Where to Submit a Claude Plugin for Review: The Official Anthropic Pipeline

Submit your Claude plugin for review through the official web form at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission, as the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository is a read-only mirror that automatically rejects direct pull requests.

The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository hosts the public marketplace for community-built Claude plugins, but you cannot submit a Claude plugin for review by opening a GitHub pull request. Instead, Anthropic operates a controlled internal pipeline that validates submissions and synchronizes approved plugins to the repository's .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file.

Why Direct Pull Requests Are Rejected

The community plugin repository operates as a read-only mirror rather than a traditional open-source contribution platform. According to the source code analysis of README.md (lines 24-27), any pull requests opened directly against this repository are automatically closed. This architectural decision ensures that all plugins undergo mandatory security scanning and validation before reaching the public marketplace.

Changes flow unidirectionally from Anthropic's internal review pipeline into the repository, not from external contributors. This guarantees that every plugin listed in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json has cleared Anthropic's automated security checks.

The Official Claude Plugin Submission Process

Submit via the Web Form

All new plugin submissions must be entered through the dedicated portal at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission. This web form feeds directly into Anthropic's internal review queue, bypassing the GitHub repository entirely. Do not attempt to submit plugins by opening issues or PRs on the community repository.

Automated Security Validation

Once submitted, your plugin undergoes automated security scanning and validation by Anthropic's internal pipeline. This process verifies that the plugin meets security standards, follows manifest formatting requirements, and contains no malicious code. Only plugins that clear these automated checks proceed to inclusion in the marketplace.

Marketplace Synchronization

Approved plugins are automatically added to the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file, which serves as the master registry for the community. This JSON file is synced nightly from the internal pipeline to the public repository. As noted in the repository structure, this file is generated by the internal system and should never be edited manually by contributors.

Understanding the Marketplace Architecture

The Read-Only marketplace.json File

The definitive list of available plugins resides at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json in the repository root. This file contains structured metadata for each approved plugin, including:

{
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "quickdesign",
      "repo": "anthropics/claude-plugins-community",
      "path": "quickdesign",
      "version": "1.0.0"
    }
  ]
}

Because this file is regenerated automatically during the nightly sync process, manual modifications would be overwritten and are therefore prohibited.

Required Plugin Manifest Structure

Each plugin must include a proper manifest file located at .claude-plugin/plugin.json within its directory. The repository provides concrete examples you can reference:

• quickdesign/.claude-plugin/plugin.json – Demonstrates the required metadata structure for marketplace entries.
• tres-finance-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json – Provides an additional example of a production plugin manifest.

These manifests must specify the plugin name, version, entry points, and permissions before the automated review pipeline will approve them for inclusion.

Installing Community Plugins

Once your plugin passes review and appears in the marketplace, users can install it via Claude Code using the following commands:

# Add the community marketplace as a source

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

# Install a specific plugin (replace <plugin-name> with the desired plugin)

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

These commands reference the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file to resolve plugin locations and versions.

Summary

• Use the web form: Submit all plugins at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission, not via GitHub.
• Repository is read-only: The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repo is a mirror that automatically closes pull requests.
• Automated review: All plugins undergo mandatory security scanning through Anthropic's internal pipeline.
• Nightly synchronization: Approved plugins appear in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json after clearing the review process.
• Proper manifest required: Include a valid plugin.json file in your .claude-plugin/ directory following the examples in quickdesign/ or tres-finance-plugin/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit a Claude plugin by opening a pull request on GitHub?

No. The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository automatically closes direct pull requests because it functions as a read-only mirror synchronized from Anthropic's internal pipeline. You must submit your plugin through the official web form at clau.de/plugin-directory-submission to initiate the review process.

How does Anthropic review submitted Claude plugins?

Submitted plugins undergo automated security scanning and validation through Anthropic's internal pipeline. This automated process checks for security vulnerabilities, validates manifest formatting, and ensures compliance with marketplace standards before approving plugins for the nightly sync to marketplace.json.

What file format is required for Claude plugin manifests?

Each plugin must include a plugin.json manifest file located in a .claude-plugin/ directory within the plugin's root folder. Reference the examples at quickdesign/.claude-plugin/plugin.json and tres-finance-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json to see the required metadata structure, including fields for name, repository, path, and version.

How do users install a plugin after it is approved?

Users install approved plugins via Claude Code by first adding the community marketplace source with claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community, then installing specific plugins using claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community. These commands reference the synchronized .claude-plugin/marketplace.json registry to locate and install the plugin files.

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