A practical guide to the Claude Code plugin marketplace as of May 2026, explaining the four core primitives: skills (structured prompt files), plugins (distribution packages), MCP servers (data layer integrations), and hooks (lifecycle automation). Covers how to install plugins from official, community, and local sources, the SKILL.md format with concrete examples, when to graduate from a skill to a full plugin, security/provenance concerns analogous to early npm, and how to build and ship your own plugin marketplace using a Git repo. Includes a recommended starter stack and a candid assessment of the ecosystem's maturity.
Table of contents
The Mental ModelWhat The Marketplace Actually Looks LikeHow To Actually Install ThingsThe Skill Format, ConcretelyWhen To Build A Plugin Instead Of A SkillThe Part Nobody Is Talking About: Plugin ProvenanceBuilding And Shipping Your Own PluginWhat I Recommend In May 2026What This Changes For Developer Tooling176 Impressions1 Comment