test-local

Test Plugin Locally

Set up a development marketplace for local testing and install the current plugin.

Prerequisites

• Must be run from a plugin root directory (containing .claude-plugin/plugin.json)
• Plugin should pass validation (run /plugin-development:validate first)

Instructions

What This Command Does

1. Creates a sibling dev-marketplace/ directory (if it doesn't exist)
2. Generates dev-marketplace/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json pointing to your plugin
3. Provides instructions for:
   • Adding the marketplace to Claude Code
   • Installing the plugin
   • Testing workflow (edit → reinstall → test loop)

Step 1: Read Plugin Metadata

Read .claude-plugin/plugin.json to get:

• Plugin name
• Plugin description
• Plugin version

Step 2: Determine Plugin Path

Get the current plugin directory path. Common patterns:

• Current working directory
• From the location of plugin.json

The marketplace source path should be relative from marketplace to plugin:

• If plugin is at /path/to/my-plugin/
• Dev marketplace at /path/to/dev-marketplace/
• Source path: ../my-plugin

Step 3: Create Dev Marketplace Structure

1. Create directory: ../dev-marketplace/.claude-plugin/
2. Create marketplace.json at ../dev-marketplace/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Step 4: Generate marketplace.json

Create with this structure:

{
  "name": "dev-marketplace",
  "owner": {
    "name": "Developer"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "description": "Local development marketplace for testing plugins",
    "version": "0.1.0"
  },
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "<plugin-name-from-plugin.json>",
      "description": "<description-from-plugin.json>",
      "version": "<version-from-plugin.json>",
      "source": "../<plugin-directory-name>"
    }
  ]
}

Important: The source path is relative from marketplace to plugin directory.

Step 5: Provide Testing Instructions

Display clear instructions for the user:

✅ Dev marketplace created at ../dev-marketplace/

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🚀 Testing Workflow

1️⃣  ADD MARKETPLACE (First time only)
   /plugin marketplace add ../dev-marketplace

   Verify:
   /plugin marketplace list

2️⃣  INSTALL PLUGIN
   /plugin install <plugin-name>@dev-marketplace

   Verify:
   /help
   (Your commands should appear)

3️⃣  TEST COMMANDS
   /<plugin-name>:<command-name> [args]

   Examples:
   /<plugin-name>:command1
   /<plugin-name>:command2 arg

4️⃣  ITERATION LOOP (After making changes)

   a. Edit your plugin files
   b. Validate: /plugin-development:validate
   c. Uninstall: /plugin uninstall <plugin-name>@dev-marketplace
   d. Reinstall: /plugin install <plugin-name>@dev-marketplace
   e. Test again: /<plugin-name>:command-name

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💡 Tips

- Must uninstall/reinstall to pick up changes
- Use /plugin-development:validate before each test
- Check /agents to see if your agents appear
- Use claude --debug to see plugin loading details
- Run hooks/scripts directly to test them: ./scripts/validate.sh

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📦 Marketplace Location
Path: ../dev-marketplace/
Config: ../dev-marketplace/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Plugin reference:
- Name: <plugin-name>
- Source: ../<plugin-directory>