How to Submit a Claude Plugin: The Official Submission Process for Claude Plugins

The submission process for Claude plugins requires using the official portal at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission, where packages undergo automated security scanning and internal review before inclusion in the marketplace—direct pull requests to the community repository are automatically closed.

The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository operates as a read-only mirror refreshed nightly from Anthropic's internal review pipeline. Understanding the official submission workflow is essential for developers who want to distribute their integrations through the Claude ecosystem without encountering automated repository barriers.

The Official Claude Plugin Submission Workflow

Unlike typical open-source projects, this repository does not accept contributions through GitHub pull requests. Instead, Anthropic maintains a controlled four-stage pipeline for adding new plugins to the marketplace.

1. Submit via the official portal – Navigate to the submission form at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission. This form collects your plugin bundle, metadata, and required assets in a standardized format that feeds directly into Anthropic's review systems.

2. Automated security scanning – After submission, Anthropic's pipeline runs automated security scans on the uploaded package. Only plugins that pass this scan proceed to the next phase, ensuring all distributed code meets platform security standards.

3. Internal review and approval – The plugin is reviewed by Anthropic's internal team for quality and compliance. Once approved, it is added to the marketplace data file (.claude-plugin/marketplace.json) and becomes publicly installable.

4. Publication to the read-only mirror – After approval, the plugin appears in the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository during the next nightly refresh cycle. At this point, users can install it via the Claude CLI.

Why Direct Pull Requests Are Automatically Closed

Any pull request opened directly against the repository is immediately rejected. This policy protects the integrity of the security review pipeline.

The workflow defined in .github/workflows/close-external-prs.yml implements this restriction. When an external contributor opens a PR, the automation closes it and posts a comment directing the user to the official submission portal. As noted in the repository's README.md, this architecture ensures that anthropics/claude-plugins-community remains a read-only mirror rather than an open contribution channel.

Installing and Querying Community Plugins

Once a plugin has successfully completed the submission process, users can interact with it through the Claude CLI or query the marketplace data directly.

Add the Community Marketplace

Before installing community plugins, register the marketplace source:

# Add the community marketplace (once per environment)

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

# Install a plugin that has been approved via the submission process

claude plugin install my-awesome-plugin@claude-community

Check Plugin Status

Developers can verify their plugin's inclusion status by inspecting the generated marketplace file:

# Download the current marketplace snapshot

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json | \
jq '.plugins[] | select(.name=="my-awesome-plugin")'

Note that .claude-plugin/marketplace.json is a read-only artifact automatically generated by the internal pipeline; manual edits are overwritten during the next refresh cycle.

Summary

• Use the official portal: Submit plugins exclusively through clau.de/plugin-directory-submission, not through GitHub pull requests.
• Expect automated closure: Direct PRs to the repository trigger .github/workflows/close-external-prs.yml and are immediately rejected with a redirect to the portal.
• Undergo security review: All submissions pass through automated scanning and internal review before insertion into .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.
• Read-only mirror: The repository refreshes nightly from internal systems; approved plugins appear after the next sync cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit a Claude plugin via GitHub pull request?

No. Direct pull requests to the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository are automatically closed by the workflow defined in .github/workflows/close-external-prs.yml. You must use the official submission portal at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission to propose new plugins.

How long does the Claude plugin submission process take?

The timeline depends on the automated security scanning duration and the current queue for internal review. While automated scans complete within minutes, the internal review phase varies based on submission volume. Approved plugins appear in the marketplace during the next nightly repository refresh.

What happens if my plugin fails the security scan?

Plugins that fail the automated security scanning phase are rejected before reaching internal review. You will receive notification through the submission portal with details about the failure, allowing you to remediate security issues and resubmit through the same official channel.

Where can I find the list of approved Claude plugins?

The canonical list resides in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json within the community repository. This file is a read-only mirror of Anthropic's internal plugin directory. You can view it on GitHub or query it programmatically using curl and jq to filter for specific plugin metadata.

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