How to Install a Specific Plugin from the Claude Community Marketplace

To install a specific plugin from the Claude community marketplace, first register the marketplace using claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community, then install the plugin with claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community.

Installing plugins from the Claude community marketplace requires registering the marketplace source in Claude Code and then referencing the specific plugin by name. The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository serves as a read-only mirror that catalogs all community-contributed plugins in a centralized JSON file, enabling the CLI to resolve and install dependencies automatically.

Step 1: Add the Community Marketplace

Before installing any plugin, you must register the community marketplace with your Claude Code installation. This tells the CLI where to discover available plugins and how to resolve their Git sources.

According to the repository's README.md (lines 19-22), you add the marketplace using the following command:

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

This command registers the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository as a plugin source. The marketplace definition lives in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json at the repository root, which contains the master list of all available community plugins.

Step 2: Install the Specific Plugin

Once the marketplace is registered, install any listed plugin by appending the @claude-community alias to the plugin name:

claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community

For example, to install the quickdesign plugin:

claude plugin install quickdesign@claude-community

The alias @claude-community corresponds to the marketplace identifier you registered in Step 1. The CLI validates the name against the entries in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json before proceeding with the installation.

How the Installation Works Under the Hood

When you run the install command, Claude Code performs several operations to resolve, clone, and activate the plugin.

Resolving the Plugin Source

The CLI parses .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to locate the entry whose "name" field matches your specified plugin name. Each entry contains a "source" object specifying the Git URL, subdirectory, and commit SHA required to locate the plugin files.

File Installation Process

After resolving the source from the marketplace JSON, Claude Code executes the following steps:

• Clones the repository indicated by the "source" field (including specific SHA references)
• Copies the plugin's SKILL.md and supporting files into ~/.claude/skills/<plugin-name>/
• Writes a minimal plugin.json to the plugin directory so Claude Code can discover the skill at runtime

Because the marketplace is read-only, updates are synced nightly from Anthropic's internal pipeline; you never modify .claude-plugin/marketplace.json directly.

Verify the Installation

To confirm the plugin installed correctly and Claude Code can discover it:

# List all installed plugins

claude plugin list

# Inspect the plugin files

ls ~/.claude/skills/<plugin-name>

You should see SKILL.md and .claude-plugin/plugin.json in the plugin directory, alongside any supporting assets. The presence of these files confirms the plugin is ready for use in your Claude Code environment.

Summary

• Register the marketplace once using claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
• Install plugins using the syntax claude plugin install <name>@claude-community
• The CLI reads .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to resolve Git sources and copy files to ~/.claude/skills/
• Each plugin requires SKILL.md and plugin.json for Claude Code to recognize and load it at runtime

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Claude Code store installed community plugins?

Claude Code copies plugin files to ~/.claude/skills/<plugin-name>/ after cloning them from the Git repository specified in the marketplace JSON. This directory contains the SKILL.md definition and runtime metadata required for the skill to function.

Can I install a specific version or commit of a community plugin?

Yes. The .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file specifies the exact Git URL, subdirectory, and SHA for each plugin. The CLI clones the specific commit defined in the marketplace entry, ensuring reproducible installations across different environments.

How do I update a community plugin after installation?

Since the marketplace syncs nightly with Anthropic's internal pipeline, re-run the install command claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community to pull the latest version defined in the updated marketplace JSON. The CLI will overwrite the existing files in ~/.claude/skills/<plugin-name>/ with the new version.

What is the difference between ~/.claude/plugins/ and ~/.claude/skills/?

While the CLI may initially clone repositories to a temporary workspace, it installs the final plugin artifacts—including SKILL.md and plugin.json—into ~/.claude/skills/<plugin-name>/ for runtime discovery and execution. The skills directory is the canonical location where Claude Code looks for active plugins.

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      "command": "npx",
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}