Where to Find Example Claude Plugins: A Complete Guide to the Community Repository

You can find example Claude plugins in the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository, which hosts ready-to-install plugins like quickdesign, testdino, and eli5, each defined by a manifest located in .claude-plugin/plugin.json.

The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository serves as the official collection of example Claude plugins. It provides working implementations that demonstrate how to structure, package, and distribute plugins for the Claude ecosystem. Each plugin resides in its own top-level directory and includes a mandatory manifest file that declares the plugin's capabilities, version, and entry points.

Repository Structure and Plugin Layout

Every example Claude plugin in this repository follows a standardized directory structure. The root of the repository contains a marketplace manifest at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json that aggregates all community plugins, including external contributions referenced by specific commit SHAs.

Individual plugins follow this layout:

/<plugin-folder>
│   README.md                ← optional documentation
│   .claude-plugin/
   └─ plugin.json            ← required manifest
   └─ marketplace.json       ← optional marketplace entry
   └─ icon.svg               ← optional UI icon

The plugin.json file acts as the source of truth for each plugin's metadata, defining the name, version, description, author information, and license. According to the repository source code, this file is mandatory for any plugin to be recognized by the Claude Code CLI or Claude Cowork interface.

Available Example Plugins in the Repository

The repository contains several functional examples that demonstrate different plugin patterns:

• quickdesign: An AI media-generation skill for the QuickDesign CLI, supporting image and video generation, voice continuity, and multimodal workflows. The manifest is located at quickdesign/.claude-plugin/plugin.json.
• testdino: A comprehensive testing suite for Claude-code workflows, providing skills for managing sessions, runs, and releases. The manifest is located at testdino/.claude-plugin/plugin.json.
• tres-finance-plugin: A finance-focused collection featuring wallet upload capabilities, transaction validation, and ERP integration suggestions. The manifest is located at tres-finance-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json.
• eli5: A simple utility skill that reformulates complex queries into concise "explain-like-I'm-5" answers. The manifest is located at eli5/.claude-plugin/plugin.json.

These examples illustrate varying complexity levels, from simple text transformation (eli5) to complex multi-skill integrations (quickdesign).

How to Install Example Claude Plugins

Users can discover and install these plugins through two primary channels:

Claude Cowork (Web Interface): Browse available plugins at https://claude.com/plugins/, where the marketplace manifest is consumed automatically to display installation options.

Claude Code (CLI): Use the following commands to add the community marketplace and install specific plugins:

# Add the community marketplace as a source

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community

# Install the quickdesign plugin

claude plugin install quickdesign@claude-community

The CLI pulls the plugin definition from .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, clones the appropriate source repository using the commit SHA recorded in the manifest, and registers the plugin for local use. For example, lines 14-22 of the marketplace file define the entry for the 0x plugin, demonstrating how external repositories are pinned to specific versions.

Anatomy of a Plugin Manifest

To create a new plugin based on these examples, you must define a valid plugin.json manifest. Here is the minimal structure required:

{
  "name": "my-example-plugin",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "A tiny example plugin that echoes back input.",
  "author": { "name": "Your Name", "url": "https://github.com/your-profile" },
  "homepage": "https://github.com/your-repo",
  "license": "MIT",
  "keywords": ["example", "demo"]
}

Place this file under <your-plugin>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json. When adding skills to existing plugins, create skill definitions in subdirectories (e.g., quickdesign/skills/quickdesign/hello/skill.json) and reference them in the plugin manifest as needed. The quickdesign plugin demonstrates this pattern with its voice continuity skills defined in quickdesign/skills/quickdesign/references/voice-continuity.md.

Summary

• The anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository hosts all official example Claude plugins, with each plugin occupying a top-level folder containing a .claude-plugin directory.
• The marketplace manifest at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json serves as the central registry, listing both internal examples and external community contributions pinned to specific commit SHAs.
• Four primary examples are available: quickdesign (media generation), testdino (testing workflows), tres-finance-plugin (financial operations), and eli5 (text simplification).
• Install plugins via the CLI using claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community followed by claude plugin install <name>@claude-community.
• Every plugin requires a plugin.json manifest file that defines metadata, dependencies, and entry points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly are the example Claude plugin files located within the repository?

Each example plugin resides in its own top-level directory within the anthropics/claude-plugins-community repository. For instance, the quickdesign plugin files are located in the quickdesign/ folder, with its manifest specifically at quickdesign/.claude-plugin/plugin.json. The repository root also contains a global marketplace manifest at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json that enumerates all available plugins.

What is the purpose of the marketplace.json file?

The marketplace.json file acts as the single source of truth for plugin discovery. It lists every published community plugin along with the source repository URL and specific commit SHA for each one. This allows the Claude Code CLI to clone exact versions of external plugins while maintaining a read-only snapshot of community contributions in the central repository.

Can I contribute my own plugin to this example repository?

Yes, the repository accepts community contributions. To add a new example, create a top-level folder containing your plugin code and a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest. You should also update the root README.md with installation instructions and optionally add a marketplace entry. The repository uses specific commit SHAs to track external plugin versions, ensuring reproducible installations.

How do I install a specific version of an example plugin?

Use the Claude Code CLI command claude plugin install <plugin-name>@claude-community, where the version is managed by the commit SHA defined in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json. The marketplace manifest pins each plugin to a specific Git commit, ensuring that installations are reproducible and match the tested version recorded in the community repository.

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