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You run plugin commands either as claude plugin from your shell or a script, or as /plugin and /reload-plugins inside a Claude Code session. This reference gives each command’s flags, defaults, output, and exit codes, along with the two flags that load a plugin for one session. The tables below list each subcommand’s commonly used options, not every option. Run claude plugin --help in your shell to see which subcommands your version has, and claude plugin --help for a subcommand’s full option list.
These cases are covered on other pages:

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claude plugin commands

Run claude plugin from your shell or a script, outside a Claude Code session. These subcommands install and manage plugins without opening the /plugin panel. claude plugins is an alias for claude plugin. Every subcommand shares these exit codes, plugin arguments, and scope values:
  • Exit codes: 0 on success and 1 on failure. validate adds exit 2 for an unexpected error, and eval adds the codes listed in its section.
  • Plugin arguments: a argument is a plugin name or name@marketplace. When two marketplaces offer the same name, use the qualified form. configure takes only the qualified form.
  • Scopes: --scope takes user, project, or local, and names the settings file the command writes to. update also takes managed.

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plugin init

Scaffold a new plugin at ~/.claude/skills//. It loads in your next session as @skills-dir with no install step. new is an alias for init. For the create, test, and edit workflow that begins with this command, see Create a plugin.
becomes the directory name under ~/.claude/skills/ and the plugin’s name in its manifest. The command has no flag for another location. To scaffold inside a project instead, see Create a plugin. Scaffold a plugin with starter skill and hook files:
Claude Code validates what it wrote and prints Created plugin "my-helper" at ~/.claude/skills/my-helper, followed by the id it loads as and the claude plugin disable command that turns it off. Claude Code exits 1 without writing when it can’t scaffold safely, and the message names the reason. These are common reasons:
  • An unknown --with value
  • An existing scaffold at the target without --force
  • A managed setting that blocks skills-directory plugins

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plugin install

Install a plugin from one of your marketplaces. i is an alias for install.
Most plugins install without a prompt. For a plugin whose marketplace entry runs a command to install it or sets a headersHelper for its download, Claude Code first prints the command and asks Run this command now? [y/N]. Run claude plugin install --help in your shell to see every option your version supports. Pass -y from your own terminal to accept the displayed command without the prompt. Here’s what happens without a TTY and when Claude runs the command:
  • stdin or stdout isn’t a TTY, and you pass neither -y nor --accept-command: the install is refused. The output says the command was only displayed, and the exit code is 1
  • Claude runs the command through its Bash tool: -y is ignored. Run the command from your own terminal instead
Install a plugin for everyone who clones the project:
Claude Code prints Successfully installed plugin: formatter@my-marketplace (scope: project). When nothing new is installed, the output says why:
  • Already installed at that scope: the output is Plugin "formatter@my-marketplace" is already installed (scope: project) and the exit code is 0
  • You decline a command-source prompt: the output is Aborted. and the exit code is 1
  • You decline a headersHelper prompt, or it can’t be confirmed without a TTY: the output is Aborted — the command was not run. and the exit code is 1

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JSON result format

When you pass --json to plugin install, the last line of stdout is one JSON object. Parse only that line, because Claude Code prints any command the marketplace declares ahead of it. Three fields are always present:
  • command: the subcommand that ran, such as install
  • outcome: ok or failed
  • message: a human-readable description of the result
Other fields, such as pluginId, scope, and failureCode, appear only when they apply. The --json option on plugin uninstall, plugin update, plugin enable, and plugin disable prints the same object with that subcommand’s own fields. A usage error, such as an invalid --scope, prints no result line and exits 1 with the reason on stderr.

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JSON result for marketplace commands

On plugin marketplace add, plugin marketplace remove, and plugin marketplace update, --json prints one JSON object on the last line of stdout with command, outcome, and message fields. The following is the result of claude plugin marketplace remove your-marketplace --json:
The command value is marketplace-add, marketplace-remove, or marketplace-update. The fields below appear only when they apply:
  • marketplace: the name of the marketplace the command acted on
  • failureCode: a code for why the command failed, such as invalid_source
plugin marketplace add and plugin marketplace remove can print no result line when the argument is the reserved name anthropic-plugin-directory, so check the exit code for that name.

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Accept a displayed install command

When a --json run displays a marketplace-declared command and doesn’t run it, the failed result also carries a shownCommand object. Its fields include the command as displayed, the plugin it belongs to, and the command’s sha256. To accept exactly that command, re-run with that sha256 as --accept-command from your own terminal, because the flag has no effect inside a Claude Code session. Requires Claude Code v2.1.271 or later. The sha256 counts as acceptance for exactly that command, plugin, and marketplace catalog. If any of them changed since the command was displayed, Claude Code doesn’t accept the sha256 and shows the command again. A change that the run’s own marketplace refresh fetches also counts as such a change. If shownCommand.acceptCommandMatched is false, the sha256 you passed doesn’t match the command now displayed. Review that command before re-running with its sha256.

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plugin uninstall

Remove an installed plugin from one scope. remove and rm are aliases for uninstall.
Uninstall a plugin from project scope:
Claude Code prints Successfully uninstalled plugin: formatter (scope: project). When the plugin isn’t installed at that scope, the command prints a line that starts Failed to uninstall plugin "formatter@my-marketplace": and exits 1. If the failure line continues with "formatter" was not uninstalled: and names a settings file, Claude Code couldn’t confirm that the scope’s settings no longer switch the plugin on, so the plugin stays installed with everything it saved. With --json, the result carries failureCode: "settings_still_on". This settings check requires Claude Code v2.1.282 or later.

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What an uninstall deletes and keeps

When you uninstall a plugin from the last scope it’s installed at, Claude Code also deletes the plugin’s stored options and secrets and its data directory, ~/.claude/plugins/data//. There are three exceptions:
  • With --keep-data, the data directory stays
  • When another installed plugin uses the same folder, such as one whose ID differs from this one only in letter case, the data directory stays
  • When Claude Code can’t read the list of installed plugins back after it removes the plugin from that scope, the options, secrets, and data directory all stay, because the plugin may still be installed at another scope. The uninstall still succeeds. The message lists what stayed and how to delete it, and with --json the result carries savedKept: "install_records_unreadable"
With --json, keptData reports whether the directory stayed, and /plugin shows · data preserved when it did. For a directory that stays without --keep-data, this reporting requires Claude Code v2.1.281 or later. The savedKept field requires Claude Code v2.1.282 or later.

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plugin enable

Enable a disabled plugin. For a plugin synced from claude.ai, pass @synced as the plugin.
Without --scope, the command checks your settings files in the order local, project, user, and uses the first scope that mentions the plugin. If you pass a --scope where the plugin isn’t declared, the command either writes an override or fails:
  • A scope that takes precedence over the declaring one: Claude Code writes an override at the scope you passed. For example, claude plugin disable formatter --scope local turns off a project-enabled plugin for you alone
  • Any other scope: the command fails with Plugin "formatter" is installed at project scope, not user. Use --scope project or omit --scope to auto-detect.
If the plugin is already enabled at the resolved scope, the command prints Plugin "formatter" is already enabled and exits 1. With --json, the result has "failureCode": "already_in_goal_state" and "alreadyInGoalState": true, so a script can treat that case as success. When the plugin declares dependencies, Claude Code enables them too. The command fails in these cases:
  • A dependency is not installed: enable fails and prints the claude plugin install command for each missing dependency
  • A dependency is blocked by your organization’s plugin policy: enable fails and names the blocked dependency
  • A dependency is set to false at a scope with higher precedence than the target scope: enable fails. Enable the dependency at that scope, or pass --scope to write there
Re-enable a plugin wherever it’s declared:
Claude Code prints Successfully enabled plugin: formatter (scope: project), naming the scope it detected.

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plugin disable

Disable a plugin without uninstalling it. For a plugin synced from claude.ai, pass @synced as the plugin.
Without --scope, the scope is auto-detected in the same local, project, user order as plugin enable. If you pass neither a plugin name nor --all, Claude Code prints Please specify a plugin name or use --all to disable all plugins and exits 1. Disabling a plugin that is already disabled prints Plugin "formatter" is already disabled and exits 1, as plugin enable does for an already-enabled plugin. The command fails for a plugin that is still required:
  • Another enabled plugin depends on it: the command fails and names the dependents to disable first
  • Your organization requires it as a synced plugin: the command fails and saves nothing
Disable one plugin:
Claude Code prints Successfully disabled plugin: formatter (scope: project).

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plugin update

Update a plugin to the latest version its marketplace offers. The new version loads in your next session, or after you run /reload-plugins in a running one.
Update a plugin:
Claude Code prints Checking for updates for plugin "formatter@my-marketplace"…, then the result. When nothing is newer, it prints formatter is already at the latest version (1.0.0). and exits 0, unless it retries the plugin’s dependency install and that install fails.

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Which scope the command updates

If you omit --scope, the command updates the plugin at the most specific scope it’s installed at for your current project, checking local, project, user, then managed. Before v2.1.281, the command used user when you omitted --scope, so updating a plugin installed only at project or local scope failed with Plugin "" is not installed at scope user. On those versions, pass --scope. managed is the one scope you can update but not install to. For admin-installed plugins, see Manage plugins for your organization.

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Update by bare name

You can pass a bare plugin name, which the command matches against your installed plugins. When installed plugins from different marketplaces share the name, the command refuses the update and lists the qualified plugin-name@marketplace-name commands to run instead. Updating by bare name requires Claude Code v2.1.246 or later.

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Retry an unfinished dependency install

When the plugin is already at its latest version, the command can also retry an unfinished dependency install in its cached copy. For the cases where that retry runs or is skipped, see The packages it lists are not installed. If the retry fails, the output is Failed to update plugin "formatter@my-marketplace" with the reason and the exit code is 1. Before v2.1.287, the command reported the plugin at its latest version without retrying the install.

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plugin list

List installed plugins with their version, scope, and status.
Claude Code groups the human-readable output by how each plugin loads:
  • Installed plugins:: plugins you installed from a marketplace
  • Session-only plugins (--plugin-dir / --plugin-url):: plugins loaded by those flags in the same command, as in claude --plugin-dir ./my-plugin plugin list
  • Skills-directory plugins (.claude/skills/*):: plugins Claude Code found in a skills directory
  • Synced from claude.ai: plugins synced from your claude.ai account
With nothing in any group, Claude Code prints No plugins installed. Use `claude plugin install` to install a plugin.

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JSON output

With --json, Claude Code prints an array with one object per installation. Each object carries the fields below. id, version, scope, enabled, and installPath are always present, and the others appear only when they apply. With --json --available, Claude Code prints one object instead of an array. Its installed field holds the array of installed-plugin objects, and its available field holds one object per uninstalled marketplace plugin with the fields below.

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plugin details

Show a plugin’s component inventory and its projected token cost. The plugin must be loaded: installed, found in a skills directory, or passed with --plugin-dir or --plugin-url in the same command. The is a plugin name or name@marketplace.
The command takes no flags beyond --help. Show what an installed plugin contributes:
Claude Code prints the plugin’s name, version, description, and source, then these sections:
  • Component inventory: the plugin’s skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers, and LSP servers
  • Projected token cost: the always-on tokens the plugin adds to every session
  • Per-component (rounded): always-on and on-invoke estimates for each skill, agent, and command. Omitted when the plugin has none
For what the two cost figures mean, see Measure plugin cost and usage. For a plugin that isn’t loaded, Claude Code prints Plugin "formatter" not found. Run `claude plugin list` to see installed plugins, or pass --plugin-dir to load one from disk. and exits 1.

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plugin configure

Show an installed plugin’s userConfig options and which are set, or save values piped in on stdin. Requires Claude Code v2.1.285 or later.
Without flags, the command lists each option with up to three labels: required or optional, then sensitive for an option the manifest declares sensitive, then set or not set. It prints no saved values. With --json, the output includes the saved values of options that aren’t sensitive, and never the text of a sensitive one. To save values, write them to a file as a JSON object that maps option keys to string values, then pass the file on stdin. Replace formatter@my-marketplace with your own plugin’s id as claude plugin list shows it. This example sets one option named api_url from a file values.json that contains {"api_url": "https://example.com"}:
Claude Code validates each value against the option’s declared type and prints Configuration saved. Restart Claude Code to apply it. If you pass a key the manifest doesn’t declare, or a value that fails validation, the command saves nothing, prints Failed to save configuration: with the reason, and exits 1. With --json, a refused value also prints an object on stdout whose refused field carries the message and, when one option is at fault, its option key. Pass the plugin’s full name@marketplace id, as claude plugin list shows it. configure doesn’t accept a bare name. When no loaded plugin has that id, the command prints No installed plugin has the id "". and exits 1. For the settings of a bundled MCP server, see plugin install --config or the Configure item in /plugin.

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plugin prune

Remove auto-installed dependencies that no installed plugin needs anymore. The command never removes a plugin you installed yourself. autoremove is an alias for prune.
Preview what a prune would remove:
Claude Code lists the orphaned dependencies and ends with (dry run — nothing removed). With none to remove, it prints a line that starts Nothing to prune. Without --dry-run, the command removes the orphaned dependencies only after you confirm at the prompt or pass -y. The exit code is 0 whatever you answer at the prompt. What prune does depends on whether a terminal is attached and whether you pass -y:

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plugin eval

Run a plugin’s eval cases and report scored results. Requires Claude Code v2.1.269 or later. Each case is a prompt plus graders. Claude Code runs it several times in an isolated session with only the target plugin loaded, and by default also without the plugin so the report shows the difference. See Test plugins with evals for the case format, graders, results, and CI usage.
The optional target defaults to the current directory and takes any of these forms:
  • A plugin directory
  • A single prompt.md or case.yaml file
  • An installed plugin as name or name@marketplace
  • name@skills-dir
Put the target before --tag, --allow-tools, and --json. Each of these options takes the words that follow it as its value, so a target written after one of them is read as a tag, a tool name, or the JSON output path instead of as the target. This table lists the options most runs use. Run claude plugin eval --help for the complete set, including --case, --tag, --output-dir, --report, --allow-real-servers, --keep-temp, and --verbose. The exit code reports how the run ended. To act on it in a pipeline, see Run evals in CI.

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plugin eval init

Create an eval suite for the plugin in the current directory. Requires Claude Code v2.1.269 or later. See Create your first eval suite.
Run the command from the plugin’s root folder, the directory that holds .claude-plugin/plugin.json or the skill’s SKILL.md. To scaffold the suite in another directory on purpose, pass --eval-dir. In a terminal, the command opens an interactive Claude Code session for an authoring interview. In the interview, Claude does the following:
  1. Reads the plugin
  2. Asks you what it should do well
  3. Proposes cases and graders
  4. Writes the case files
  5. Runs the cases and reviews the grades with you to check that the graders score the way you would
With --bare, or without a terminal, the command writes a blank single-case template instead. When Claude runs the command from inside a Claude Code session, the command prints the interview instructions for that session to follow rather than writing a template. The optional name is a case name. It’s required with --bare or without a terminal, because the command writes the blank template for that case. A case name starts with a letter or digit and contains only letters, digits, ., _, and -. On every platform, the command also refuses names that Windows can’t store, such as con or a name ending in .. The command accepts these options:

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plugin tag

Create an annotated git tag named --v for a plugin release. Before tagging, the command checks that the plugin’s plugin.json and any marketplace entry that lists it agree on the version. For when to tag a release, see Publish a plugin.
The [path] is the plugin directory, defaulting to the current directory. The command finds the marketplace entry by walking up from that directory to a .claude-plugin/marketplace.json that lists the plugin. Preview the tag for a plugin in a marketplace checkout:
Claude Code prints the plan:
  • The plugin name
  • The version and which file it came from
  • The matching marketplace entry, when there is one
  • The tag name
  • The git tag and git push commands it would run
Without --dry-run, Claude Code prints Created tag formatter--v1.0.0 and either Pushed to origin or the push command to run yourself. If the push fails, the tag is still created locally and the command exits with an error. The command exits 1 and prints the reason when it can’t tag safely. Common reasons are:
  • No version in plugin.json or the marketplace entry
  • The tag already exists
  • The working tree is dirty

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plugin test

Run the tests for a mod, a plugin whose code registers event handlers. The command needs no session, sign-in, or network. For how to write a test, see Test a mod.
The [directory] is the mod’s directory, defaulting to the current directory. The command runs every file under it whose name ends in .test.ts or .test.tsx, and exits with status 1 when a test fails. Run the tests for a mod in ./first-mod:

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plugin validate

Validate a plugin manifest, a marketplace manifest, or the skills, agents, and commands in a directory, and exit with a code a CI job can act on. For the create, test, and edit workflow, see Create a plugin. For what the validator checks in each manifest, see the plugin manifest reference and the marketplace reference.
Validate a plugin before committing it:

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Validate a directory

The is a manifest file or a directory. Given a directory, Claude Code picks what to validate by what it finds there:
  • .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, when it exists
  • Otherwise .claude-plugin/plugin.json
  • Otherwise the component files, chosen by the directory’s name. Validating component files without a manifest requires Claude Code v2.1.233 or later:
    • A directory named skills, agents, or commands: the files inside it
    • A directory named .claude: the skills, agents, and commands directories inside it
    • Any other directory: those three directories under its .claude
When the directory holds both a .claude-plugin/marketplace.json and a .claude-plugin/plugin.json, Claude Code validates the marketplace and also the plugin’s manifest and component files. This requires Claude Code v2.1.289 or later. Claude Code doesn’t follow symlinks inside the directory you name. What it does depends on where the link is:
  • A linked skills, agents, or commands directory under the plugin or .claude root: Claude Code warns that nothing in it was read.
  • A linked entry inside a skills, agents, or commands directory: Claude Code skips it and warns, per directory, how many entries it skipped that a session would load.
  • The skills, agents, or commands directory you name is itself a symlink, or its parent .claude directory is: Claude Code reports an error and checks nothing in it. Name the real directory instead.
A few files are not read by a validation run:
  • A SKILL.md at the plugin root: when you run claude plugin validate against a plugin directory, Claude Code doesn’t check a SKILL.md at the plugin root
  • A CLAUDE.md at the plugin root: in a plugin run, Claude Code also warns about a CLAUDE.md at the plugin root
  • Plugin files in a marketplace run: from a marketplace directory, Claude Code doesn’t open the skill, agent, command, or hook files of plugins the marketplace lists in other directories, or the MCP server files they bundle. To find errors in those files, validate each plugin directory

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Output and exit codes

Claude Code prints the file it validated, any errors and warnings with their paths, and a verdict line. The exit code follows the verdict: With --json, Claude Code writes the report to stdout as one JSON object with these top-level fields:
  • success: the same verdict the exit code gives
  • strict: whether the run treated warnings as errors
  • target: the resolved path Claude Code validated
  • manifest: the manifest’s own result, or null for a run without a manifest
  • contents: per-file results, each naming its file and carrying errors, warnings, and notes arrays
    • gatingHooks: whether each mod hook that can refuse an action, such as a tool.call hook, has a .catch handler. Each item gives module, pattern, hook, and hasCatch. Requires Claude Code v2.1.290 or later
On exit 2, the command writes nothing to stdout. The error message goes to stderr.

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claude plugin marketplace commands

Run claude plugin marketplace from your shell to add, list, refresh, and remove the marketplaces you install plugins from.
  • Exit codes: these subcommands follow the exit-code convention of the plugin commands
  • Scopes: their --scope flag has no -s short form
For what a marketplace is and how Claude Code caches it, see Plugin loading reference.

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plugin marketplace add

Add a marketplace from a GitHub repository, a git URL, a hosted marketplace.json, or a local path, and declare it in a settings file. After you add it, Claude Code installs any dependencies that your installed plugins were missing.
takes any of the forms in the table below, and its form decides the source type and how Claude Code fetches the marketplace. For the resulting source object, see the marketplace reference. For a host whose clone URLs don’t carry the .git suffix, such as AWS CodeCommit, add the marketplace as a git entry in extraKnownMarketplaces instead. Claude Code clones a git entry whether or not its URL ends in .git. Claude Code also clones a gitlab.com URL with nested subgroups, such as https://gitlab.com/group/subgroup/project. Add a marketplace and share it with the project:
Claude Code prints Successfully added marketplace: your-marketplace (declared in project settings), using the name from the marketplace’s own manifest. A repeat add or an invalid source prints one of these results instead:
  • Marketplace already on disk: the output is Marketplace 'your-marketplace' already on disk — declared in project settings and the exit code is 0
  • Unrecognized source: the output is Invalid marketplace source format. Try: owner/repo, https://..., or ./path and the exit code is 1
  • Bare host such as gitlab.example.com/team/plugins: the add fails as an invalid owner/repo shorthand, and the message tells you to add https:// or use a local path
Add a marketplace hosted on claude.ai by the name printed in the From claude.ai: section of claude plugin marketplace list:
With --claudeai, the command refuses --scope and --sparse. The marketplace is hosted for your account, not declared in a settings file, so you can’t share it through a project’s .claude/settings.json.

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plugin marketplace list

List every marketplace you’ve added, with its source.
Claude Code prints Configured marketplaces: and one Source: line per marketplace, or No marketplaces configured. With --json, Claude Code prints an array with one object per marketplace, carrying the fields below. Every field is a string. An added claude.ai marketplace has no local clone, so its entry carries its claude.ai identifiers, marketplaceId and organizationUuid, in place of installLocation. It also carries scope when one is recorded, and status. If your terminal sessions sync plugins from your claude.ai account, the text listing ends with a From claude.ai: section. That section names the marketplaces claude.ai lists for your account that you haven’t added, both git-based and hosted. It requires Claude Code v2.1.273 or later. To add a marketplace from that section, see Add a marketplace from claude.ai. The --json output covers configured marketplaces only and leaves the section out.

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plugin marketplace remove

Remove a marketplace’s declaration from your settings. rm is an alias for remove.
When you remove a marketplace from the last scope that declares it, Claude Code also deletes its cache and uninstalls every plugin you installed from it. It also deletes their saved options and secrets and data where it can.To refresh a marketplace without losing its plugins, run plugin marketplace update instead.
The is the marketplace name that plugin marketplace list shows, not the source you passed to add. Remove a marketplace from every scope:
Claude Code prints Successfully removed marketplace: your-marketplace. When the command uninstalls plugins, the output lists them under a line such as Also uninstalled 2 plugins from this marketplace:. To use one of them again, add the marketplace back and reinstall the plugin. If you scope to a settings file that doesn’t declare the marketplace, the command fails with Marketplace 'your-marketplace' is not declared in project settings. Omit --scope to remove it from all scopes.

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plugin marketplace update

Refresh one marketplace, or every marketplace, from its source to fetch new plugins and versions. A marketplace added with a branch or tag ref updates to the latest commit of that ref, not the repository’s default branch.
Refresh one marketplace:
Claude Code prints Successfully updated marketplace: your-marketplace. When you omit the name, it prints a count such as Successfully updated 2 marketplaces.

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/plugin in a session

Inside an interactive session, /plugin opens the plugin panel. Each subcommand opens the panel on a tab, runs an action there, or prints a result inline. /plugins and /marketplace are aliases for /plugin. You can run these commands only in an interactive terminal session. In a non-interactive run such as claude -p, Claude Code replies that /plugin isn’t available in this environment. For which surfaces have /plugin, how to install without it, and what each panel tab shows, see Install and manage plugins. A is a plugin name or name@marketplace. The table below lists every session form. The shell subcommands init, update, details, prune, eval, eval init, and test have no session form. If you name a plugin that isn’t installed in the current project in /plugin enable, disable, uninstall, or configure, Claude Code prints Plugin "" is not installed in this project instead of acting.

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/reload-plugins

Apply pending plugin changes to the running session without restarting it. Pending changes are plugins you installed, updated, enabled, disabled, or edited on disk since the session started. When you close the /plugin panel with pending changes you made in it, Claude Code runs /reload-plugins for you. Run it yourself after plugin changes that happen outside the panel, such as a claude plugin command you ran in another terminal.

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Reload summary

Claude Code reloads every active plugin and prints one summary line, Reloaded: N plugins · N skills · N agents · N hooks · N plugin MCP servers · N plugin LSP servers, omitting the plugin MCP server count in a session without an interactive terminal. When any plugin failed, the summary adds N errors during load. Run /plugin for details. The skills count covers every skill a plugin provides, both its commands/ entries and its SKILL.md skills. The agents count is the number of agents loaded in the session, including ones that don’t come from plugins. When a reloaded plugin’s dependencies are missing, Claude Code installs them, reloads again, and appends (+ N dependencies: ) resolved to the summary.

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Reloads that change MCP tools

When the reload would add or remove a plugin MCP server or the LSP tool, and that change would invalidate the prompt cache, Claude Code doesn’t apply the reload. It prints a line such as This reload changes MCP tools () — your next message will re-read the whole conversation instead of using the cache. Run /reload-plugins --force to apply. Pass --force to apply it anyway.

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Sessions without an interactive terminal

/reload-plugins also runs in sessions without an interactive terminal, such as the desktop app, the Agent SDK, and non-interactive mode with -p. Requires Claude Code v2.1.260 or later. In those sessions, the command runs only when you type it into the session yourself, such as in the -p prompt or the desktop app’s prompt box. When it arrives another way, such as through Remote Control or a message relayed from Slack, the command replies /reload-plugins isn't available over a remote connection in this session. and reloads nothing. The reload in those sessions doesn’t connect or disconnect plugin MCP servers. Those changes take effect in your next session.

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Flags that load a plugin for one session

Two claude flags load a plugin for one session only, without installing it. Both are repeatable. Plugin authors use them to test a plugin before publishing. For the load-edit-reload workflow, see Develop without a marketplace. A plugin that either flag loads is a session-only plugin. claude plugin list shows it only when the same flag precedes the subcommand, as in claude --plugin-dir ./my-plugin plugin list. The plugin appears as @inline under a heading that begins Session-only plugins, and --json reports its scope as session. When a session-only plugin shares a name with an installed plugin, Claude Code loads the session-only copy for that session and skips the installed one. The installed copy loads instead if you disabled the session-only copy with claude plugin disable @inline, or if managed settings lock that plugin name. For the precedence, see Plugin loading reference. An administrator can reject both flags, and folders named in the CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_DIRS variable, with the managed disableSideloadFlags setting. Claude Code then prints that the flag is disabled by your organization’s managed settings and exits 1 without starting. From the Agent SDK, the plugins option is the equivalent of --plugin-dir.

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Next steps