How does Claude Code discover new commands?

Claude Code automatically scans the 'commands/' directory at the plugin root for .md files containing YAML frontmatter.

What is the purpose of ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}?

It is an environment variable used for portable path references, ensuring your plugin works across different operating systems and installation paths.

What naming convention should I use for plugin files?

It is best practice to use kebab-case (lowercase with hyphens) for all directory and file names to ensure consistency and portability.

Where should the Claude Code plugin manifest be located?

The plugin manifest must be located at .claude-plugin/plugin.json within your plugin directory.

Can I define custom paths for plugin components?

Yes, you can supplement default directories by specifying custom paths for commands, agents, and hooks in the plugin.json file.

Claude Code Plugin Architecture & Scaffolding

Name: Claude Code Plugin Architecture & Scaffolding
Author: Microck

byMicrock

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Developer Tools

Guides developers through the standardized directory layout and manifest configuration required to build robust Claude Code plugins.

About

This skill provides expert architectural guidance for creating, scaffolding, and organizing Claude Code plugins. It ensures developers follow the required directory conventions, properly configure the plugin.json manifest, and implement portable path references using the ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} variable. By using this skill, developers can ensure their plugins integrate seamlessly with Claude Code's auto-discovery mechanism for commands, agents, skills, and hooks, while maintaining cross-platform compatibility and maintainable codebases.

Key Features

Manifest (plugin.json) configuration guidance
Portable path resolution using ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
Component auto-discovery optimization
Best practices for naming conventions and versioning
Standardized directory layout scaffolding
81 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Scaffolding a new Claude Code plugin from scratch with the correct file structure
Migrating standalone scripts into a formal Claude Code plugin architecture
Configuring advanced hooks and MCP server definitions within a plugin manifest

About

Key Features

Manifest (plugin.json) configuration guidance
Portable path resolution using ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}
Component auto-discovery optimization
Best practices for naming conventions and versioning
Standardized directory layout scaffolding
81 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Scaffolding a new Claude Code plugin from scratch with the correct file structure
Migrating standalone scripts into a formal Claude Code plugin architecture
Configuring advanced hooks and MCP server definitions within a plugin manifest