Plugin Builder

Overview

plugin-builder automates the entire Claude Code plugin creation and distribution process. It generates valid plugin structures, manifests, validates compliance, packages existing skills, and prepares plugins for marketplace distribution.

Purpose: Transform skills into distributable plugins in minutes instead of hours

Key Capabilities:

• Initialize plugin directory structure
• Generate valid plugin.json and marketplace.json manifests
• Validate plugin structure and 2025 schema compliance
• Package existing skills into plugin format
• Automate repetitive plugin tasks

Pattern: Task-based (independent operations, flexible order)

Time Savings: 2-4 hours manual work → 15-30 minutes automated

What Are Claude Code Plugins?

Plugins are distributable packages that extend Claude Code with custom functionality. They can contain:

• Skills: Agent capabilities (what we have 32 of!)
• Commands: Custom slash commands
• Agents: Specialized subagents
• Hooks: Event handlers
• MCP Servers: External tool integrations

Distribution: Plugins are shared via Git-based marketplaces. Users install with:

/plugin marketplace add owner/repo
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name

Structure:

plugin-name/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── plugin.json           # Required: Plugin metadata
│   └── marketplace.json      # Optional: For distribution
├── skills/                    # Your skills go here
├── commands/                  # Custom commands (optional)
├── agents/                    # Subagents (optional)
└── README.md                  # Recommended: Documentation

When to Use

Use plugin-builder when you need to:

Creating Plugins:

• Package your skills for distribution
• Create installable skill collections
• Share skills with your team
• Publish to community marketplaces

Validation & Quality:

• Validate plugin structure before publishing
• Ensure 2025 schema compliance
• Check manifest correctness
• Verify component formatting

Distribution Setup:

• Create team/organization marketplaces
• Set up GitHub distribution
• Configure multi-plugin catalogs

Bulk Operations:

• Convert multiple skills to plugins
• Package entire skill ecosystems
• Migrate existing skills to plugin format

Prerequisites

Before using plugin-builder:

Knowledge:

• Basic understanding of Claude Code skills
• Familiarity with terminal/command line
• Basic JSON concepts (scripts generate it for you)

Tools:

• Python 3.8+ installed
• Skills/commands/agents to package (for packaging operations)
• Git installed (for marketplace distribution)

Optional:

• GitHub account (for public distribution)
• Text editor (for manual manifest edits)

Operations

Operation 1: Initialize Plugin Structure

Create a complete plugin directory structure with minimal configuration.

Purpose: Quickly scaffold a new plugin with correct structure and minimal boilerplate

When to Use:

• Starting a new plugin from scratch
• Need proper directory layout
• Want generated README template

Prerequisites:

• Plugin name decided (kebab-case recommended)
• Basic metadata known (description, author)

Inputs:

• Plugin name
• Optional: Description, author information

Process:

Method 1: Interactive Script (Recommended)

cd /path/to/your/workspace
python /path/to/plugin-builder/scripts/init_plugin.py

Follow prompts:

1. Enter plugin name (will create directory with this name)
2. Enter description (brief, 1-2 sentences)
3. Enter author name
4. Enter author email (optional)
5. Choose components to include (skills/commands/agents)

Method 2: Command Line

python /path/to/plugin-builder/scripts/init_plugin.py my-plugin \
  --description "My awesome plugin" \
  --author "Your Name" \
  --email "you@example.com" \
  --components skills,commands

Method 3: Manual Creation

mkdir -p my-plugin/.claude-plugin
mkdir -p my-plugin/skills
mkdir -p my-plugin/commands  # optional
mkdir -p my-plugin/agents    # optional

# Create minimal plugin.json
cat > my-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json <<'EOF'
{
  "name": "my-plugin"
}
EOF

# Create README
cat > my-plugin/README.md <<'EOF'
# My Plugin

Description of what this plugin does.

## Installation

\`\`\`bash
/plugin marketplace add your-username/your-repo
/plugin install my-plugin
\`\`\`
EOF

Outputs:

my-plugin/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json       # Minimal manifest (name only)
├── skills/               # If selected
├── commands/             # If selected
├── agents/               # If selected
└── README.md             # Template with installation instructions

Validation:

• Directory created with correct name
• .claude-plugin/plugin.json exists with valid JSON
• README.md exists
• Selected component directories created

Example:

# Interactive mode
$ python scripts/init_plugin.py

Enter plugin name (kebab-case):

...