Plugin Development Toolkit
A comprehensive toolkit for developing Claude Code plugins with expert guidance on hooks, MCP integration, plugin structure, and marketplace publishing.
Table of Contents
Overview
The plugin-dev toolkit provides 10 specialized skills, 3 validation agents, and 4 slash commands to help you build high-quality Claude Code plugins:
- Skills provide domain expertise loaded on-demand via trigger phrases
- Agents automate validation and generation tasks
- Workflows guide you through complete plugin or marketplace creation
Each component follows progressive disclosure: lean core documentation with detailed references and working examples available when needed.
Prerequisites
Required
- Claude Code CLI installed and configured
- Git (for version control and marketplace publishing)
For Utility Scripts
The plugin includes utility scripts for validation and testing. These require:
| Tool | Version | Purpose |
|---|
| bash | 3.2+ | Shell scripting (macOS default works) |
| jq | 1.6+ | JSON parsing and validation |
| grep | - | Pattern matching (with -E support) |
| sed | - | Stream editing (GNU or BSD) |
Check your environment:
bash --version | head -1
jq --version
grep --version 2>&1 | head -1
Note: jq may need to be installed. macOS: brew install jq, Linux: apt install jq
Installation
Add this marketplace and install the plugin:
/plugin marketplace add sjnims/plugin-dev
/plugin install plugin-dev@sjnims/plugin-dev
Or for development, use directly:
claude --plugin-dir /path/to/plugin-dev/plugins/plugin-dev
Quick Start
New to plugin development? Start with the guided entry point:
/plugin-dev:start
This will help you choose between creating a plugin (most users) or a marketplace (for distributing multiple plugins).
Learning by Asking
You can also learn progressively by asking questions. Skills load automatically:
-
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
-
Add MCP integration (if needed):
- Ask: "How do I add an MCP server for database access?"
- The mcp-integration skill provides examples and patterns
-
Implement hooks (if needed):
- Ask: "Create a PreToolUse hook that validates file writes"
- The hook-development skill gives working examples and utilities
Skills
Skills load automatically when you ask relevant questions. Each skill includes core documentation, reference guides, working examples, and utility scripts.