw parts of Claude Code's own screen, like the indicator that it's thinking.
- Step into the middle of one of Claude's actions, hold it, and ask you before it goes on.
- Create your own /command that runs right away.
How a mod works in practice
Claude Code tells the mod every time something happens: a prompt sent, a tool used, a part of the screen being drawn. Each of those is an event, and the mod chooses what to do with it:
- Observe: note what happened and let it go through.
- Change: alter the event before it continues.
- Take over: handle it itself, so the default behavior never runs.
Here's an example from the official documentation: a mod that counts how many tools Claude has used and shows the number next to the "thinking" indicator, something like Thinking · tool calls: 3…. It observes every tool use and changes the indicator on screen. A few lines of code, and the app shows information that didn't exist before.
How to get a mod in three steps
- Ask Claude. Describe in a session what you want, and it writes the mod.
- Or install a ready-made one. Use /plugin install mod-name@marketplace.
- Turn it on. Run /reload-plugins in the open session.
A skill changes what the AI answers. A mod changes the place where it answers. Next time something in your app bugs you, maybe the question stops being "which prompt do I use" and becomes "which mod fixes this."
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