Claude Code Plugin Structure
anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Explains the directory layout, plugin.json manifest and component organization of a Claude Code plugin, including auto-discovery and portable paths.
Workflows, patterns and examples for the whole Claude Code plugin lifecycle: creating, adding components, testing, troubleshooting, releasing and maintaining plugins.
Install Claude Code Plugin Development
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-plugins --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .claude/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .claude/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-pluginsType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-plugins --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .agents/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .agents/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-plugins --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .cursor/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .cursor/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git --path skills/developing-claude-code-plugins--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-plugins --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .gemini/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .gemini/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-pluginsInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .github/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .github/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code developing-claude-code-plugins --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins .opencode/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "developing-claude-code-plugins" agent skill from https://github.com/obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code/tree/main/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins into .opencode/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "developing-claude-code-plugins", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
developing-claude-code-plugins- GitHub stars
- 142
- Token cost
- ~2.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 726 words
- Files
- 5 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 2
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Workflows, patterns and examples for the whole Claude Code plugin lifecycle: creating, adding components, testing, troubleshooting, releasing and maintaining plugins.
- Works in 6 steps: Plan → Create Structure → Add Components → …
- Creating a new Claude Code plugin from scratch
- SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Quick Reference and Plugin Development Workflow, plus 5 more sections
- Calls git
What it does
The skill condenses official plugin documentation into actionable steps. It is meant for creating a plugin from scratch, adding skills, commands, hooks or MCP servers to an existing one, setting up a development marketplace for testing, troubleshooting structure problems, and releasing with versioning, tagging and marketplace distribution. For the full official docs it points to a separate working-with-claude-code skill.
A quick-reference table sends each need to a reference file: plugin-structure for directory layout, common-patterns for choosing a pattern, polyglot-hooks for hooks that work across platforms and troubleshooting for debugging. The workflow starts with planning the purpose, audience and components and picking a pattern, such as a simple one-skill plugin, an MCP integration with guidance, a command collection or a full-featured platform. It then creates the directories, the required plugin.json and a development marketplace file for local testing, with a minimal greeter plugin and a full-featured one as examples.
When your agent uses it
- Creating a new Claude Code plugin from scratch
- Adding skills, commands, hooks or MCP servers to an existing plugin
- Setting up a development marketplace for local testing
- Troubleshooting plugin structure problems
- Releasing or updating a plugin with versioning and tagging
Example prompts
- “Create a Claude Code plugin with one skill that formats changelogs, and set up a dev marketplace so I can test it locally.”
- “Add a hook that works on both Windows and macOS to my existing plugin.”
- “My plugin does not show up after install, so troubleshoot its structure.”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Plan
- Create Structure
- Add Components
- Test Locally
- Debug and Refine
- Release and Distribute
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 74afe93. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
git
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
github.com
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Claude Code Plugin Development loads about 2.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~9.3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 55 tokens; SKILL.md has 726 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 726 words (~2,196 tokens).
“This skill provides efficient workflows for creating Claude Code plugins. Use it to make plugin development fast and correct - it synthesizes official docs into actionable steps and provides working examples.”
- name
- developing-claude-code-plugins
Files
SKILL.md and 4 other files (references) in skills/developing-claude-code-plugins of obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code.
- SKILL.md
- references/common-patterns.md
- references/plugin-structure.md
- references/polyglot-hooks.md
- references/troubleshooting.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 74afe93
Compare with similar skills
Claude Code Plugin Development next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code Plugin Development this skillobra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code | 142 | — | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Claude Code Plugin Structureanthropics/claude-plugins-official | 37k | 10 repos | ~3.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Writing Pluginsnukeop/nuclear | 19k | — | ~825 | Automated safety check: Pass | AGPL-3.0 | |
| OpenCode Plugin CreatorDevin-AXIS/iPolloWork | 6.7k | 1 repos | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Create Harnessruvnet/metaharness | 688 | — | ~777 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Hana Plugin CreatorZS520L/HanakoPro | 102 | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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- Official
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Devin-AXIS/iPolloWork
Scaffolds an OpenCode plugin for iPolloWork with the right async factory shape, zod-based tool definitions and hook registration, and explains where to place and register it.
Create Harness
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Scaffold your own focused AI agent harness — pick host (Claude Code, Codex, pi.dev, Hermes), template, agents, skills, and ship a npm-publishable harness with its own npx CLI.
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More from obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code
Working With Claude Code Docs
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Looks up official Claude Code documentation stored as reference files instead of guessing about CLI commands, configuration, or plugin APIs.
Related
Categories
Questions about Claude Code Plugin Development
What does Claude Code Plugin Development do?
Workflows, patterns and examples for the whole Claude Code plugin lifecycle: creating, adding components, testing, troubleshooting, releasing and maintaining plugins. The skill condenses official plugin documentation into actionable steps. It is meant for creating a plugin from scratch, adding skills, commands, hooks or MCP servers to an existing one, setting up a development marketplace for testing, troubleshooting structure problems, and releasing with versioning, tagging and marketplace distribution.
When should I use Claude Code Plugin Development?
Claude Code Plugin Development fits situations like: creating a new Claude Code plugin from scratch; adding skills, commands, hooks or MCP servers to an existing plugin; setting up a development marketplace for local testing; troubleshooting plugin structure problems.
How do I install Claude Code Plugin Development in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/developing-claude-code-plugins in obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code) into .claude/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Claude Code Plugin Development in Codex?
Run `npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/developing-claude-code-plugins in obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code) into .agents/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Claude Code Plugin Development in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code --skill developing-claude-code-plugins -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins, .gemini/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins, .github/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins and .opencode/skills/developing-claude-code-plugins in your project.
What does Claude Code Plugin Development need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Claude Code Plugin Development needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git).
Does Claude Code Plugin Development access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Claude Code Plugin Development safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Claude Code Plugin Development use?
No licence was found for Claude Code Plugin Development or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Claude Code Plugin Development use?
About 2.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 7.1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Claude Code Plugin Development?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Claude Code Plugin Development: Claude Code Plugin Structure (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 37k stars), Writing Plugins (nukeop/nuclear, 19k stars), OpenCode Plugin Creator (Devin-AXIS/iPolloWork, 6.7k stars) and Create Harness (ruvnet/metaharness, 688 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Claude Code Plugin Development?
obra (a GitHub user) maintains it in obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code, which has 142 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on December 3, 2025.
Source: obra/superpowers-developing-for-claude-code on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.