This automatically checks:

marketplace.json structure
Skills paths validation
Git remote URL
README.md repository references
plugin.json presence (warns if exists)

Manual Review

Ask user for marketplace directory (e.g., .claude-plugin/)
Read marketplace.json and plugin.json (if exists)
Check against official format and common errors
Provide detailed feedback with priorities

Example review output:

## Critical Issues
- ❌ Repository URL mismatch: README.md uses "owner-a/repo" but marketplace.json uses "owner-b/repo"
- ❌ Source path "./.claude-plugin" does not exist

## Important Issues
- ⚠ plugin.json exists but Anthropic's official format uses marketplace.json only
- ⚠ Skills path "./skills/missing-skill" not found

## Compliance Score
- Structure: ✓ Valid JSON
- Required fields: ✓ Present
- Path validation: ✗ 2 invalid paths

Review Process

Step 1: Read Configuration Files

Read and analyze:

.claude-plugin/marketplace.json (required for marketplaces)
.claude-plugin/plugin.json (optional, check if present)
README.md (for repository URL consistency)
Git remote URL (if in git repository)

Step 2: Validate marketplace.json Structure

Required fields:

name - Marketplace identifier
owner.name - Owner name
plugins - Array of plugin definitions

Each plugin must have:

name - Plugin identifier
source - Source path (must start with ./, e.g., "./plugins/plugin-name")
description - What the plugin does

Recommended fields:

metadata.description - Marketplace description
metadata.version - Version number

Note: skills field specifies skills directory path (root-relative, e.g., "./plugins/plugin-name/skills/")

Optional fields (context-dependent):

strict: false - Only needed if plugins lack plugin.json files (see references/common-errors.md)

Step 3: Check Common Errors

Repository URL consistency:

Compare URLs in marketplace.json, plugin.json, README.md, git remote
All should point to the same repository
Common issue: Using organization name instead of personal username

Source path validation:

Verify source path exists
Must start with ./ (e.g., "./plugins/plugin-name")
Check that source directory contains skills/ subdirectory with SKILL.md files

Skills path validation:

Verify skills path exists (root-relative, e.g., "./plugins/plugin-name/skills/")
Directory should contain subdirectories with SKILL.md files

plugin.json conflicts:

Anthropic's official format uses marketplace.json only
Having both may cause confusion
If both exist, ensure names match

README.md consistency checks:

Skills documentation: Verify all skills in marketplace.json are documented in README.md
- Check "Skills Included" section lists each skill from the skills array
- Each skill should have description and "Use when" guidance
Project Structure accuracy:
- If plugin.json mentioned in README but doesn't exist, suggest using marketplace.json
- Verify structure diagram matches actual files in .claude-plugin/
Permissions section completeness:
- Check if README.md settings.json examples include all skills from marketplace.json
- Example: "Skill(skill-name)" for each skill should be in permissions array
Repository references: Ensure consistent GitHub URLs across README installation examples

Step 4: Compare with Anthropic Format

See references/anthropic-format.md for official structure.

Key patterns from Anthropic:

marketplace.json at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
No plugin.json (marketplace.json only)
source: "./plugins/plugin-name" pointing to plugin directory (must start with ./)
strict: false (optional - only needed when plugin.json is missing)
skills field specifies skills directory (root-relative path)

Step 5: Generate Feedback

Organize findings by priority:

Critical Issues (breaks functionality):

enabledPlugins format error (array instead of object)
Repository URL mismatch with git remote
Invalid source path (doesn't exist)
Missing required fields
Invalid JSON syntax

Important Issues (causes confusion):

Repository URL inconsistency across files
Invalid skills paths
Conflicting plugin.json and marketplace.json
Missing recommended fields

Suggestions (best practices):

Add metadata section (improves discoverability)
Add strict: false only if plugins lack plugin.json (otherwise no effect)
Follow Anthropic's single-file pattern
Explicit skills array

Common Issues Reference

See references/common-errors.md for detailed error patterns and solutions.

Top 3 issues from real experience (by actual impact):

enabledPlugins format error ⚠️ BREAKS FUNCTIONALITY
- Error: Plugins don't load, no activation
- Cause: Using array ["plugin@marketplace"] instead of object {"plugin@marketplace": true}
- Fix: Change to object format in settings.json
- This is the #1 cause of "plugin not working" issues
Repository URL mismatch
- Error: Plugin 'name' not found in marketplace
- Cause: README/settings use different owner than actual git remote
- Fix: Ensure all URLs match git remote -v
Wrong source path
- Error: Plugin 'name' not found
- Cause: Source points to non-existent directory
- Fix: Use "./" for root, verify path exists

Output Format

Structure review with these sections:

Summary: Overall assessment
Critical Issues: Must fix (with file:line references)
Important Issues: Should fix (with explanations)
Suggestions: Best practices alignment
Compliance Score: Quick visual assessment

Tips for Effective Reviews

Be Specific: Don't say "URL is wrong" - say "marketplace.json line 7 uses 'owner-a/repo' but git remote shows 'owner-b/repo'"

Verify Paths: Actually check if files/directories exist, don't just validate format

Check Consistency: Cross-reference all files that mention repository URLs

Use Official Examples: Compare against Anthropic's format at https://github.com/anthropics/skills

References

Anthropic Format: See references/anthropic-format.md for official marketplace.json structure

Common Errors: See references/common-errors.md for detailed error patterns and solutions

reviewing-plugin-marketplace

Reviewing Plugin Marketplace Configurations

Quick Start

Automated Review (Recommended)