Direct answer
Claude Code plugins are installable packages that can add skills, slash commands, agents, hooks, Model Context Protocol servers, and other extensions to Claude Code. Browse the plugin directory with /plugin, inspect a plugin before installation, choose the narrowest useful scope, then install and verify it from the terminal.
What is a Claude Code plugin?
A Claude Code plugin is a versioned package of related extensions. One plugin can contain skills, commands, specialist agents, hooks, MCP server configuration, or language-server support. This makes a plugin useful when a workflow needs more than one instruction file or when a team wants one installable unit.
A plugin changes what Claude Code can run or load. Treat installation as a code and permission decision, not as a cosmetic preference.
Install a plugin from the official directory
Open the interactive plugin directory with /plugin, select Discover, and inspect the plugin page before you install it. The terminal commands below show the same workflow for a named plugin.
# Browse installed and available plugins in Claude Code
/plugin
# Install one plugin from Anthropic's official directory
/plugin install frontend-design@claude-plugins-official
# Verify the installed plugin from your shell
claude plugin listA safe plugin installation path
Discover the plugin, inspect what it contains, install it at the right scope, reload Claude Code, and verify the result.
- Discover: Find the plugin in a marketplace you recognize.
- Inspect: Read its manifest, hooks, scripts, MCP servers, and source.
- Install: Choose user, project, or local scope deliberately.
- Reload: Restart or reload Claude Code when the plugin asks for it.
- Verify: List plugins and run a small, reversible test.
Choose a plugin by the job
There is no permanent list of the best Claude Code plugins. Start with the job you need to complete, then check the current directory because names and packages can change.
feature-dev or code-review
Agent roles, commands, and review scope
frontend-design
Skills loaded and any files it can change
typescript-lsp
Required language server and executable access
plugin-dev
Generated files, validation steps, and install scope
hookify or commit-commands
Hooks, shell commands, and repository permissions
Official directory and community marketplaces
Anthropic maintains the claude-plugins-official directory and the marketplace metadata that Claude Code uses to present it. The directory includes plugins built by Anthropic and integrations from other providers.
An official listing is a useful provenance signal, but it does not make external code, MCP servers, or services risk-free. A community marketplace can also be useful when its owner, source repository, maintenance history, and requested access are clear. Apply the same inspection to both.
Plugin or skill?
Use a skill when you need one focused set of instructions that Claude can load for a task. Use a plugin when you need a distributable bundle with several capabilities or supporting configuration.
One repeatable task or domain method
A SKILL.md file plus optional references, scripts, or assets
A versioned extension installed for a user or project
Skills, agents, commands, hooks, MCP configuration, or LSP support
Check permissions before installation
Read the source and configuration before you install a plugin. The relevant permission is the access created by its combined parts, including code that may run through hooks or external servers.
- Confirm the repository owner, recent maintenance, license, and release history.
- Inspect the plugin manifest and every bundled hook, script, agent, command, skill, and MCP server.
- Check which local files, shell commands, network services, and credentials the plugin can reach.
- Choose user scope only when you want the plugin in every project. Use project or local scope for narrower access.
- Never paste secrets into a plugin prompt or commit credentials in plugin configuration.
- Test on a reversible task, review the diff, and remove the plugin if its behavior is unclear.
Practical plugin examples
The plugin-dev package helps authors create and validate plugin structure. The frontend-design package adds design-oriented instructions for interface work. Language plugins such as typescript-lsp connect language-server features, while security-guidance adds security checks to relevant workflows.
These examples explain the range of the format. They are not an endorsement for every repository. Verify the current package contents and decide whether the plugin fits your project before installation.
Troubleshoot plugin installation
- Run claude plugin list to confirm the package name, version, scope, and enabled state.
- Run claude plugin update for an installed plugin when its documented fix is in a newer release.
- Reload Claude Code after installation or configuration changes.
- Check that the marketplace name and plugin name match the install command exactly.
- Validate local plugin structure before testing an unpublished plugin.
- If a plugin command is missing, inspect whether the plugin is disabled or installed at a different scope.
- Remove a plugin whose origin, permissions, or runtime behavior you cannot verify.
Add Better Design to the Claude Code workflow
Better Design connects to Claude Code through MCP. It provides design-system discovery, UI and UX principles, implementation guidance, and rendered review tools. It does not install an unrelated plugin or bypass Claude Code's permission controls.
Use the Claude Code install page for the current connection command, then keep the plugin workflow focused on any additional extension you have reviewed.
Steal this workflow
Run this guide in your own assistant. The prompt carries the guide link and the workflow summary, so the assistant can adapt it to your project.
Read the guide "Claude Code plugins: install and use them safely" at https://better-design.com/guides/claude-code-plugins and help me apply it to my project.
Claude Code plugins are installable packages that can add skills, slash commands, agents, hooks, Model Context Protocol servers, and other extensions to Claude Code. Browse the plugin directory with /plugin, inspect a plugin before installation, choose the narrowest useful scope, then install and verify it from the terminal.
Start by asking what I am building and which tools I use. Then walk me through the workflow step by step, adapted to my answers.Claude and ChatGPT open with the prompt filled in. Gemini copies the prompt to your clipboard first, so paste it when the app opens.
Questions
How do I open Claude Code plugins?
Enter /plugin inside Claude Code to open the plugin interface. Select Discover to browse available plugins, or use the claude plugin commands from a shell to list and manage installed packages.
Is the command /plugin or /plugins?
The current Claude Code documentation uses the singular /plugin command for the interactive plugin interface. Search queries often use claude /plugins, but that is not the documented command.
Are official Claude plugins safe?
An official directory improves provenance, but installation can still add hooks, scripts, MCP servers, or external services. Inspect the source and requested access before you install any plugin.
What is the difference between a Claude Code plugin and a skill?
A skill is a focused instruction package for a task. A plugin is a versioned installation unit that can bundle skills with agents, commands, hooks, MCP servers, or other extensions.
Can a team share the same plugin setup?
Yes. Install a reviewed plugin at project scope when the repository should share it, and commit only the safe project configuration. Keep personal or experimental plugins at local or user scope.
How do I remove a Claude Code plugin?
Use the plugin management interface or the current claude plugin uninstall command for the installed package. Then reload Claude Code and verify that its commands, hooks, and servers no longer load.
Claude Code plugin documentation
Current Anthropic documentation and source repositories for plugin discovery, packaging, commands, and security review.