code-intelligence-plugins-discover

When to invoke

• Adding a new capability and unsure whether to extend an existing plugin or pull one from a marketplace
• An upstream plugin got an update — decide whether to re-pin
• Auditing a plugin's transitive dependencies before installing
• Picking between two competing marketplace plugins

The 3 docs to read first

Vendored under vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/:

Doc	When
discover-plugins.md	Finding plugins (built-in marketplaces, claude plugins)
plugin-marketplaces.md	Distribution + how marketplaces resolve names
plugin-dependencies.md	Transitive deps, version pinning, peerDeps

Decision tree

Is the capability covered by an existing plugin in plugins/?
├── Yes → extend that plugin (add a SKILL, a tool, a hook). Don't fork.
└── No  → check marketplaces:
         ├── Found in @anthropics/* official marketplace?
         │   └── Yes → install + pin via `claude plugins add`
         └── Found in a 3rd-party marketplace?
             ├── Audit dependencies (plugin-dependencies.md)
             ├── Read SKILL.md provenance + license
             └── If trusted → install. Else: fork inline.

Extend vs fork

Default to extend — every new plugin adds maintenance surface. Fork only when:

1. The upstream plugin's license is incompatible
2. The upstream removed a capability you depend on (vendor the old version before extending)
3. You need to wire a chassis-specific invariant (OAuth-only, GoogleOSV-only) that the upstream rejects

Pinning

claude plugins add <name>@<version> pins. Avoid floating @latest — the chassis's npm run verify:freshness flags unconstrained plugin specs.

Citations

• vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-plugins.md
• vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/plugin-marketplaces.md
• vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/plugin-dependencies.md
• vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins.md (overview)
• vendor/anthropics/code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference.md