How to Integrate pm-skills with Claude Cowork: Complete Setup Guide

To integrate pm-skills with Claude Cowork, add the repository as a personal plugin source and point Claude to the marketplace manifest at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json; Claude automatically loads all nine plugins, skills, and slash commands without additional configuration.

The pm-skills repository by phuryn is a comprehensive marketplace of product management frameworks designed specifically for Claude. When you integrate pm-skills with Claude Cowork, you gain access to nine specialized plugins containing auto-loading skills and slash commands for strategy, discovery, and execution. This integration requires no custom code—simply register the marketplace URL and Claude handles the rest according to the implementation in phuryn/pm-skills.

Understanding the pm-skills Architecture

The pm-skills repository functions as a marketplace rather than a single plugin. It contains nine independent plugins that expose product management skills (frameworks) and commands (slash-commands) for Claude.

Central Marketplace Manifest

All plugin discovery begins with the file .claude-plugin/marketplace.json. This JSON file lists all nine plugins and their versions, acting as the central registry Claude Cowork reads when loading the marketplace.

Individual Plugin Structure

Each plugin follows a standardized structure under pm-<name>/:

• .claude-plugin/plugin.json: Defines the plugin name, description, and file locations
• skills/*/SKILL.md: Markdown files containing skill definitions with front-matter
• commands/*.md: Markdown files defining slash commands that appear in Claude’s menu

Step-by-Step Integration Process

1. Add the Marketplace to Claude Cowork

Navigate to Claude Cowork’s plugin manager and add phuryn/pm-skills as a personal plugin source. Point the configuration to the marketplace manifest URL ending in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.

According to the repository’s README, the UI flow requires selecting the marketplace option and confirming the repository URL. Claude Cowork then reads the central manifest to discover all nine available plugins.

2. Verify Plugin Installation

Once added, Claude Cowork automatically installs each plugin by reading its individual pm-<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json. For example, the pm-toolkit plugin manifest tells Claude where to find skills and commands without requiring manual file selection.

3. Confirm Auto-Loading Features

After installation, Claude immediately makes all skills available for auto-loading and registers commands for the slash-menu. The integration is complete once you see the commands appear in Claude’s interface.

Core Commands and Usage Examples

Once integrated, invoke any command directly from Claude Cowork’s chat interface. The commands trigger chains of skills defined in the corresponding plugin directories.

Run product discovery:

/discover AI-powered meeting-summarizer for remote teams

Create a strategy canvas:

/strategy B2B project-management tool for agencies

Generate pricing strategy:

/pricing SaaS analytics platform – include competitor pricing & willingness-to-pay

Draft a Product Requirements Document:

/write-prd Smart notification system that reduces alert fatigue

Design a go-to-market launch plan:

/plan-launch AI code review tool targeting mid-size engineering teams

How Skills Auto-Load in Conversations

Skills are pure markdown files stored in pm-<name>/skills/*/SKILL.md. Each file contains front-matter with trigger keywords (e.g., product-strategy, swot-analysis).

When your conversation contains these keywords, Claude automatically pulls the corresponding skill into its context. This design rule is documented in CLAUDE.md, which specifies that skills load dynamically based on conversation triggers without manual invocation.

Key Integration Files

Understanding these files helps troubleshoot the integration:

• .claude-plugin/marketplace.json: Central manifest listing all 9 plugins for Claude Cowork
• pm-<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json: Per-plugin manifest defining description and file paths
• pm-<name>/skills/*/SKILL.md: Skill definitions with front-matter for auto-loading
• pm-<name>/commands/*.md: Command definitions populating the slash-menu
• README.md: Human-readable installation guide showing Claude Cowork UI steps
• CLAUDE.md: Agent-focused documentation explaining skill architecture and loading rules

Summary

• pm-skills is a marketplace of nine independent plugins for Claude Cowork requiring zero code to install
• Add the repository as a personal plugin source pointing to .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
• Claude automatically reads individual plugin manifests from pm-<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
• Skills auto-load via markdown files in skills/*/SKILL.md when conversation keywords match
• Commands like /discover, /write-prd, and /plan-launch become available immediately after installation

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to install each of the nine plugins individually?

No. When you integrate pm-skills with Claude Cowork by adding the marketplace URL, Claude reads the central .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file and automatically discovers all nine plugins. Each plugin then loads independently based on its own plugin.json manifest without requiring separate installation steps.

What file formats define the skills and commands?

All skills and commands use markdown files with YAML front-matter. Skills live in pm-<name>/skills/*/SKILL.md and contain trigger keywords, while commands reside in pm-<name>/commands/*.md with description and argument-hint fields. Claude parses these static files at runtime—no compilation or build step is required.

Can I modify the skills after integration?

Yes. Since pm-skills uses markdown-based definitions, you can fork the phuryn/pm-skills repository and modify any SKILL.md or command file. If you add your fork as the personal plugin source instead of the original repository, Claude Cowork loads your customized versions while maintaining the same auto-loading and command registration behavior.

How do I know if the integration worked correctly?

After adding the marketplace URL, verify the integration by typing / in the Claude Cowork chat interface. You should see commands like /discover, /strategy, /pricing, /write-prd, and /plan-launch in the slash-menu. Additionally, mentioning keywords like "product strategy" or "swot analysis" in conversation should trigger Claude to reference the corresponding skill files from the skills/ directories.

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