> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/instructkr/claude-code/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plugins

> Extend Claude Code with plugins that provide additional skills, MCP servers, and hooks — installed from a marketplace or from a local path.

Plugins extend Claude Code's capabilities by packaging skills, MCP server configurations, and hooks into a single installable unit. Plugins can be installed per-user or per-project and are managed via the `/plugin` slash command.

## Built-in plugins vs. third-party plugins

**Built-in plugins** ship with Claude Code. They appear in the `/plugin` UI under a "Built-in" section and can be toggled on or off. Built-in plugins are disabled by default until they become generally available.

**Third-party plugins** are distributed through plugin marketplaces (public or private registries). They are installed by name or URL and appear in the same `/plugin` UI alongside built-in plugins.

***

## Plugin scopes

Plugins are installed at one of two scopes:

| Scope     | Description                                     | Config location                   |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| `user`    | Available in all projects on your machine       | `~/.claude/settings.json`         |
| `project` | Available only in the current project directory | `<project>/.claude/settings.json` |

The scope is selected during installation. User-scoped plugins load before project-scoped ones, and project plugins can override user settings.

***

## Plugin lifecycle

When Claude Code starts, plugins go through the following stages:

1. **Discover** — Claude Code reads the enabled plugin list from user and project settings.
2. **Load** — Each plugin's manifest (`plugin.json` or `package.json`) is read to determine what it provides.
3. **Init** — MCP servers declared by the plugin are registered alongside manually configured servers. Skills declared by the plugin are loaded. Hooks declared by the plugin are registered.
4. **Deduplication** — If a plugin's MCP server matches an already-configured server (same command array or URL), the plugin server is suppressed. Manually configured servers always win.

***

## What plugins can provide

A plugin can include any combination of:

* **Skills** — slash commands and background-invocable workflows (see [Skills](/guides/skills))
* **MCP servers** — pre-configured MCP server definitions loaded automatically (see [MCP servers](/guides/mcp-servers))
* **Hooks** — shell commands or HTTP calls that fire before/after tool executions (see [Hooks](/advanced/hooks))

Plugin-provided MCP servers are namespaced as `plugin:<plugin-name>:<server-name>` to avoid collisions with manually configured servers.

***

## The `/plugin` slash command

Run `/plugin` inside a session to open the plugin management UI. Available subcommands:

| Subcommand                             | Description                                   |
| -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `/plugin`                              | Open the plugin management menu               |
| `/plugin install <name>`               | Install a plugin from the default marketplace |
| `/plugin install <name>@<marketplace>` | Install from a specific marketplace           |
| `/plugin install <url-or-path>`        | Install from a URL or local path              |
| `/plugin uninstall <name>`             | Remove an installed plugin                    |
| `/plugin enable <name>`                | Enable a disabled plugin                      |
| `/plugin disable <name>`               | Disable without uninstalling                  |
| `/plugin manage`                       | Open the full plugin list UI                  |
| `/plugin marketplace`                  | Manage marketplace registries                 |
| `/plugin validate <path>`              | Validate a plugin directory before installing |

***

## Installing a plugin

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the plugin">
    Browse available plugins in the marketplace UI with `/plugin install`, or ask Claude:

    ```
    /plugin install
    ```

    This opens the marketplace browser where you can search and filter plugins.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the plugin">
    Install a specific plugin by name:

    ```
    /plugin install my-plugin
    ```

    Or install from a URL:

    ```
    /plugin install https://plugins.example.com/my-plugin
    ```

    Or install from a local directory (useful when developing a plugin):

    ```
    /plugin install ./path/to/my-plugin
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the scope">
    When prompted, choose between **user** (all projects) or **project** (current project only).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart or reload">
    Most plugins take effect in the next Claude Code session. Some MCP server changes may require restarting the session.

    ```
    /plugin manage
    ```

    Use the manage view to confirm the plugin is listed as enabled.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Plugin configuration

Many plugins expose configuration options. You can view and change plugin settings from the `/plugin` management UI by selecting a plugin and choosing **Settings**.

Plugin configuration is stored per-scope alongside the plugin's enabled state in `settings.json`.

***

## Enterprise plugin policies

Administrators can restrict plugin customizations using `strictPluginOnlyCustomization` in managed settings. This forces skills, agents, hooks, and/or MCP servers to come exclusively from plugins rather than from user-defined files:

```json theme={null}
{
  "strictPluginOnlyCustomization": ["skills", "hooks", "mcp"]
}
```

When a surface is locked, the corresponding user-defined configuration (`.claude/skills/`, hooks in `settings.json`, etc.) is ignored. Only plugin-provided content is active.

<Warning>When `strictPluginOnlyCustomization` is set, users can still install plugins — but they cannot add individual skills or MCP servers outside of a plugin.</Warning>

***

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Skills" icon="book-open" href="/guides/skills">
    Learn about skills that plugins can provide.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MCP servers" icon="plug" href="/guides/mcp-servers">
    Understand MCP server configuration that plugins manage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Hooks" icon="webhook" href="/advanced/hooks">
    Learn about hooks that plugins can register.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/guides/configuration">
    Configure enterprise plugin policies.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>