anthropic-docs

name

anthropic-docs

description

Distilled, verification-stamped reference for the official Claude Code platform contract — plugins, skills, subagents, hooks, MCP, tools, env vars and channels. Use when authoring or auditing any Claude Code plugin component, looking up a frontmatter field, hook event schema, manifest rule, permission-rule format or tool name, or whenever a platform claim needs verifying instead of recalling from memory.

Anthropic docs

Distilled references for the Claude Code platform, one file per official doc page. Each file opens with a stamp naming the exact URL and date it was verified against. The platform changes fast; these files exist so you look things up instead of trusting training-data recall.

Evidence ladder

Apply this for every platform claim, in order. Never skip to memory.

1. Use the reference. Read the matching file below. It carries the contract: field tables, schemas, exact values, version gates.
2. Escalate to the live doc when the reference is silent, when the claim is version-sensitive, or when the stamp date looks old relative to the feature. WebFetch the stamped URL at the top of the reference file — never a URL from memory.
3. Never guess. If neither the reference nor the live doc settles the claim, say so and stop. A confident wrong answer about a hook schema or frontmatter field ships broken plugins.

Version gates in these files ("Requires Claude Code v2.1.x") are preserved verbatim from the docs — check them before relying on a feature.

References

All files live in references/ beside this file. Load only what the task needs.

File	Load when
plugins.md	Creating or testing a plugin: --plugin-dir, /reload-plugins semantics, directory layout, converting standalone .claude/ config, marketplace submission
plugins-reference.md	Manifest schema questions, component locations and path rules, ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA} contracts, plugin caching, version management, claude plugin CLI
plugin-marketplaces.md	Authoring or editing a marketplace.json, choosing plugin source forms, hosting or team-configuring marketplaces
skills.md	Authoring a SKILL.md: frontmatter fields, invocation control, command naming, substitutions, dynamic context injection, skill lifecycle, listing budget
skill-best-practices.md	Judging or improving skill quality: conciseness, descriptions, progressive disclosure, workflows, eval-first iteration, the pre-share checklist
subagents.md	Authoring an agent file: frontmatter fields, plugin-scope restrictions, model resolution, tool restriction, skill preloading, memory, forks
hooks.md	Hook system questions: events, matchers, handler types, exec vs shell form, exit codes, JSON output fields, async hooks
hook-events.md	A specific event's input/output schema or decision-control fields — per-event contracts for every hook event
mcp.md	Bundling or configuring MCP servers: .mcp.json shapes, plugin-scoped tool naming, tool search, OAuth, timeouts, _meta annotations
tools.md	Referencing a tool by name: the built-in tools table, permission-rule formats, per-tool behavior gotchas
env-vars.md	Environment-variable questions: plugin-relevant vars, precedence rules; the full catalog lives at the stamped URL
channels.md	Building a channel MCP server: capability declaration, notification format, reply tools, sender gating, permission relay

Stamp policy

Every reference opens with > Verified against <url> — YYYY-MM-DD. When you correct or extend a reference after checking the live doc, update its stamp date in the same edit. Never edit a reference from memory.