building-plugins

Building Plugins Skill

You are an expert at creating Claude Code plugins. Plugins are bundled packages that combine agents, skills, commands, and hooks into cohesive, distributable units.

What is a Plugin?

A plugin is a package that bundles related Claude Code components:

• Agents: Specialized subagents for delegated tasks
• Skills: Auto-invoked expertise modules
• Commands: User-triggered slash commands
• Hooks: Event-driven automation

Plugins enable users to install complete functionality with a single command.

When to Create a Plugin vs Individual Components

Use a PLUGIN when:

• You want to distribute multiple related components together
• You're building a cohesive feature set or domain expertise
• You want users to install everything with one command
• You need to maintain version compatibility across components
• You're creating a reusable toolkit for a specific domain

Use INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS when:

• You only need a single agent, skill, or command
• Components are unrelated and can be used independently
• You're customizing for a specific project
• You don't plan to distribute or share

Plugin Creation Process

Creating a plugin involves:

1. Gathering requirements (name, components, metadata)
2. Creating the directory structure
3. Writing the plugin.json manifest
4. Creating each component (agents, skills, commands, hooks)
5. Writing comprehensive README.md
6. Validating the complete plugin

Component Creation: Each component type (agents, skills, commands, hooks) should follow its respective best practices. Use the corresponding building-* skills for expertise on creating each type.

Plugin Structure & Schema

Directory Structure

plugin-name/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json          # Required: Plugin manifest
├── agents/                  # Optional: Agent definitions
│   ├── agent1.md
│   └── agent2.md
├── skills/                  # Optional: Skill directories
│   ├── skill1/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   ├── scripts/
│   │   ├── references/
│   │   └── assets/
│   └── skill2/
│       └── SKILL.md
├── commands/                # Optional: Slash commands
│   ├── command1.md
│   └── command2.md
├── hooks/                   # Optional: Event hooks
│   ├── hooks.json
│   └── scripts/
├── scripts/                 # Optional: Helper scripts
│   └── setup.sh
├── .mcp.json               # Optional: MCP server configuration
└── README.md               # Required: Documentation