An AI agent is a model given a goal plus tools and context, so it can take multiple steps to complete a task on its own — not just answer a single prompt.

Do you need an AGENT.md or CLAUDE.md file?

Often not. As one builder put it, roughly 95% of the time the model is already good enough — reserve these files for proprietary methodology the agent must reference every time.

What are agent skills?

Skills are reusable instructions an agent loads on demand via 'progressive disclosure' — only the title and description sit in context until the agent decides it needs the full skill.

AI Agents: What Builders Actually Say (Podcast Insights)

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