# Plugin Development Workflows
## Creating a New Plugin
### 1. Create Plugin Directory Structure
```bash
mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/.claude-plugin
mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/commands
mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/skills
```
### 2. Create Plugin Manifest
Create `plugins/plugin-name/.claude-plugin/plugin.json`:
```json
{
"name": "plugin-name",
"version": "0.1.0",
"description": "Plugin description",
"author": {
"name": "Your Name",
"email": "
[email protected]"
},
"keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"]
}
```
### 3. Add Plugin to Marketplace
Update `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` by adding entry to `plugins` array:
```json
{
"name": "plugin-name",
"source": "./plugins/plugin-name",
"description": "Plugin description",
"version": "0.1.0",
"keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"],
"category": "productivity"
}
```
### 4. Add Plugin Components
Create commands, skills, agents, or hooks as needed in their respective directories.
## Version Bumping
When making changes to a plugin, update version in **both** locations:
1. `plugins//.claude-plugin/plugin.json`
2. `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` (matching plugin entry)
**Semantic versioning:**
- **Major (x.0.0)**: Breaking changes
- **Minor (0.x.0)**: New features, refactoring
- **Patch (0.0.x)**: Bug fixes, documentation only
## Local Testing Workflow
### Initial Setup
```bash
# Add marketplace
/plugin marketplace add /path/to/marketplace-root
# Install plugin
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name
```
### Iterative Testing
After making changes to a plugin:
```bash
# Uninstall
/plugin uninstall plugin-name@marketplace-name
# Reinstall
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name
# Restart Claude Code to load changes
```
**Note:** Claude Code caches plugin files, so restart may be required for changes to take effect.
## Publishing Workflow
### 1. Commit Changes
Use conventional commits:
```bash
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new plugin"
git commit -m "fix: correct plugin manifest"
git commit -m "docs: update plugin README"
```
### 2. Push to Repository
```bash
git push origin main
```
### 3. Distribution
**GitHub-hosted marketplace:**
Users add via:
```bash
/plugin marketplace add owner/repo
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name
```
**Local marketplace:**
Users add via absolute path:
```bash
/plugin marketplace add /path/to/marketplace
```
## Command Naming Convention
Commands use subdirectory-based namespacing:
- File: `commands/namespace/command.md`
- Invoked as: `/namespace:command`
- The `:` represents directory separator `/`
**Examples:**
- `commands/prime/vue.md` → `/prime:vue`
- `commands/docs/generate.md` → `/docs:generate`
- `commands/simple.md` → `/simple`
## Common Plugin Patterns
### Framework Plugin
Structure for framework-specific guidance (React, Vue, Nuxt, etc.):
```
plugins/framework-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── skills/
│ └── framework-name/
│ ├── SKILL.md # Quick reference
│ └── references/ # Library-specific patterns
├── commands/
│ └── prime/ # Namespace for loading patterns
│ ├── components.md
│ └── framework.md
└── README.md
```
### Utility Plugin
Structure for tools and utilities:
```
plugins/utility-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── commands/
│ ├── action1.md
│ └── action2.md
└── README.md
```
### Domain Plugin
Structure for domain-specific knowledge:
```
plugins/domain-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── skills/
│ └── domain-name/
│ ├── SKILL.md
│ ├── references/
│ │ ├── schema.md
│ │ └── policies.md
│ └── scripts/
│ └── automation.py
└── README.md
```