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How to install plugins in Claude Code

Plugins bundle skills, agents, hooks and MCP servers into one install. This guide covers where plugins come from, how to install one in the terminal, which scope to pick, and how to update or remove it later.

Updated 30 October 2026

Steps below follow Anthropic's Claude Code documentation as of October 2026. They're for the terminal; the desktop app and VS Code have their own plugin screens, covered briefly further down. New to Claude Code? Start with how to get started with Claude Code.

Marketplaces: where plugins come from

A marketplace is a catalog of plugins. Claude Code registers Anthropic's official marketplace, claude-plugins-official, the first time you open an interactive terminal session, so its plugins are ready to install. Anything else (a coworker's catalog, Anthropic's community marketplace, a company repository) has to be added once before you can install from it.

1. Start Claude Code with claude.
2. Run /plugin marketplace add followed by the source:
   • A GitHub repository: /plugin marketplace add owner/repo (add #v1.2.0 to pin a tag or branch)
   • Any other git host: the full clone URL, including https://
   • A folder on your computer: a path starting with ./ or ../
   • A hosted catalog file: the https:// URL of its marketplace.json
3. Look for Successfully added marketplace. Its plugins now appear on the Discover tab.

For a private repository, Claude Code uses the git credentials already on your machine and never asks for a password, so make sure a normal git clone of it works first.

Install a plugin

1. Run /plugin install name@marketplace, for example /plugin install commit-commands@claude-plugins-official. In a session this opens the plugin's details instead of installing straight away. To browse, run /plugin on its own, type to search on Discover and press Enter on a plugin.
2. Read the details pane. Will install lists the commands, agents, skills, hooks and servers it adds. For plugins in Anthropic's official marketplace it also shows Last updated and, when you open the plugin with the install command or from the Marketplaces tab, a Context cost estimate in tokens.
3. Choose a scope (see the table below).
4. Read the last line of the install summary. Plugin is now active means you're done. If it says to run /reload-plugins, Claude Code does that for you when the panel closes. If a bundled server needs setup, open the plugin on the Installed tab and choose Configure.
5. Check it worked: type / and look for the plugin's skills in the form /plugin-name:skill, or run claude plugin list in your shell.

Shortcut for a marketplace you haven't added yet: /plugin install name --marketplace owner/repo adds it (after asking you to confirm) and opens the plugin in one go. In a session this needs Claude Code v2.1.275 or later.

Which scope to choose

Project scope switches the plugin on for teammates but doesn't download it for them: each of them runs claude plugin install name@marketplace --scope project once. When a plugin is set at several scopes, local beats project and project beats user.

Update plugins

• Automatic: on by default for Anthropic's official marketplace, off by default for community, third-party and local marketplaces. Turn it on or off per marketplace on the Marketplaces tab in /plugin with Enable auto-update or Disable auto-update.
• What you'll see: the running session keeps the old version. A message tells you to run /reload-plugins; otherwise the next session picks up the new version.
• One plugin now: open it on the Installed tab and select Update now, or run claude plugin update name@marketplace.
• All plugins from one marketplace: select the marketplace on the Marketplaces tab and choose Update marketplace. No command updates all your plugins across every marketplace in one go.

Disable or uninstall a plugin

1. Run /plugin and press Tab to reach Installed.
2. Press Space on a plugin to switch it off or on, or press Enter and choose Disable plugin or Uninstall.
3. From the shell, use claude plugin disable, enable or uninstall with name@marketplace; add --scope project where needed.

The Not used recently header on the Installed tab is a quick way to find plugins that still cost context in every session. Removing a whole marketplace (/plugin marketplace remove name) also uninstalls every plugin you installed from it.

Good to know

• Trust: a plugin can run hooks and MCP servers on your computer. Read the details pane before installing anything from a marketplace you don't know.
• Other apps: in the desktop app's Code tab, click + next to the prompt box and pick Add plugins. In VS Code, type /plugins to open Manage plugins.
• claude.ai plugins: plugins switched on for your claude.ai account sync into terminal sessions and show up as name@synced. Remove those on claude.ai.
• Company rules: plugins installed by your organization show Managed scope and can't be removed by you.

If it doesn't work

• The marketplace URL is rejected: include https://. A bare gitlab.example.com/group/repo.git is read as GitHub shorthand and fails.
• Commands don't appear after install: run /reload-plugins. If the summary said The plugin couldn't be loaded, open the Errors tab in /plugin for the reason.
• "/plugin isn't available in this environment": you're in a non-interactive run such as claude -p. Use the claude plugin shell commands instead.
• A teammate's project plugin is missing: it's enabled in the repo but not installed on their machine; they run the install command with --scope project.

Keep track of what each session leaves open

If you work across many Claude Code sessions, the Workbranch plugin for Claude Code installs the same way as any other plugin. Say "save this to Workbranch" and Claude files the session's tasks, decisions and open questions into a project, and when you start a session in a folder linked to that project, it shows what's still open. Details are on the Workbranch for Claude page.

Sources

• Claude Code user FAQ (Claude Help Center, checked 30 October 2026)
• Install and manage plugins (Claude Code Docs, checked 30 October 2026)

Frequently asked questions