Plugin Scaffolding Knowledge

This skill provides verified schema information for scaffolding Claude Code plugins in the star-digital-employee project. All field definitions are derived from existing, working entries - never add fields not documented here.

Project Folder Structure

Plugins in this project live in two locations:

Location	Purpose	Example
plugins/	First-party plugins created for this collection	developer, researcher, sample-plugin
external_plugins/	Third-party or forked plugins	deepwiki

When scaffolding a new plugin, always ask the user which folder is appropriate:

• plugins/: For new plugins being developed as part of this collection
• external_plugins/: For plugins forked from external sources or third-party integrations

Plugin Directory Structure

Every plugin follows this structure:

[plugin-name]/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json          # Required: Plugin manifest
├── commands/                 # Optional: Slash commands
│   └── *.md
├── skills/                   # Optional: Skill definitions
│   └── [skill-name]/
│       └── SKILL.md
├── agents/                   # Optional: Subagent definitions
│   └── *.md
├── hooks/                    # Optional: Event hooks
│   └── *.md
└── README.md                 # Recommended: Documentation

Plugin Naming Conventions

Element	Convention	Example
Plugin name	kebab-case	my-awesome-plugin
Folder name	Same as plugin name	my-awesome-plugin/
Version	Semantic versioning	0.1.0, 1.2.3
Command files	kebab-case	scaffold-plugin.md
Skill folders	kebab-case	plugin-scaffolding/

Schema: plugin.json

The plugin manifest is located at [plugin-name]/.claude-plugin/plugin.json.

Verified Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Unique plugin identifier in kebab-case
version	string	Recommended	Semantic version (e.g., "0.1.0")
description	string	Recommended	Brief description of plugin purpose
author	object	Optional	Author information
author.name	string	Yes (if author)	Author's display name
author.email	string	Optional	Author's email address
keywords	array	Optional	Array of keyword strings for discoverability

Example plugin.json

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "A helpful plugin that does useful things",
  "author": {
    "name": "Haochuan Zhang",
    "email": "jackchang26@gmail.com"
  },
  "keywords": ["utility", "automation", "productivity"]
}

Schema: marketplace.json

The marketplace registry is at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json in the project root.

Verified Fields for Plugin Entries

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Must match plugin.json name
description	string	Yes	Can differ from plugin.json (marketplace-specific)
version	string	Yes	Must match plugin.json version
source	string or object	Yes	Path to plugin (e.g., "./plugins/my-plugin")
category	string	Yes	One of: development, research, productivity, example, integration
author	object	Optional	Author information
author.name	string	Yes (if author)	Author's display name
author.email	string	Optional	Author's email address
homepage	string	Optional	URL to plugin documentation/repo

Valid Categories

• development: Developer tools, coding aids, build helpers
• research: Research methodologies, literature review, knowledge synthesis
• productivity: Task management, workflow automation, personal efficiency
• example: Sample/demo plugins for learning
• integration: External service integrations, MCP servers

Example Marketplace Entry

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "description": "A helpful plugin that does useful things",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "author": {
    "name": "Haochuan Zhang",
    "email": "jackchang26@gmail.com"
  },
  "source": "./plugins/my-plugin",
  "category": "productivity",
  "homepage": "https://github.com/lunarmoon26/star-digital-employee/tree/main/plugins/my-plugin"
}

Validation Rules

Name Validation

• Must be kebab-case (lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens)
• Must be unique across all marketplace entries
• Must match between plugin.json and marketplace.json

Version Validation

• Must follow semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
• New plugins typically start at 0.1.0
• Must match between plugin.json and marketplace.json

Source Path Validation

• Local plugins use relative paths: ./plugins/[name] or ./external_plugins/[name]
• External plugins can use URL objects with source and url fields

Critical Constraints

NEVER add fields not documented in this skill. The schemas above represent the complete set of verified fields from existing, working entries. Adding unverified fields may break compatibility or cause validation errors.

If you encounter a field not listed here:

1. Check existing marketplace.json entries for precedent
2. If no precedent exists, do not use the field
3. Document any newly discovered fields by updating this skill

Integration with plugin-dev

When scaffolding plugins, this skill works alongside Claude's official plugin-dev:create-plugin workflow:

1. Architect handles: Folder selection, uniqueness validation, marketplace registration
2. plugin-dev handles: Interactive plugin design, component creation, file generation

The recommended workflow:

1. Use architect to determine target location and validate name
2. Delegate to plugin-dev for the actual plugin creation
3. Return to architect for marketplace.json registration