How to Add Community Plugins to Claude Code: Complete Setup Guide

You can add community plugins to Claude Code by first registering the marketplace with claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community, then installing specific plugins using claude plugin install <name>@claude-community.

Claude Code supports extensibility through a community plugin marketplace hosted in the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository. Adding these plugins allows you to extend Claude Code's capabilities with specialized skills and slash commands for tasks like token swaps, financial analysis, and workflow automation. The installation process involves two distinct CLI operations: registering the marketplace source and installing individual plugins.

Understanding the Community Marketplace Architecture

The community marketplace is defined by a JSON catalogue located at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json in the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository. This file serves as the central registry that Claude Code queries to resolve plugin names to their source repositories, configurations, and entry points.

When you register the marketplace, the CLI stores metadata in your local configuration that points to this specific JSON file. This allows Claude Code to treat the repository as a trusted source for plugin distribution and updates.

Step 1: Register the Community Marketplace

Before installing any plugins, you must register the marketplace with Claude Code. This one-time operation tells the CLI where to find the community plugin catalogue.

Run the following command:

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

This command writes the marketplace configuration to your local Claude Code settings, enabling the CLI to parse the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file when resolving plugin names.

Step 2: Install Individual Community Plugins

Once the marketplace is registered, you can install any plugin listed in the marketplace JSON using the @claude-community namespace suffix. This namespace distinguishes community plugins from other potential sources.

To install the 0x token-swap plugin:

claude plugin install 0x@claude-community

The CLI performs the following actions:

1. Resolves the name 0x against the entries in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
2. Clones the plugin's source repository
3. Registers the plugin's skills and slash commands with your Claude Code installation

Using Installed Plugins in Claude Code Sessions

After installation, plugins immediately expose their functionality through slash commands without requiring a restart. The commands follow the pattern defined in the plugin's configuration.

For example, the 0x plugin provides:

/0x swap <tokenA> <tokenB> --chain ethereum

When invoked, Claude Code delegates to the plugin to fetch price quotes, request token approvals, sign transactions, and submit them to the specified blockchain network.

Key Files in the Community Repository

Understanding the repository structure helps when troubleshooting or contributing new plugins:

• .claude-plugin/marketplace.json: The canonical catalogue containing all available community plugins. Claude Code parses this file to discover plugin metadata, source URLs, and version information.

• README.md: Contains high-level installation instructions and overview documentation for the marketplace itself.

• tres-finance-plugin/README.md: An example of individual plugin documentation that illustrates how specific plugins structure their configuration, dependencies, and usage guides.

Summary

• Register the marketplace once using claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
• Install plugins with the syntax claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community
• The marketplace definition lives in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json within the community repository
• Plugins become available as slash commands immediately after installation without restarting Claude Code
• The @claude-community namespace explicitly identifies plugins from the community marketplace

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register the community marketplace in Claude Code?

Run the command claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community. This writes the marketplace metadata to your local Claude Code configuration, pointing the CLI to the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file for plugin discovery and resolution.

What is the correct syntax for installing a community plugin?

Use claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community. The @claude-community suffix is required to tell the CLI to resolve the plugin name against the registered community marketplace rather than other potential sources or local paths.

Where does Claude Code look for community plugin definitions?

Claude Code looks for the marketplace catalogue at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json within the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository. This JSON file maps plugin identifiers to their source repositories, entry points, and metadata required for installation.

Can I use a plugin immediately after installation?

Yes. Once the claude plugin install command completes successfully, the plugin's slash commands and skills become available immediately in your Claude Code sessions. You can invoke them using the forward slash syntax (e.g., /0x) or through natural language skill calls.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}