Claude Plugins
Claude Plugins are installable bundles of skills, slash commands, sub-agents, and MCP connectors that set up Claude Code or Claude Cowork for a role or team.
Claude Plugins are installable packages that bundle skills, slash commands, sub-agents, hooks, and MCP connectors so Claude Code or Claude Cowork is configured for a job in one step. Anthropic's open-source knowledge-work-plugins repo launched with eleven role plugins and holds seventeen as of September 2026; developers add marketplaces from the CLI, and Cowork users install from Customize.
Claude Plugins are installable packages that bundle skills, slash commands, sub-agents, hooks, and MCP connectors into a single unit, so that Claude Code or Claude Cowork is set up for a specific job from the first conversation instead of piece by piece.
The format comes from Claude Code, where a plugin is a directory with a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest and optional skills/, commands/, agents/, hooks/, and .mcp.json at its root. Plugins are distributed through marketplaces, which are git repositories holding a catalog. Developers add one and install from it:
claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
claude plugin install sales@knowledge-work-pluginsThe same packages install into Claude Cowork from the Customize menu (Plugins tab, Browse plugins, Install), and into chat on the web and desktop, though hooks and sub-agents only run in Cowork. Plugins are available on all paid plans, and Anthropic hosts a directory at claude.com/plugins.
Anthropic's open-source knowledge-work-plugins repository (Apache-2.0) is the reference set. It launched on January 30, 2026 with eleven plugins (productivity, sales, customer support, product management, marketing, legal, finance, data, enterprise search, bio research, and plugin management) and holds seventeen Anthropic-built plugins as of September 2026, the later additions covering HR, design, engineering, operations, small business, and a PDF viewer. Each wires together Agent Skills for the domain, slash commands for explicit actions, and connectors for the CRM, tracker, or warehouse the role uses. The knowledge-work plugins guide covers choosing and installing one; the Claude Code plugins guide covers building your own.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a plugin and a skill?
- A skill is one procedure in a SKILL.md folder. A plugin is a package that can contain many skills plus slash commands, sub-agents, hooks, and MCP server configurations, with a plugin.json manifest. Skills inside a plugin are namespaced, for example /sales:call-prep, so two plugins can ship skills with the same name.
- Where do I install Claude plugins?
- In Claude Code, add a marketplace with claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins and then run claude plugin install sales@knowledge-work-plugins, or use the /plugin command. In Cowork, open the Cowork tab, then Customize, then the Plugins tab, click Browse plugins, and Install. Plugins are available on all paid plans.
- Are plugins safe to install?
- Treat them like any software. Anthropic's help center notes that plugins may include local MCP servers that run on your computer with the same permissions as any other program, and says to install only from sources you trust. Enterprise admins can restrict plugins or disable local MCP servers.
Related
- Anthropic's Knowledge-Work Plugins: Every Role Plugin, ExplainedEvery Anthropic knowledge-work plugin for Claude Cowork and Claude Code cataloged: what each role plugin bundles, the install commands, and how to fork one.
- Claude CoworkAnthropic's agent for knowledge work that completes multi-step tasks in your folders, connectors, and browser, on desktop, web, and mobile.
- ClaudeAnthropic's AI assistant app for web, desktop, and mobile, with Projects, connectors, Artifacts, skills, memory, and code execution.
- Claude CoworkClaude Cowork is the agentic mode of Anthropic's Claude app that completes multi-step knowledge-work tasks in your files, connectors, and browser.
- AI ConnectorsAI connectors are the integrations that let an assistant like Claude read and act in tools such as Google Drive, Slack, and Notion; in Claude, MCP servers.
- Claude Code Plugins: Install, Use, and Build Your OwnHow Claude Code plugins work — what they can bundle, the /plugin and marketplace commands, the plugin.json manifest, and building and testing your own.
- What Are Claude Skills? The Complete GuideClaude Skills explained: what a SKILL.md is, how progressive disclosure keeps skills cheap, where they run, and how to install or write your own.
- Agent SkillsAgent Skills are reusable procedures packaged as folders with a SKILL.md file — loaded by an AI agent on demand when a task matches, now an open standard.