Claude Code Plugin Template

Create and distribute Claude Code plugins for your team or community. This GitHub template provides everything you need to build a plugin — from scaffolding and validation to CI/CD automation.

Why Use This Template?

• Skip the boilerplate — Pre-configured marketplace structure and plugin manifests.
• Full plugin development toolkit — Commands for scaffolding plugins, adding components (commands, skills, agents, hooks), and validating before release
• Best practices built-in — Comprehensive documentation, examples, and guided workflows

What's Included

Component	Description
Plugin Development Toolkit	plugin-dev plugin with a core SKILL.md (1,619 words), 3 example structures (minimal, standard, advanced), and 2 reference docs
Example Plugin	example-plugin plugin demonstrating proper structure and best practices
Documentation	Complete guides for plugins, hooks, settings, commands, skills, and sub-agents

Quick Start

1. Create Your Marketplace

Click "Use this template" on GitHub, then clone your new repository:

git clone [https://github.com/your-org/your-marketplace-name.git](https://github.com/your-org/your-marketplace-name.git)
cd your-marketplace-name

2. Customize the Marketplace

Update .claude-plugin/marketplace.json with your organization details:

{
  "name": "my-team-marketplace",
  "owner": {
    "name": "Your Organization",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "description": "A curated collection of Claude Code plugins for our team",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "plugins": []
}

3. Install the Plugin Development Toolkit

# Start Claude Code
claude

# Add your local marketplace
/plugin marketplace add .

# Install the development toolkit
/plugin install plugin-development@my-team-marketplace

4. Create Your First Plugin

1. Plan your plugin structure:

• Ask: "What's the best directory structure for a plugin with commands and MCP integration?"
• The plugin-structure skill will guide you

2. Add MCP integration (if needed):

• Ask: "How do I add an MCP server for database access?"
• The mcp-integration skill provides examples and patterns

3. Implement hooks (if needed):

• Ask: "Create a PreToolUse hook that validates file writes"
• The hook-development skill gives working examples and utilities

Development Workflow

The plugin-development toolkit supports your entire plugin development lifecycle:

┌─────────────────────┐
│  Design Structure   │ ──> plugin-structure skill
│  (manifest, layout) │
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
┌──────────▼──────────┐
│    Add Components   │ ──> All skills provide guidance
│ (commands, agents,  │
│    skills, hooks)   │
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
┌──────────▼──────────┐
│ Integrate Services  │ ──> mcp-integration skill
│    (MCP servers)    │
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
┌──────────▼──────────┐
│   Add Automation    │ ──> hook-development skill
│ (hooks, validation) │     + utility scripts
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
┌──────────▼──────────┐
│   Test & Validate   │ ──> hook-development utilities:
│                     │     - validate-hook-schema.sh
└─────────────────────┘     - test-hook.sh
                            - hook-linter.sh

Documentation Standards

All skills follow consistent standards:

• Third-person descriptions ("This skill should be used when...")
• Strong trigger phrases for reliable loading
• Imperative/infinitive form throughout
• Based on official Claude Code documentation
• Security-first approach with best practices

Use Cases

Building a Database Plugin

1. "What's the structure for a plugin with MCP integration?"
   → plugin-structure skill provides layout

2. "How do I configure an stdio MCP server for PostgreSQL?"
   → mcp-integration skill shows configuration

3. "Add a Stop hook to ensure connections close properly"
   → hook-development skill provides pattern

Creating a Validation Plugin

1. "Create hooks that validate all file writes for security"
   → hook-development skill with examples

2. "Test my hooks before deploying"
   → Use validate-hook-schema.sh and test-hook.sh

3. "Organize my hooks and configuration files"
   → plugin-structure skill shows best practices

Integrating External Services

1. "Add Asana MCP server with OAuth"
   → mcp-integration skill covers SSE servers

2. "Use Asana tools in my commands"
   → mcp-integration tool-usage reference

3. "Structure my plugin with commands and MCP"
   → plugin-structure skill provides patterns

Best Practices

✅ Security First

• Input validation in hooks
• HTTPS/WSS for MCP servers
• Environment variables for credentials
• Principle of least privilege

✅ Portability

• Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} everywhere
• Relative paths only
• Environment variable substitution

✅ Testing

• Validate configurations before deployment
• Test hooks with sample inputs
• Use debug mode (claude --debug)

✅ Documentation

• Clear README files
• Documented environment variables
• Usage examples

Official Claude Code Documentation

• Plugins Overview — Plugin development guide
• Plugin Marketplaces — Marketplace management
• Plugins Reference — Technical specifications
• Slash Commands — Command development

Acknowledgments

Built for Claude Code by Anthropic.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

Resources

• Claude Code Documentation
• Anthropic Discord — Community support
• Claude Code GitHub — Official repository