Troubleshoot Plugin Issues

Systematic debug guide for Claude Code plugin problems.

Quick Diagnosis

Identify your symptom and jump to the relevant section:

Symptom	Section
Plugin doesn't appear in /plugin list	Plugin Not Loading
Skill exists but Claude ignores it	Skill Not Triggering
/command not available	Command Not Appearing
MCP tools not available	MCP Server Not Starting
Hook scripts don't execute	Hooks Not Firing
Changes don't take effect	Development Workflow

Plugin Not Loading

1. Validate JSON: jq . .claude-plugin/plugin.json
2. Check structure: .claude-plugin/ must exist at plugin root with plugin.json
3. Check paths: grep -r "/Users/" .claude-plugin/ should return nothing
4. Restart Claude Code — changes only take effect after restart
5. Check installation: /plugin list

Skill Not Triggering

1. Check YAML frontmatter — must have --- delimiters, name, description
2. Verify description — must start with "Use when..." and describe triggers
3. Check location — must be skills/skill-name/SKILL.md (not inside .claude-plugin/)
4. Test explicitly — ask for a task that exactly matches the description

Command Not Appearing

1. Check location — commands/command-name.md at plugin root
2. Check format — must have YAML frontmatter with description
3. Restart Claude Code — commands load at startup

MCP Server Not Starting

1. Check paths — must use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} in all config
2. Check permissions — chmod +x on scripts and binaries
3. Test independently — run server outside Claude Code to check for errors
4. Check logs — claude --debug for startup errors
5. Verify command — which node or equivalent

Hooks Not Firing

1. Check location — hooks/hooks.json at plugin root
2. Validate JSON — jq . hooks/hooks.json
3. Check matcher — regex pattern in "matcher" field
4. Check script paths — use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
5. Check permissions — chmod +x on all hook scripts
6. Test directly — run the script manually

Development Workflow Issues

Changes not taking effect:

/plugin uninstall my-plugin@my-dev
# Make changes
/plugin install my-plugin@my-dev
# Restart Claude Code

Can't install locally:

1. Check .claude-plugin/marketplace.json exists and is valid
2. Verify marketplace is added: /plugin marketplace list

Common Pitfalls

Mistake	Fix
Skills in .claude-plugin/skills/	Move to skills/ at root
Hardcoded absolute paths	Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
Forgot to restart	Always restart after changes
Script not executable	chmod +x script.sh
Invalid JSON	Validate with jq
Vague skill description	Be specific about triggers
Testing without uninstall	Uninstall before reinstalling

Full Debug Workflow

# 1. Validate all JSON
jq . .claude-plugin/plugin.json
jq . hooks/hooks.json 2>/dev/null

# 2. Check paths
grep -r "Users/" . --include='*.json'

# 3. Check permissions
find . -name "*.sh" ! -perm -u+x

# 4. Clean reinstall
/plugin uninstall my-plugin@my-dev
/plugin marketplace remove /path/to/plugin
/plugin marketplace add /path/to/plugin
/plugin install my-plugin@my-dev
# Restart Claude Code

Reference

For detailed component formats, see /interplug:create-plugin references:

• references/plugin-structure.md — directory layout and syntax
• references/polyglot-hooks.md — cross-platform hooks