claude-plugins: Instructions file for Claude Code

claude-plugins

Claude Code plugin marketplace by shrivu.

Repo Structure

claude-plugins/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── marketplace.json        # Marketplace catalog (lists all plugins)
├── plugins/
│   └── <plugin-name>/
│       ├── .claude-plugin/
│       │   └── plugin.json     # Plugin manifest (name, version, description)
│       ├── skills/
│       │   └── <skill-name>/
│       │       └── SKILL.md    # Skill definition
│       ├── agents/             # Agent definitions (.md files)
│       ├── hooks/              # Hook scripts
│       └── ...
├── CLAUDE.md
└── README.md

Adding a Plugin

1. Create a new directory under plugins/ with your plugin name (kebab-case).
2. Add a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest inside it.
3. Add skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers, or LSP servers as needed.
4. Register the plugin in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json under the plugins array.

Docs

• Plugin marketplaces: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugin-marketplaces
• Creating plugins: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins
• Plugin reference: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference
• Discover plugins: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-plugins

Skills Authoring Reference

When building skills for plugins, refer to these guides:

• Skills Overview: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/overview

  • Skills are modular, filesystem-based capabilities with progressive disclosure (metadata -> SKILL.md -> bundled files)
  • SKILL.md requires YAML frontmatter with name (lowercase/hyphens, max 64 chars) and description (max 1024 chars, no reserved words like "anthropic"/"claude")
  • Three loading levels: metadata (always loaded, ~100 tokens), instructions (on trigger, <5k tokens), resources (as needed, unlimited)
  • Skills can bundle scripts, templates, and reference files alongside SKILL.md

• Skills Best Practices: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/best-practices

  • Be concise — only add context Claude doesn't already have; keep SKILL.md body under 500 lines
  • Write descriptions in third person that include both what the skill does and when to use it
  • Use progressive disclosure: SKILL.md as overview, separate files for details (one level deep, no nested refs)
  • Match freedom level to task fragility: high freedom for flexible tasks, low freedom for fragile/exact operations
  • Use gerund naming (e.g. processing-pdfs) or action-oriented names; avoid vague names like helper/utils
  • Include feedback loops (run validator -> fix -> repeat) and checklists for complex workflows
  • For executable scripts: handle errors explicitly, document constants, prefer execution over loading into context