Skills vs MCP vs RAG vs Memory: the four knowledge layers production agents need
MaryamMiradi · x · 2026-10-21
Dr. Maryam Miradi breaks down four complementary mechanisms for feeding AI agents context, using a production checkout 500-error scenario: Skills encode procedure ("what should I do?"), MCP provides access to logs/metrics/databases ("what can I access?"), RAG retrieves documented organizational knowledge ("what does the org already know?"), and Memory stores lessons from past incidents ("what have I learned before?"). They solve different problems, and production agents typically need all four working together.
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