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Day 26 of 52 · about 15 min · Skills

Install a plugin from a marketplace

Someone has probably packaged the skill, agent or hook you were about to write. A plugin installs it in one step, but it also runs code on your machine, so look before you install.

You’ll finish with

  • The commit-commands plugin installed at the scope you chose.
  • A habit of reading what a plugin adds before you install it.
  • The plugin disabled again, and the command that removes it.

You’ll need

  • Claude Code in a terminal. It adds Anthropic’s official marketplace the first time you start a session.
  • Any project folder to try it in.
Start from the practice project as of Day 23 (.zip, 30 KB)

Before you start

Tell us about your setup and the steps change to fit it. Your answers stay in this browser, and you can change them at any time.

Which system are you on?

Commands differ between systems. Pick the one you’ll run Claude Code on.

The steps

One step at a time. When a step’s check matches, tick it and the next one opens.

0 of 4 steps done0%

  1. Step 1 of 4: Open the plugin’s details

    Inside a session, the install command shows the plugin first and installs nothing yet.
    In Claude Code

    You type: /plugin install commit-commands@claude-plugins-official

    What happens: The /plugin panel opens on the plugin’s details.

    What happens: Run /plugin alone to browse the Discover tab instead.

    The part after @ names the marketplace.

    Check it worked

    The details pane for commit-commands is open, with a Will install list.

    If it didn’t work

    It says the marketplace `claude-plugins-official` isn’t found.

    Run /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official, then try again.

  2. Step 2 of 4: Read what it will install

    A plugin can run code with your user permissions, so check what it brings.

    Runs code on your machine

    • Hooks, outside the sandbox
    • MCP and LSP servers, also outside it
    • Programs in its bin/ folder, which Claude’s shell commands can run

    Shapes what Claude does

    • Skills and commands
    • Agents
    • They enter Claude’s context as instructions
    Will install shows a hook exists, not what it runs.

    To see what a hook or server runs, choose View on GitHub and read hooks/hooks.json and .mcp.json in the plugin’s folder.

    Check it worked

    You can say whether commit-commands adds hooks or servers, or only commands.

  3. Step 3 of 4: Choose a scope and install

    User scope gives you the plugin in every project on this machine.
    In Claude Code

    What happens: Select Install for you (user scope).

    Output: Plugin is now active.

    What happens: Or Run /reload-plugins to apply., and Claude Code runs that reload for you.

    Project scope would turn it on for everyone who works in this repository.

    Check it worked

    Type /commit-commands: and /commit-commands:commit appears in the menu.

  4. Step 4 of 4: Check its cost, then disable it

    Every enabled plugin adds to each session, so keep only what you use.
    Terminal

    Run: claude plugin details commit-commands

    What happens: Its Always-on line is the tokens it adds to every session.

    Run: claude plugin disable commit-commands@claude-plugins-official

    What happens: Still installed, just off. claude plugin uninstall removes it.

    Run these in your terminal, PowerShell included.

    Check it worked

    In a new session, /plugin shows it under the disabled group on the Installed tab, and /commit-commands:commit is gone.

Finish · 4 of 4 steps to go

You can add packaged work safely

You found a plugin, read what it runs, installed it where you wanted, and know how to switch it off.

What you’ll have checked

  • claude plugin list shows commit-commands.
  • Its /commit-commands:commit command is off.

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Questions

Questions about Day 26

Is a plugin from the official marketplace automatically safe?

A marketplace name tells you who publishes the catalog, not what each plugin does. Review each plugin the same way, and note that updates can change the files you read.

Sources

Checked against the official Claude Code docs on .

Independent resource, not affiliated with Anthropic. HorizonLux wrote this lesson; Claude Code is made by Anthropic.