Claude Code Plugins System - Complete Reference (April 2026)

Plugins extend Claude Code with skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers, and LSP servers. This reference provides complete technical specifications for creating and distributing plugins.

Plugin Components Overview

Plugins can include any combination of:

• Skills: SKILL.md directories that Claude can invoke automatically
• Commands: Markdown files creating /name shortcuts (legacy; use skills instead)
• Agents: Specialized subagents for specific tasks
• Hooks: Event handlers responding to Claude Code events
• MCP Servers: Model Context Protocol servers for external tool integration
• LSP Servers: Language Server Protocol servers for code intelligence