Cloud Skills Are Still Just Skills
Anthropic's new /ultraplan and /ultrareview features for Claude Code offer enhanced code review and planning with verification steps, but run as closed, cloud-based tools rather than open skills. The author tested /ultrareview against their own open-source PR review pipeline and found comparable core performance, with the main improvement being a final verification step that reduces false positives. While the ultra features provide practical benefits, they contrast with the previously open, inspectable skill model that encouraged learning and adaptation.
- ▪/ultraplan and /ultrareview run on Anthropic's cloud with hidden prompts and pipelines, charging after three free uses.
- ▪The key improvement in /ultrareview is a verification step that checks findings against current code to reduce false positives.
- ▪Previously, all Claude Code skills were open as readable markdown, enabling users to learn, modify, and build on them.
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Home » PostsCloud Skills Are Still Just SkillsI A/B tested /ultrareview against my own pr-review skill. The ultra features add a verification step. That's it. The opacity is the product, not the skill.April 30, 2026 · 5 minTable of ContentsWhat the Ultra Features DoA/B Testing Against My Own PipelineThe Tension with Open SkillsThe Commercial LogicWhat This Means for the Skill EcosystemAnthropic shipped /ultraplan and /ultrareview for Claude Code last month. I spent a week testing them against skills I already built.
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