Installing and Using Plugins

Plugins extend Claude Code with additional capabilities like code review, feature development workflows, and specialized tools.

What Are Plugins?

Plugins are bundles that can include:

Custom skills and commands
MCP server integrations
Specialized prompts
Workflow automation

Finding Plugins

Official Plugins

# List official plugins
claude plugins list --official

Community Plugins

# Search all plugins
claude plugins search <keyword>

Installing Plugins

From Official Registry

# Install an official plugin
claude plugins add code-review@claude-plugins-official

From GitHub

# Install from a GitHub repository
claude plugins add username/plugin-name

From Local Path

# Install a local plugin
claude plugins add ./my-plugin

Managing Plugins

List Installed Plugins

claude plugins list

Update Plugins

# Update all plugins
claude plugins update

# Update specific plugin
claude plugins update code-review@claude-plugins-official

Remove Plugins

claude plugins remove code-review@claude-plugins-official

Popular Plugins

Code Review

claude plugins add code-review@claude-plugins-official

Provides:

Automated PR reviews
Security vulnerability scanning
Code quality analysis

Feature Development

claude plugins add feature-dev@claude-plugins-official

Provides:

Guided feature planning
Architecture analysis
Implementation workflows

Frontend Design

claude plugins add frontend-design@claude-code-plugins

Provides:

UI component generation
Design system integration
Responsive layouts

Configuration

Enable/Disable Plugins

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "code-review@claude-plugins-official": true,
    "feature-dev@claude-plugins-official": false
  }
}

Plugin-Specific Settings

{
  "plugins": {
    "code-review@claude-plugins-official": {
      "severity": "strict",
      "ignorePatterns": ["*.test.ts"]
    }
  }
}

Using Plugin Features

Skills from Plugins

Plugins may add new slash commands:

/review-pr 123        # From code-review plugin
/feature-dev          # From feature-dev plugin
/frontend-design      # From frontend-design plugin

Automatic Capabilities

Some plugins enhance Claude's abilities automatically without explicit invocation.

Creating Your Own Plugin

Plugin Structure

my-plugin/
├── plugin.json       # Manifest file
├── skills/           # Custom skills
├── commands/         # Slash commands
└── README.md         # Documentation

Plugin Manifest

// plugin.json
{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "My custom plugin",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "skills": ["skills/"],
  "commands": ["commands/"]
}

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Loading

# Check plugin status
claude plugins status code-review@claude-plugins-official

# Reinstall
claude plugins remove code-review@claude-plugins-official
claude plugins add code-review@claude-plugins-official

Conflicts Between Plugins

If plugins conflict, disable one:

{
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "conflicting-plugin": false
  }
}

Best Practices

Start minimal: Only install plugins you need
Keep updated: Regularly update for bug fixes
Check compatibility: Verify plugin works with your Claude Code version
Review permissions: Understand what each plugin can access