YouTip

Plugins are the **highest-level extension mechanism** in Claude Code, used to package, version, share, and distribute capabilities such as commands, agents, Skills, hooks, MCP, and LSP. **Plugin = A set of reusable Claude Code extension capabilities** A plugin can contain: * Slash Commands * Sub-agents * Skills (capability descriptions) * Hooks (event hooks) * MCP servers (external tools/services) * LSP servers (code intelligence) > The core goal of plugins is simple: > > > **To make Claude Code's capabilities reusable like a toolbox, rather than reconfiguring each project individually** * * * ## Plugins vs Independent Configuration (How to Choose) Claude Code supports two extension methods: | Method | Command Format | Suitable Scenarios | | --- | --- | --- | | **Independent Configuration** (`.claude/`) | `/hello` | Personal use, single project, quick experiments | | **Plugin** (`.claude-plugin/`) | `/plugin-name:hello` | Team sharing, cross-project, versioned | ### When to Use Independent Configuration? * Used only in the current project * Personal workflow * Experimental configurations that are not yet stable * Wanting short command names (e.g., `/review`) ### When to Use Plugins? * To reuse across **multiple projects** * To **share with teams or community** * Need **version control, upgrades, rollbacks** * Planning to distribute via marketplace * Can accept namespace commands (to avoid conflicts) > **Best Practice:** > > > Iterate in `.claude/` first → Package into plugin once stable * * * ## Minimum Plugin Structure (Must Remember) my-plugin/├── .claude-plugin/│ └── plugin.json # Plugin manifest (required)├── commands/ # Slash commands├── agents/ # Sub-agents├── skills/ # Skills├── hooks/ # Hooks├── .mcp.json # MCP configuration└── .lsp.json # LSP configuration **Important Rules** * Only `plugin.json` is allowed in the `.claude-plugin/` directory * Other directories must be at the plugin root * * * ## Plugin Manifest (plugin.json) The plugin's "ID card", determines: * Plugin name * Command namespace * Version * Author information Example: { "name": "my-first-plugin", "description": "A greeting plugin to learn the basics", "version": "1.0.0", "author": { "name": "Your Name" }} Key Field Descriptions: | Field | Purpose | | --- | --- | | name | Unique identifier + command namespace | | description | Displayed in plugin marketplace | | version | Semantic versioning | | author | Optional, for attribution | * * * ## Slash Commands (Most Common Plugin Capability) ### 1. Command Definition Method * Located in the `commands/` directory * Each command = one Markdown file * File name = command name Example: commands/hello.md Corresponding command: /my-first-plugin:hello ### 2. Sample Command Content --- description: Greet the user with a friendly message ---Greet the user warmly and ask how you can help them today. ### 3. Command Arguments Use `$ARGUMENTS` to capture user input: Greet the user named "$ARGUMENTS" warmly. Invocation: /my-first-plugin:hello Alex * * * ## Local Plugin Testing (Essential for Development) Load plugin directory directly using `--plugin-dir`: claude --plugin-dir ./my-plugin Features: * No installation required * Requires restarting Claude Code after changes * Supports loading multiple plugins simultaneously claude --plugin-dir ./plugin-a --plugin-dir ./plugin-b * * * ## What Else Can Plugins Do | Capability | Usage | | --- | --- | | Commands | Custom slash commands | | Agents | Dedicated sub-agents | | Skills | Teach Claude when to use certain capabilities | | Hooks | Automation (run command after saving file, etc.) | | MCP | Connect external services (GitHub, DB, API) | | LSP | Code intelligence (navigation, type checking) | * * * ## Plugin Marketplace Plugins are distributed through the **marketplace**, essentially a repository of plugin directories. ### Official Marketplace * Added by default * Run `/plugin` → **Discover** !(#) Install plugin: /plugin install plugin-name@claude-plugins-official * * * ## Plugin Installation Scope | Scope | Description | | --- | --- | | User scope | Only for yourself, all projects | | Project scope | Current repository, team shared | | Local scope | Current repository, only for you | Recommendations: * Team tools → **Project scope** * Personal productivity tools → **User scope** * * * ## Typical Plugin Categories ### 1. Code Intelligence (LSP) * TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, etc. * Provides definition navigation, references, type errors Requires local installation of corresponding language servers ### 2. External Integration (MCP) * GitHub / GitLab * Jira / Notion * Slack / Figma * Vercel / Supabase > Essence: **Plugin = MCP server + configuration** ### 3. Development Workflow * Git commits, PRs * Code review agent * Plugin development tools * * * ## Common Plugin Management Commands /plugin # Open plugin manager/plugin install # Install plugin/plugin uninstall # Uninstall/plugin enable/disable # Enable / Disable/plugin marketplace add # Add marketplace/plugin marketplace rm # Remove marketplace * * * ## Migrating from `.claude/` to Plugins (Core Idea) | Original | After Migration | | --- | --- | | `.claude/commands` | `plugin/commands` | | `.claude/agents` | `plugin/agents` | | `settings.json hooks` | `plugin/hooks/hooks.json` | After migration: * Plugin versions take precedence * Old `.claude/` configs can be removed to prevent duplication * * * ## When You Must Use Plugins? * You already have a **stable Claude workflow** * You're **repeatedly copying `.claude/`** * Team members start asking: "How do I configure this?" * You want Claude to behave like an IDE plugin > **Plugins mark the watershed between Claude Code as a "personal AI assistant" and an "engineering tool"**