How to Verify That Your Custom i‑have‑adhd Plugin Loads Correctly in Claude Code

Run claude plugin list to confirm your fork appears in the registry with the correct version, then test the /i-have-adhd slash command to ensure the ten ADHD‑friendly formatting rules defined in SKILL.md are active.

Claude Code discovers plugins from the .claude-plugin folder in your repository. After forking ayghri/i-have-adhd and editing skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, you must confirm that Claude Code recognizes your custom version before the ADHD‑friendly response rules take effect. Proper verification ensures the plugin manifest is parsed and the skill behaviors are enforced on every interaction.

Verify Plugin Registration via the CLI

The most direct way to confirm that your custom build is recognized is to inspect the plugin registry.

List All Installed Plugins

Run the following command in your terminal:

claude plugin list

Look for a line containing i-have-adhd with your fork's version (for example, i-have-adhd @ 0.3.0). If the entry appears with the correct source path (typically ./.claude-plugin/plugin.json), Claude Code has successfully loaded the manifest and associated your repository with the skill.

Clean Install Your Fork

If the plugin does not appear or shows the wrong version, uninstall the existing copy and reinstall your fork to ensure a clean state:

claude plugin uninstall i-have-adhd
claude plugin install <username>/i-have-adhd

Replace <username> with your GitHub handle. Re‑run claude plugin list to confirm the update reflects your custom changes.

Test the Skill Functionality

Once the CLI shows the correct plugin metadata, validate that the skill logic is actually executing rather than just being registered.

Invoke the Slash Command

Open Claude Code and type:

/i-have-adhd

According to the source code in skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, the response must follow strict formatting guidelines: leading with the next action, numbering steps, suppressing tangents, and restating state.

Validate the Ten ADHD‑Friendly Rules

Confirm that the output exhibits these specific behaviors defined in SKILL.md:

• Next‑action clarity – The first line tells you exactly what to do next.
• Numbered steps – Instructions use sequential numbering rather than paragraphs.
• No tangents – Extraneous information is removed or deferred.
• State restatement – The assistant confirms what it just did or what you asked before proceeding.

If the response follows these patterns, your custom SKILL.md is being read and interpreted correctly by Claude Code.

Inspect the Plugin Manifest and Source Files

For debugging registration issues, examine the files Claude Code parses at startup.

Verify .claude-plugin/plugin.json

Open the manifest to confirm the name and version fields match your fork:

claude open .claude-plugin/plugin.json

The file should contain:

{
  "name": "i-have-adhd",
  "version": "0.3.0",
  ...
}

If these fields differ from your expectations, Claude Code is loading a different version than the one you modified.

Confirm SKILL.md Changes

Navigate to skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md in the Files view. This file is the source of truth for the plugin's behavior according to the repository structure. Ensure your modifications—such as custom instructions for the ten ADHD‑friendly rules—are saved and committed to the branch you installed.

Summary

Verifying your custom i-have-adhd plugin in Claude Code requires three distinct checks:

• CLI verification – Use claude plugin list to confirm the plugin name, version, and source path match your fork.
• Behavioral testing – Run /i-have-adhd and verify that responses follow the ten formatting rules from SKILL.md.
• File inspection – Open .claude-plugin/plugin.json and skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md to validate that the manifest is parsed and the content is current.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if Claude Code is reading my custom SKILL.md?

Test the /i-have-adhd command and examine the response structure. If the assistant uses the specific ADHD‑friendly behaviors—numbered lists, next‑action phrasing, and tangent suppression—then skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md is active. If the output looks generic or does not number steps, Claude Code may be caching an old version; uninstall and reinstall the plugin to refresh the cache.

Why doesn't my plugin appear in claude plugin list?

Claude Code only recognizes plugins that contain a valid .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest in the repository root. Verify that the file exists and contains valid JSON with the required name and version fields. Also ensure you ran claude plugin install from the correct working directory where your fork is located.

Can I have multiple versions of the i‑have‑adhd plugin installed?

No. Claude Code identifies plugins by the name field in plugin.json. Installing a new version from a different fork overwrites the previous registration. To switch between forks, uninstall the current plugin first with claude plugin uninstall i-have-adhd, then install the alternative.

Where does Claude Code look for plugin files?

Claude Code scans the .claude-plugin directory in your repository root. It reads plugin.json to register the plugin metadata, then loads the skill definitions from the path specified in the manifest—typically skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md for this repository.

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