Plugin Dev: Anthropic's Toolkit for Building Claude Plugins
plugin-dev is Anthropic's toolkit for building Claude Code plugins: seven skills on hooks, MCP, commands and agents, plus a guided create-plugin workflow.
By Claudekit Team Published 1 min read
- Type
- Plugin
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Repository
- github.com
- Website
- github.com
plugin-dev is Anthropic’s toolkit for building Claude Code plugins. It gives Claude seven skills that cover every plugin component, three helper agents, and a guided /plugin-dev:create-plugin command that walks from idea to a validated, documented plugin.
Checked 24 Oct 2026 against the plugin’s README and marketplace.json.
Who it is for
Developers writing their own plugins, hooks, commands, agents or MCP integrations, and teams packaging internal tooling for a private marketplace.
Install
/plugin install plugin-dev@claude-plugins-officialThen start the guided flow:
/plugin-dev:create-plugin A plugin for managing database migrationsThe plugin’s README still shows an older @claude-code-marketplace install line; in Anthropic’s directory the plugin is listed under claude-plugins-official.
What it does
- Skills: hook development (all hook events, prompt and command hooks), MCP integration (stdio, SSE, HTTP, WebSocket), plugin structure and
plugin.json, plugin settings via.local.mdfiles, slash commands, agents and skills. - Agents:
agent-creator,plugin-validatorandskill-reviewer. - Utilities: scripts to validate
hooks.json, test hooks, lint hook scripts, validate agents and parse settings. - Skills load progressively, so the core docs stay out of context until a trigger phrase like “create a hook” appears.
Use cases
- Scaffold a new plugin with commands and an MCP server.
- Write and test a PreToolUse hook before shipping it.
- Review an existing skill’s description for reliable triggering.
Pros
- Written by the team that builds Claude Code, with real examples.
- Covers the whole lifecycle, including validation and testing.
- Works as a reference even if you never run the guided command.
Cons and caveats
- Large skill set; disable it when you are not building plugins.
- Some README details, such as the marketplace name, lag behind the directory.
Links
- Plugin folder: plugins/plugin-dev
- Docs: Claude Code plugins
- Related: plugin marketplace guide, hooks guide, Skill Creator
Frequently asked questions
Which skills are included?
hook-development, mcp-integration, plugin-structure, plugin-settings, command-development, agent-development and skill-development.
What does /plugin-dev:create-plugin do?
It runs an 8-phase workflow: discovery, component planning, detailed design, structure creation, implementation, validation, testing and documentation.
Does it include validation tools?
Yes. It ships scripts such as validate-hook-schema.sh, test-hook.sh, hook-linter.sh and validate-agent.sh, plus a plugin-validator agent.