Plugin Creator

Comprehensive guide for creating high-quality Claude Code plugins.

Quick Start

Option 1: Use Helper Scripts (Recommended)

# Initialize a new plugin
python skills/plugin-creator/scripts/init_plugin.py my-plugin

# Validate your plugin
python skills/plugin-creator/scripts/validate_plugin.py my-plugin

# Package for distribution
python skills/plugin-creator/scripts/package_plugin.py my-plugin

Option 2: Manual Setup

mkdir my-plugin
cd my-plugin
# Create required files
touch .plugin.json README.md
mkdir -p commands agents skills hooks

Plugin Components

A Claude Code plugin consists of:

• .plugin.json: Plugin manifest (required)
• README.md: User documentation (required)
• Commands/: User-invoked slash commands (optional)
• Agents/: Autonomous task handlers (optional)
• Skills/: Specialized knowledge domains (optional)
• Hooks/: Event-driven automation (optional)

Core Workflow

1. Create Manifest (.plugin.json)

{
  "name": "plugin-name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Brief plugin description",
  "commands": ["command1", "command2"],
  "agents": ["agent1"],
  "skills": ["skill1"],
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": ["hook1"],
    "PostToolUse": ["hook2"]
  }
}

Required fields: name, version, description

2. Implement Components

Choose component types based on needs. See COMPONENTS.md for complete templates.

Quick Templates:

• Commands (commands/command-name.md): User-invoked actions

  • Use for: Code generation, analysis, quick actions

• Agents (agents/agent-name.md): Complex autonomous tasks

  • Use for: Multi-file operations, analysis workflows

• Skills (skills/skill-name.md): Specialized knowledge

  • Use for: Domain expertise, best practices, patterns

• Hooks (hooks/event-type/hook-name.md): Event automation

  • Use for: Validation, logging, cleanup

3. Naming Conventions

• Plugin names: kebab-case, descriptive
• Command names: Verb-based (commit, not create-commit)
• Agent names: Role-based (code-reviewer)
• Skill names: Domain-based (react-patterns)

4. Validation & Packaging

Use helper scripts:

# Validate plugin structure and content
python skills/plugin-creator/scripts/validate_plugin.py my-plugin

# Package plugin for distribution
python skills/plugin-creator/scripts/package_plugin.py my-plugin ./dist

Or manually:

# Validate JSON
python3 -m json.tool .plugin.json

# Check structure
ls -R

# Test installation
cp -r my-plugin ~/.claude/plugins/

Reference Documentation

For detailed guides, see references/README.md for a complete index.

Quick links:

• COMPONENTS.md - Complete templates with examples
• PATTERNS.md - Common patterns
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Debug guide

Advanced Features

MCP Server Integration

Integrate external tools via .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/sse"
    }
  }
}

See MCP.md for server types and configuration.

Plugin Configuration

Use .local.md files for user settings:

---
setting1: value1
enabled: true
---

Read from: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/../plugin-name.local.md

Component Templates

Command Template

---
description: [Brief action description, max 100 chars]
args:
  - name: arg_name
    description: What this argument does
    required: false
---

# Command Title

[Clear instructions for what Claude should do]

## Process

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Final step

## Examples

- `command-name arg1` - What happens
- `command-name arg1 --flag` - With flag

Agent Template

---
description: When to trigger this agent (be specific)
color: blue
tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Bash
examples:
  - trigger: "User asks to..."
    action: "Launch this agent to..."
---

# Agent Name

You are a specialized agent for [purpose].

## Your Process

### Phase 1: Analysis
[Detailed steps]

### Phase 2: Execution
[Detailed steps]

Hook Template

---
description: What this hook does and when
---

# Hook Title

Instructions for event handling.

## Behavior

[What the hook should do]

## Conditions

[When to act - optional]

See COMPONENTS.md for detailed templates with strict/flexible examples.

Common Patterns

See PATTERNS.md for:

• Command + Agent pattern
• Skill + Command pattern
• Hook + Validation pattern
• Multi-component plugins
• And more

Troubleshooting

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for:

• Plugin not loading
• Command/agent/hook not working
• YAML frontmatter errors
• Common issues and solutions

Best Practices

• Keep descriptions under 100 characters
• Use imperative form in instructions
• Include practical examples
• Validate all JSON/YAML syntax
• Test all components before distribution
• Handle errors gracefully

Validation Checklist

• .plugin.json valid and complete
• README.md with installation steps
• All declared components exist
• YAML frontmatter valid
• Names follow conventions
• Components tested
• Examples provided

Resources

• Official docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/zh-CN/plugins
• Built-in examples: ~/.claude/plugins/
• Community plugins: GitHub search "claude-code-plugin"