CLAUDE CODE PLUGINS

1. What Is a Claude Code Plugin?

A plugin is a self-contained extension that can add functionality to Claude Code. The current plugin system can package components such as:

Claude Code's plugin reference describes a plugin as a self-contained directory of components that extends Claude Code. citeturn0search2

2. What Is a Marketplace?

A marketplace is a catalog of plugins someone has created and shared.

3. The Complete Plugin Flow

1. Add a marketplace.
2. Open /plugin.
3. Go to Discover.
4. Open a plugin's details.
5. Review what it adds.
6. Choose User, Project, or Local scope.
7. Install it.
8. Run /reload-plugins when required.
9. Use the plugin's namespaced commands or capabilities.

4. Official Anthropic Marketplace

Claude Code makes the official Anthropic marketplace, claude-plugins-official, available automatically when starting interactively in current versions. If it cannot be added automatically, you can add it manually. citeturn0view0

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official

Open the marketplace browser:

/plugin

Install a plugin:

/plugin install github@claude-plugins-official

5. Discover Tab

/plugin opens the interactive plugin manager. The current interface includes tabs such as:

Use Tab to move forward and Shift+Tab to move backward through the tabs. citeturn0view0

6. What to Check Before Installing

The current Discover interface can show useful information before installation, including:

• Context cost estimate — how many tokens the plugin may add to the context window each turn.
• Last updated — when the plugin was last updated, when available.
• Will install — commands, agents, skills, hooks, MCP servers, and LSP servers the plugin will add.

7. Installation Scopes

The interactive installer lets you choose User, Project, or Local scope; managed plugins may be controlled by administrators. citeturn0view0

8. User vs Project vs Local — Simple Example

/plugin install github@claude-plugins-official

9. Code Intelligence Plugins

Code intelligence plugins configure Language Server Protocol connections so Claude Code can use language-server capabilities.

The language-server binary must be installed separately; the plugin configures the connection but does not install that binary. citeturn0view0

10. What Code Intelligence Gives Claude

11. Cloud Session Limitation for LSP

The current documentation notes that in cloud sessions Claude Code does not start plugin language servers, so the LSP tool is not available there. citeturn0view0

12. External Integration Plugins

Some marketplace plugins bundle pre-configured MCP servers so Claude can connect to external services without manual MCP setup.

These examples are listed in the current official marketplace documentation. citeturn0view0

13. Security Guidance Plugin

The official marketplace includes a security-guidance plugin that reviews changes Claude makes for common vulnerabilities and instructs Claude to fix issues it finds in the same session. citeturn0view0

14. Development Workflow Plugins

15. Output Style Plugins

16. Community Marketplace

The community marketplace is separate from the official Anthropic marketplace. The current docs identify anthropics/claude-plugins-community as the community marketplace and say its third-party plugins have passed Anthropic's automated validation and safety screening. Plugins are pinned to a specific commit SHA in the catalog. citeturn0view0

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

Then install using the marketplace name:

/plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community

17. Demo Marketplace

Anthropic also maintains a demo marketplace called claude-code-plugins that demonstrates what the plugin system can do.

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-code

Then:

/plugin

Open Discover and browse its example plugins.

18. Install a Plugin from the Demo Marketplace

/plugin install commit-commands@claude-code-plugins

After installation, the plugin can expose namespaced Skills such as:

/commit-commands:commit

Plugin commands are namespaced by plugin name, helping prevent conflicts between different plugins. citeturn0view0

19. Why Plugin Namespaces Matter

20. Add a Marketplace from GitHub

A GitHub marketplace is referenced using owner/repo format and must contain a marketplace catalog such as .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-code

General pattern:

/plugin marketplace add your-org/your-marketplace

21. Add a Marketplace from Other Git Hosts

Claude Code can add marketplaces from Git URLs, including GitLab, Bitbucket, and self-hosted Git repositories.

/plugin marketplace add https://git.example.com/team/claude-plugins.git

22. Add a Marketplace from a Local Path

For local development you can point Claude Code to a directory or a direct marketplace.json path.

/plugin marketplace add ./my-marketplace

23. Add a Marketplace from a Remote URL

You can also provide a direct URL to a hosted marketplace.json file.

/plugin marketplace add https://example.com/marketplace.json

24. Marketplace Command Shortcuts

Claude Code supports shorter aliases:

/plugin market add owner/repo
/plugin market rm marketplace-name

market can be used instead of marketplace, and rm instead of remove. citeturn0view0

25. Install Plugins from the CLI

/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name

User scope is the default for direct installs.

For explicit CLI scope commands supported by current versions:

claude plugin install formatter@your-org --scope project
claude plugin uninstall formatter@your-org --scope project

26. Manage Installed Plugins

Open:

/plugin

Then go to Installed. You can filter, inspect, enable, disable, uninstall, and favorite plugins.

Direct commands:

/plugin disable plugin-name@marketplace-name
/plugin enable plugin-name@marketplace-name
/plugin uninstall plugin-name@marketplace-name

27. Enable, Disable, Uninstall — Difference

28. Reload Plugins Without Restarting

After installing, enabling, or disabling a plugin, Claude Code can apply the change with:

/reload-plugins

Current versions may automatically run reload after installation when the install summary requests it. If reload warns that the next message would re-read the conversation, use:

/reload-plugins --force

Reloading can show counts for plugins, Skills, agents, hooks, plugin MCP servers, and plugin LSP servers. citeturn0view0

29. Marketplace Management

Use the Marketplaces tab to add, remove, or update marketplaces.

/plugin

Then select Marketplaces.

30. Auto-Updates

Marketplace auto-update behavior depends on marketplace type. The current docs say official Anthropic marketplaces have auto-update enabled by default, while third-party and local development marketplaces have it disabled by default.

You can manage auto-update from:

/plugin → Marketplaces → Select marketplace

There are also environment variables for global update behavior:

export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1

To keep plugin auto-updates while disabling Claude Code's own updater:

export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1
export FORCE_AUTOUPDATE_PLUGINS=1

31. Team Marketplaces

Teams can configure additional known marketplaces in project .claude/settings.json.

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "my-team-tools": {
      "source": {
        "source": "github",
        "repo": "your-org/claude-plugins"
      }
    }
  }
}

When team members trust the repository, Claude Code can prompt them to install configured marketplaces/plugins. citeturn0view0

32. Project Plugins vs User Plugins

33. Plugin Security

Claude Code's current documentation explicitly warns that Anthropic does not control what MCP servers, files, or other software are included in plugins and cannot verify that they work as intended. Trust the plugin before installing it. citeturn0search0

34. Plugin Cache & File References

Installed plugins are copied into a cache. Paths in a plugin that reference files outside the plugin directory may therefore fail after installation.

35. Troubleshooting — /plugin Not Recognized

1. Update Claude Code to the latest version.
2. If the terminal environment does not expose /plugin, use the plugin browser in the Claude desktop app when available.
3. For cloud sessions, configure plugins through supported settings such as enabledPlugins.

36. Troubleshooting — Marketplace Not Found

If the official marketplace cannot be found:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official

Then retry installation.

37. Troubleshooting — Plugin Not Found

• Check the exact plugin name.
• Confirm the marketplace was added.
• Update the marketplace catalog.
• Check the Errors tab.

38. Troubleshooting — Skill Not Appearing

If a plugin installs but its Skills do not appear, current documentation suggests clearing the plugin cache and restarting/reinstalling in appropriate troubleshooting cases:

rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache

39. Troubleshooting — Code Intelligence

40. Example — Java Spring Boot Developer

If you work on Spring Boot, a Java LSP plugin can provide language-server intelligence once jdtls is installed and available.

/plugin
→ Discover
→ Java / jdtls-lsp
→ Review
→ Install

The plugin can help Claude navigate definitions/references and receive Java diagnostics after edits, subject to the environment and language-server behavior. citeturn0view0

41. Example — Next.js Developer

For TypeScript/JavaScript projects, the TypeScript LSP plugin can provide language-server intelligence when the required binary is installed.

/plugin
→ Discover
→ TypeScript / typescript-lsp
→ Install

42. Example — GitHub Workflow

/plugin install github@claude-plugins-official

A plugin can bundle an MCP connection so Claude can work with the external service without you manually configuring that MCP server. citeturn0view0

43. Marketplace vs Plugin

44. Marketplace vs Skills

45. Marketplace vs MCP

MCP is a protocol for connecting Claude to external tools/data. A plugin can bundle an MCP server so installation becomes simpler.

46. Plugin Discovery Checklist

47. Common Mistakes

48. Quick Mental Map

49. Interview Questions

50. Practice Exercises

51. Final Cheat Sheet

52. Final Takeaway

Claude Code plugins solve the problem of repeatedly building or configuring the same capabilities. Instead of manually setting up Skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers, or LSP integrations one by one, you can discover a packaged plugin through a marketplace, inspect what it adds, choose the right installation scope, install it, reload Claude Code, and use its capabilities.