Spec file
Claude Code plugins: inspect settings, disk and session loading
Distinguish plugins, standalone skills and marketplaces, then check whether the plugin reached the current session.
When an installed plugin is unavailable in the current session, inspect its loading layers. The docs describe a plugin as components installed and loaded together, while a marketplace catalogs where to find them. Prepare a local Claude Code loading checklist without installing or invoking a plugin.
- Verified
- · Not tested by us
- Applies to
- Claude Code Applies to local Claude Code; the page gives no unified version floor. Use the 2026-11-04 check and actual interface.[1]
- Tools
File locations
| Path | Scope | How it is read |
|---|---|---|
<plugin>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json | Plugin manifest location; place components according to the component documentation. | The manifest supplies a name and optional metadata; availability also depends on settings, disk and session.[1] |
When to use
- A plugin is installed but its skill or MCP capability is unavailable in the session.[1]
When not to use
- You only need a private standalone skill without bundling several components for distribution.[1]
Distinguish three objects
A plugin can contain skills, agents, hooks and MCP servers. A marketplace catalogs plugins and their fetch locations; adding a marketplace does not establish plugin availability. Skills, hooks and MCP servers can be configured independently. Consider a plugin package when components need to be distributed and updated as a unit.[1]
Record the three loading layers
The overview identifies three layers: Settings lists marketplaces and enabled plugins; Disk stores installed content under ~/.claude/plugins/; Session loads plugins at startup or reload. The original checklist records expected name, actual observation and gap for each layer. Locate the gap before consulting installation or loading guidance instead of repeatedly reinstalling to guess the cause.[1]
The local development entry
A manifest typically lives at .claude-plugin/plugin.json and provides name plus optional version and description. The overview describes --plugin-dir for loading a development folder without a marketplace. This page explains the entry only. Read Create a plugin for actual directory and command rules, and review component paths, scripts and external connections before using it.[1]
Enabled-plugin effects and stop conditions
An enabled plugin affects more than turns that invoke it: callable component names and descriptions occupy context, and MCP processes or hooks can accompany sessions. The docs warn plugins can run code with user privileges. Pause enablement when source, scripts or connection scope are unclear. No installation, --plugin-dir execution, setting change or connection occurred here; inspect real usage and costs separately.[1]
Sources
All links are official pages; verification dates are listed per source, and links point to the version checked.
Related tools
Claude Code
Anthropic's coding agent for reading codebase context, editing files, running commands and assisting development work.