Plugin Publishing

Guide users through publishing their Claude Code plugins to the marketplace.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:

• Wants to publish a plugin they've created
• Asks how to share a plugin
• Needs to update a published plugin
• Wants to submit to the official marketplace
• Has questions about plugin requirements

Pre-Publishing Checklist

Before publishing, ensure the plugin has:

Required Structure

my-plugin/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json          # ✅ Required manifest
├── README.md                 # ✅ Required documentation
├── LICENSE                   # ✅ Required license file
├── commands/                 # Optional
│   └── *.md
├── skills/                   # Optional
│   └── */SKILL.md
├── agents/                   # Optional
├── hooks/                    # Optional
│   └── hooks.json
└── scripts/                  # Optional

Valid Manifest

{
  "name": "plugin-name",
  "description": "Clear, concise description of the plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": "Your Name or Organization"
}

Quality Requirements

• Unique plugin name (check registry first)
• Semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
• Clear description (under 200 characters)
• Comprehensive README
• Valid LICENSE file
• No hardcoded secrets or credentials
• Works with current Claude Code version

Publishing Process

Step 1: Validate Plugin

Run the validation command:

/plugin-marketplace:publish --validate

This checks:

• Manifest structure and required fields
• File structure correctness
• README presence and format
• License compatibility
• No security issues detected

Step 2: Create Account (First Time)

If publishing for the first time:

/plugin-marketplace:publish --register

This will:

• Create publisher account
• Verify email/identity
• Set up authentication

Step 3: Publish

Submit the plugin:

/plugin-marketplace:publish

Or with explicit path:

/plugin-marketplace:publish ./path/to/plugin

Step 4: Verification (Optional)

For verified badge, additional review is required:

• Code review by maintainers
• Security audit
• Quality assessment
• May take 1-2 weeks

Plugin Naming Conventions

Format

@scope/plugin-name

Scope Types

Name Requirements

• Lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens only
• 3-50 characters
• Must be unique in scope
• Descriptive and meaningful

Version Management

Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

1.0.0 → 1.0.1  (Patch: bug fixes)
1.0.1 → 1.1.0  (Minor: new features, backwards compatible)
1.1.0 → 2.0.0  (Major: breaking changes)

Updating Published Plugins

/plugin-marketplace:publish --update

Requires:

• Bumped version number
• Changelog entry (recommended)
• Passing validation

README Requirements

A good README includes:

# Plugin Name

Brief description of what the plugin does.

## Features

- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Installation

\`\`\`
/plugin-marketplace:install @scope/plugin-name
\`\`\`

## Usage

### Commands
- `/plugin-name:command1` - Description
- `/plugin-name:command2` - Description

### Configuration
How to configure the plugin.

## Examples

Real usage examples.

## License

MIT (or your license)

Security Guidelines

Do NOT Include

• API keys or secrets
• Hardcoded credentials
• Personal data
• Malicious code
• Obfuscated code

Security Best Practices

1. Use environment variables for sensitive config
2. Validate inputs in commands and hooks
3. Minimal permissions - only request what's needed
4. Secure dependencies - keep them updated
5. Document security - explain what permissions are for

Marketplace Categories

Choose the most appropriate category:

Example Publishing Flow

User: "I want to publish my formatter plugin"

Response: Great! Let's publish your formatter plugin. First, let me validate it:

/plugin-marketplace:publish --validate

Validation Results: ✅ Manifest valid ✅ README present ✅ LICENSE (MIT) detected ✅ Commands: 2 found ✅ Skills: 1 found ⚠️ Suggestion: Add keywords to manifest for better discoverability

Would you like to proceed with publishing? I can help you:

1. Fix the suggestions first
2. Publish as-is
3. Review what will be published

User: "Publish it"

Response: Publishing @username/code-formatter v1.0.0...

/plugin-marketplace:publish

✅ Plugin published successfully!

Your plugin is now available at: /plugin-marketplace:install @username/code-formatter

Next steps:

• Share the install command with users
• Apply for verification (optional)
• Monitor feedback and issues

Would you like me to help you apply for verified status?