# What Plugin Categories Are Available in the Claude Plugins Community Marketplace?

> Explore the Claude Plugins Community marketplace and discover plugins across thirteen categories like testing productivity development finance location monitoring and more to enhance your workflow.

- Repository: [Anthropic/claude-plugins-community](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community)
- Tags: faq
- Published: 2026-09-02

---

**The Claude Plugins Community marketplace organizes plugins into thirteen distinct categories, including `testing`, `productivity`, `development`, `location`, `finance`, `monitoring`, `deployment`, `design`, `database`, `security`, `learning`, `automation`, and `Developer Tools`.**

The `anthropics/claude-plugins-community` repository maintains a curated registry of community-built plugins. Each plugin entry in the canonical marketplace file carries a `category` field that enables filtering and discovery. Below is the complete reference of available categories drawn directly from the source.

## Complete List of Plugin Categories

The following table enumerates every unique category value found in [`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json), with representative source line references:

| Category | Source Line |
|----------|-------------|
| `testing` | [Line 105](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L105) |
| `productivity` | [Line 368](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L368) |
| `development` | [Line 695](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L695) |
| `location` | [Line 1273](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L1273) |
| `finance` | [Line 6502](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L6502) |
| `monitoring` | [Line 6591](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L6591) |
| `deployment` | [Line 7041](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L7041) |
| `design` | [Line 8232](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L8232) |
| `database` | [Line 10041](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L10041) |
| `security` | [Line 20808](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L20808) |
| `learning` | [Line 22801](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L22801) |
| `automation` | [Line 23201](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L23201) |
| `Developer Tools` | [Line 12397](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json#L12397) |

Note that `Developer Tools` appears as a capitalized variant, while the majority use lowercase formatting. Both forms are preserved as stored in the marketplace JSON.

## How to Browse Plugins by Category

### Adding the Marketplace

Before accessing category-filtered listings, register the community marketplace with the Claude CLI:

```bash
claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

```

### Listing and Filtering Plugins

Once added, enumerate available plugins:

```bash
claude plugin list

```

To isolate plugins from a specific category, query the raw **[`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)** using **`jq`**:

```bash

# Extract all "security" category plugin names

jq -r '.plugins[] | select(.category == "security") | .name' \
    .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

```

For case-insensitive matching when categories vary in capitalization:

```bash

# Match both "Developer Tools" and "developer tools"

jq -r '.plugins[] | select(.category | ascii_downcase == "developer tools") | .name' \
    .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

```

### Installing from a Category

Install a plugin directly by its identifier. For example, a **productivity** plugin:

```bash
claude plugin install adaptlypost@claude-community

```

The `category` field itself does not serve as a CLI filter flag; rather, it functions as metadata for human browsing and programmatic selection.

## Category Use Cases and Examples

- **`testing`** — Unit test runners, assertion frameworks, and coverage analyzers
- **`productivity`** — Note-taking, task management, and workflow automation utilities
- **`development`** — Code generation, linting, and IDE-integrated tooling
- **`location`** — Geocoding, mapping, and place-based data services
- **`finance`** — Budget tracking, expenditure analysis, and financial modeling
- **`monitoring`** — System health checks, log aggregation, and alerting mechanisms
- **`deployment`** — CI/CD pipeline integrations and infrastructure provisioning
- **`design`** — Asset generation, color palette tools, and UI prototyping helpers
- **`database`** — Query builders, schema migration utilities, and ORM connectors
- **`security`** — Vulnerability scanners, secret detectors, and access control plugins
- **`learning`** — Educational content generators, flashcard creators, and tutorial assistants
- **`automation`** — Script execution, scheduled task runners, and robotic process automation
- **`Developer Tools`** — Specialized utilities for IDE enhancement and developer experience optimization

## Summary

- The **Claude Plugins Community marketplace** defines **thirteen plugin categories** in [`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json).
- Most categories use lowercase naming (`testing`, `productivity`, `development`), with one capitalized exception (`Developer Tools`).
- Filter plugins programmatically using **`jq`** against the **`category`** field.
- Install individual plugins via `claude plugin install <identifier>@claude-community` after adding the marketplace source.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I see which category a plugin belongs to?

Query the marketplace JSON directly. Each plugin object contains a **`category`** string field. Use `jq '.plugins[] | {name, category}'` to display name-category pairs.

### Can I filter plugins by category in the Claude CLI?

The base CLI does not expose a `--category` flag for `claude plugin list`. Pipe the output through `grep` or filter the raw [`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json) with **`jq`** to achieve category-based selection.

### What is the difference between `development` and `Developer Tools`?

Both refer to developer-oriented utilities. `development` is the lowercase canonical form appearing in most entries. `Developer Tools` appears as a legacy or stylistically distinct label for a subset of plugins. Query both for comprehensive results.

### Where is the category data stored in the repository?

Category assignments reside in **[`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)**, the central registry file. The root **[`README.md`](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/main/README.md)** provides repository overview and setup instructions but does not duplicate category metadata.