Claude Code Plugin Marketplace Install Pattern

Installing plugins from GitHub into Claude Code requires a two-step process: first register the marketplace source with /plugin marketplace add <user>/<repo>, then install the specific plugin from that marketplace with /plugin install <name>@<marketplace-name>. Using /plugin add (without marketplace) only works for local file paths — it does not resolve GitHub repositories.

Key Points

/plugin add = local file path install only — does NOT work for GitHub repos
/plugin marketplace add <user>/<repo> = registers a GitHub repo as a marketplace source
/plugin install <name>@<marketplace-name> = installs a specific plugin from a registered marketplace
The <marketplace-name> defaults to the repo name part of <user>/<repo>
Plugins installed this way persist across sessions and are available globally

Details

Two-Step Install Process

# Step 1: Register the marketplace (GitHub repo)
/plugin marketplace add kepano/obsidian-skills
# → Registers as marketplace named "obsidian-skills"

# Step 2: Install a specific skill/plugin from it
/plugin install obsidian-markdown@obsidian-skills
# → Installs the obsidian-markdown plugin

# Install another plugin from the same marketplace
/plugin install obsidian-cli@obsidian-skills

What Does NOT Work

# ❌ Does not resolve GitHub repos
/plugin add kepano/obsidian-skills

# ❌ Cannot use GitHub URL directly
/plugin add https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills

What /plugin add IS for

# ✅ Local file path only
/plugin add /Users/me/.claude/plugins/my-local-plugin
/plugin add ./my-plugin-dir

Listing and Managing

# List registered marketplaces
/plugin marketplace list

# List installed plugins
/plugin list

# Remove a plugin
/plugin remove obsidian-markdown

# Remove a marketplace
/plugin marketplace remove obsidian-skills

Plugin Directory Structure

Plugins installed via marketplace are stored in:

~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/<marketplace-name>/

Individual skills within a marketplace plugin are invoked as:

/skill <marketplace-name>:<skill-name>
# e.g.:
/skill obsidian-skills:obsidian-markdown

wiki/claude-code/_index — Claude Code product docs including MCP, hooks, plugins
wiki/concepts/claude-code-schedule-skill-account-type — related Claude Code feature constraint

Sources

daily/2026-04-29.md — Documented while setting up obsidian-skills and other marketplace plugins

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