Plugin Structure & Architecture FAQs

Question 1

Can I define custom paths for my plugin components?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can supplement default discovery by specifying custom relative paths in the manifest, such as 'commands': ['./custom-folder'], which adds those locations to the search path.

Question 2

What is the difference between a command and a skill in a plugin?

Accepted Answer

Commands are user-triggered via slash prefixes (e.g., /review), while skills are background capabilities that Claude Code autonomously activates based on the task context.

Question 3

How does Claude Code discover new commands and agents?

Accepted Answer

Claude Code uses an auto-discovery mechanism that automatically scans the commands/, agents/, and skills/ directories for markdown files with valid YAML frontmatter.

Question 4

Why is ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} important for plugin development?

Accepted Answer

It is an environment variable that provides the absolute path to the plugin root, ensuring your scripts and hooks work correctly regardless of the user's operating system or installation path.

Question 5

What is the required location for the plugin manifest?

Accepted Answer

The plugin.json manifest must be located within the .claude-plugin/ directory at the root of your plugin folder.

Plugin Structure & Architecture

Key Features

Use Cases

Plugin Structure & Architecture

Key Features

Use Cases