How to Install pm-skills in Claude Code vs Claude Cowork: Complete Setup Guide

You can install pm-skills in Claude Cowork via the UI's Customize menu by adding the marketplace from GitHub, or in Claude Code using the CLI commands claude plugin marketplace add and claude plugin install for individual plugins.

The pm-skills marketplace from the phuryn/pm-skills repository distributes nine specialized product management plugins for Anthropic's Claude environments. Whether you use the graphical Claude Cowork interface or the terminal-based Claude Code CLI, the installation workflows differ significantly. This guide covers the exact steps for each environment based on the repository's official documentation.

Installing pm-skills in Claude Cowork

Claude Cowork provides a graphical interface recommended for non-developers. According to the repository's README.md (lines 52-58), installation requires adding the marketplace through the UI's Customize menu.

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Open Customize in the bottom-left corner of the Claude Cowork interface.
2. Select Browse plugins, then navigate to Personal, and click +.
3. Choose Add marketplace from GitHub.
4. Enter the repository identifier phuryn/pm-skills and confirm.

All nine plugins—including pm-toolkit, pm-product-strategy, pm-product-discovery, pm-market-research, pm-data-analytics, pm-marketing-growth, pm-go-to-market, pm-execution, and pm-ai-shipping—install automatically. This gives you immediate access to slash commands like /discover and /strategy directly in the chat interface.

Installing pm-skills in Claude Code

Claude Code requires CLI commands to manage plugins. The installation process documented in README.md (lines 63-79) involves two phases: adding the marketplace source, then selecting individual plugins.

Add the Marketplace

First, register the pm-skills marketplace with your Claude Code installation:

claude plugin marketplace add phuryn/pm-skills

Install Individual Plugins

Unlike Cowork's automatic batch installation, Claude Code requires you to install each plugin individually. Install all nine plugins or only the ones you need:

claude plugin install pm-toolkit@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-product-strategy@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-product-discovery@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-market-research@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-data-analytics@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-marketing-growth@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-go-to-market@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-execution@pm-skills
claude plugin install pm-ai-shipping@pm-skills

Key Difference in Usage

While both environments use the same underlying skill files found in CLAUDE.md and individual plugin directories like pm-execution/commands/write-prd.md, Claude Code does not expose slash commands. Instead, you invoke workflows by describing steps in plain language.

Usage Examples

After installation, the two environments handle skill invocation differently.

Claude Cowork Usage

Use built-in slash commands directly in the chat interface:

/discover AI-powered meeting summarizer for remote teams

Claude Code Usage

Describe the workflow naturally without slash prefixes:

Run product discovery on my new AI-assistant idea: brainstorm ideas, map assumptions, prioritize the risky ones, then design experiments.

For specific skill tasks documented in files like pm-execution/commands/write-prd.md, simply state the objective:

Create a PRD for a notification system that reduces alert fatigue.

Or for data analytics tasks:

Write a BigQuery SQL query that returns monthly active users by country for Q4 2025.

Key Configuration Files

Understanding these repository files helps troubleshoot installation issues:

• README.md: Contains the complete installation guide referenced in lines 52-58 (Cowork) and lines 63-79 (Claude Code).
• CLAUDE.md: Defines agent behavior and Claude-specific conventions that both environments use.
• pm-toolkit/README.md: Shows how individual plugins group skills and commands.
• pm-ai-shipping/README.md: Demonstrates the packaging structure for the AI-shipping plugin.

Summary

• Claude Cowork installs all nine pm-skills plugins automatically via the UI's Customize menu using the GitHub identifier phuryn/pm-skills.
• Claude Code requires two CLI steps: claude plugin marketplace add phuryn/pm-skills followed by individual claude plugin install commands for each plugin.
• Cowork exposes slash commands (e.g., /discover), while Claude Code requires plain language prompts to invoke the same underlying skills.
• Both environments reference the same source files, including CLAUDE.md for behavior definitions and individual plugin directories like pm-execution/commands/ for specific workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I install only specific pm-skills plugins instead of all nine?

In Claude Cowork, all nine plugins install automatically when you add the marketplace. In Claude Code, you have granular control—simply omit the claude plugin install commands for any plugins you don't need. The CLI approach lets you install only pm-toolkit and pm-execution, for example, while skipping pm-ai-shipping if desired.

Why don't slash commands work in Claude Code?

Claude Code does not expose the slash-command interface that Claude Cowork uses. According to the repository documentation, you must invoke skills by describing the workflow in natural language, such as "Create a PRD" or "Run product discovery." The underlying skill files in pm-execution/commands/write-prd.md and similar paths remain accessible, but without the / prefix trigger.

Do I need to reinstall pm-skills after updating Claude Code or Cowork?

The pm-skills marketplace persists across Claude environment updates once installed via claude plugin marketplace add or the Cowork UI. However, if individual plugins receive updates, you may need to run claude plugin update in the CLI or check for marketplace updates in Cowork's Customize section. The repository's README.md (lines 63-79) outlines update procedures for the CLI.

Where are the pm-skills workflow definitions stored?

The skill definitions reside in the phuryn/pm-skills repository's plugin directories. For example, pm-execution/commands/write-prd.md contains the PRD writing workflow, while CLAUDE.md serves as the single source of truth for agent behavior conventions. Both Claude Code and Cowork reference these files when executing tasks.

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