plugin-dev

name

plugin-dev

description

MUST use this skill when the user mentions plugins, hooks, skills, commands, agents, MCP servers, LSP servers, marketplaces, plugin.json, SKILL.md, .mcp.json, .local.md, allowed-tools, frontmatter, PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart, event schemas, prompt-based hooks, plugin settings, output styles, headless mode, CI mode, CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT, auto-discovery, or any aspect of extending Claude Code. Use INSTEAD OF answering from general knowledge. Also use when writing hooks for settings.json, configuring MCP servers outside plugins, or comparing skills vs commands, since this skill contains the authoritative reference for these Claude Code extension mechanisms.

Claude Code Plugin Development

Comprehensive guide for developing Claude Code plugins. Read the relevant reference file(s) before answering. If a question spans multiple topics, read each relevant reference.

Topic Index

Topic	Reference	When to read
Plugin structure	references/plugin-structure/overview.md	Plugin scaffolding, plugin.json, directory layout, CI/headless mode, output styles, userConfig, auto-discovery, installation, caching, validation
Commands	references/command-development/overview.md	Slash commands, command frontmatter, arguments, bash execution, allowed-tools, disable-model-invocation, Skill tool mechanism, debugging commands
Skills	references/skill-development/overview.md	SKILL.md format, skill frontmatter, triggers, progressive disclosure, context:fork, bundled resources, visibility budget, file-scoped skills
Agents	references/agent-development/overview.md	Agent creation, system prompts, agent frontmatter, teams, permissions, maxTurns, disallowedTools, background agents, initialPrompt
Hooks	references/hook-development/overview.md	Event hooks, PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Stop, prompt-based hooks, scoped hooks, hook decisions (allow/block/defer), statusMessage, async hooks
MCP integration	references/mcp-integration/overview.md	MCP servers in plugins, .mcp.json, tool search, MCP prompts, server types (stdio/SSE/HTTP), allowedMcpServers, MCP CLI commands
LSP integration	references/lsp-integration/overview.md	Language servers, code intelligence, socket transport, initializationOptions, extensionToLanguage
Marketplace	references/marketplace-structure/overview.md	marketplace.json, multi-plugin distribution, hosting, strictKnownMarketplaces, private marketplaces, version pinning
Plugin settings	references/plugin-settings/overview.md	.local.md files, YAML frontmatter config, per-project settings, CLAUDE.md imports, rules system, memory hierarchy

Each topic directory also contains additional references/, examples/, and scripts/ for detailed content. Read those when the overview alone is insufficient.

Available Agents

Agent	Purpose
plugin-validator	Validates plugin structure and manifests
skill-reviewer	Reviews skill quality and triggering
agent-creator	Generates new agents from descriptions
changelog-differ	Discovers upstream Claude Code changes (Stage 1)
update-manifest-verifier	Validates change manifest (Stage 2)
update-reviewer	Verifies applied documentation updates (Stage 4)

Maintenance Skills

Skill	Purpose
update-from-upstream	Sync plugin-dev docs with Claude Code upstream releases

$ARGUMENTS