Free resource · Word + Excel + plugin kit
Claude Plugins Kit: equipping a team with a plugin
A skill provides a service; a plugin equips a team. This kit explains when to switch from one to the other, how to group a team's skills, connectors, and commands into a plugin within an hour, how to share it via a marketplace, how to distribute it from Claude's console, and how to audit it before opening it, with a sample plugin validated by Claude Code.
The Claude Plugins Kit, in brief
- What it is
- A kit to group the skills, connectors and commands of a team into a Claude plugin, distribute it to the entire organization and govern it, with a ready-to-adapt example plugin.
- For who
- The AI experts and ambassadors who are already writing skills, the team leaders who want a common toolbox, and the administrators of Claude Team or Enterprise who decide which plugins to open.
- Format
- An 18-page Word document in 15 chapters, an Excel workbook with 8 tools (candidate inventory, skill or plugin choice, plugin.json and marketplace.json generator, third-party plugin audit, plugin registry, ten plugin ideas, 30-day plan, reminder) and the "team-communication" plugin in .zip format.
- What it contains
- Skill, plugin and connector; where a plugin works; the decision grid; the anatomy of a plugin; a first team plugin in 60 minutes; sharing via a marketplace; distribution to the organization; security; auditing a third-party plugin in 12 points; Anthropic marketplaces; ten plugin ideas per function; governance; a 30-day plan.
- What is it based on?
- The official documentation for Claude and Claude Code plugins, consulted on October 19, 2026, the validation of the example plugin by Claude Code, and our Claude and Cowork in a large organization.
- Price
- Free, in exchange for a professional email address. No unsolicited emails.
- Update
- Edition October 2026, information verified on October 19, 2026. Menus and functions change every month: check Anthropic's documentation before making any decisions.
- What it doesn't replace
- Neither your IT department's policy nor the auditing of a plugin before its release.
- Go Further
- Claude Skills kit, Gift Sets Cowork, Claude Code kit, Claude's training Cowork, Deploy the agents.
A Claude plugin is a folder that groups several components (skills, commands, sub-agents, hooks, MCP connectors) and that Claude installs and loads as a single unit. It has a name, a version, and a description, is shared via a marketplace, and is updated with a single action. Since 2026, a plugin is installed once and follows the user in the chat, in Cowork and in Claude Code.
The skill demonstrated that a procedure could be taught to Claude. The plugin addresses the following question, the one that arises as soon as a team has five useful skills: how to provide them to everyone, in the same version, with the correct connectors, and update them without chasing after each individual? This kit provides the answer, from decision-making to governance.
1. Skill, plugin, connector: what's changing
| Element | What it is |
|---|---|
| Skill | A SKILL.md file that describes a procedure; Claude loads it when he needs it or when it is called by its name. |
| Sub-agent | A specialist assistant who works within their own context and only provides a summary. |
| Hook | An action triggered automatically at a specific time, which is guaranteed to execute. |
| Connector (MCP) | Access to another tool: document database, CRM, project management. |
| Plugin | The package that includes everything, with a name, version, and description, installs in a single step. Each skill is prefixed with the plugin name: /equipe-communication:relecture-avant-envoi. |
A plugin also has a cost: each of its skills and agents enters the context of every session, its connectors are launched, and its hooks remain active. Three useful plugins per team are better than a catalog installed "just in case."
2. Where a plugin works
| Component | Chat | Cowork | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skills & Tools | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sub-agents and hooks | Ignored | Yes | Yes |
| Remote MCP Connector | Via the Connectors tab | Yes | Yes |
| Local MCP Connector | Ignored | Yes, if the session is running on the computer | Yes |
| Executables (bin folder) | Plugin rejected | Plugin rejected | Yes |
Skills are the common denominator: a skills-based plugin works everywhere, making it a great starting point for any business team. Plugins are available on all Claude paid plans; organization-wide deployment requires a Team or Enterprise plan.
3. Anatomy of a plugin
| File or folder | Role |
|---|---|
.claude-plugin/plugin.json | The manifest: technical name (only required field, in lowercase and hyphenated), display name, version, description, author. Required for upload to claude.ai. |
skills/nom/SKILL.md | One skill per folder, with a name and a precise description of when to use it. |
agents/, hooks/hooks.json | Optional: sub-agents and automated actions, for Cowork and Claude Code. |
.mcp.json | Optional: connectors, to be validated by the IT department. |
README.md | The instruction manual for humans. |
Only the manifest goes in the .claude-plugin folder; everything else is in the root directory. A CLAUDE.md file placed in a plugin is ignored: common rules are handled through a skill. The kit details each file, with the example plugin "equipe-communication" (editorial guidelines, press release, LinkedIn post, proofreading before sending), validated by Claude Code on October 19, 2026.
4. Your first team plugin in 60 minutes
- Choose the perimeter (10 minutes): the three tasks that the team most often entrusts to Claude, and a common rule (charter, scale, model).
- Adapt the manifesto (5 minutes): the name, description and author; the binder writes the file for you.
- Write the skills (30 minutes): first the common rules skill, then one skill per task, short and verifiable.
- Tester (10 minutes): uploading into Claude (Customize, then Plugins) or loading into Claude Code, on three real cases.
- Publish (5 minutes): for yourself, for the team via a marketplace, or for the organization from the console.
5. Distribute throughout the organization
On Claude Team and Enterprise, an Owner adds the organization's plugins in the organization settings (Plugins & skills): uploading a zip file, creating in the browser, synchronizing a private GitHub or GitLab repository, or adding a marketplace. Each plugin receives a status:
| Status | Effect | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Not available | The plugin is not offered | Pending audit, or withdrawn |
| Available to install | Everyone can install it if they wish. | Business plugins, drivers |
| Installed by default | Installed for everyone, can be disabled | Organizational common plugin |
| required | Installed for everyone, impossible to remove | Rules imposed |
For developer workstations, the IT department mandates its marketplaces and plugins through settings managed by Claude Code (list of authorized marketplaces, enabled or blocked plugins, local downloads prohibited). The kit provides the template file.
6. Secure: audit before opening
Anthropic's documentation is clear: a plugin installed in Claude Code can execute code with the user's privileges, and Anthropic does not control the servers, files, or software included in third-party plugins. Hooks and connectors run outside the sandbox, and an automatic update can modify a plugin that has already been audited. The kit offers a 12-point audit, including six critical points: identified publisher, skills read, hooks understood, connectors validated, no unjustified executables, and no secrets exposed in plain text.
7. What the kit contains
The Word document has 18 pages in 15 chapters: in brief; skill, plugin, connector; where a plugin works; the decision grid; the anatomy of a plugin; a first team plugin in 60 minutes; sharing via a marketplace; distributing to the whole organization; securing; auditing a third-party plugin in 12 points; Anthropic marketplaces; ten plugin ideas per function; governing the plugin portfolio; a 30-day plan; resources.
The "Claude Plugins Kit Tools" Excel workbook contains eight tools: a candidate inventory that calculates monthly earnings and recommends a personal skill, a shared skill, or a plugin; a six-question skill/plugin selection tool; a plugin.json and marketplace.json generator, the output of which has been validated by Claude Code; a third-party plugin audit with a verdict; a plugin registry with review alerts; ten plugin ideas per function; a 30-day plan; and a command and menu cheat sheet. The sample plugin is provided as a .zip file, ready to upload after customizing the guidelines.
Download the Claude Plugins kit (Word, Excel and plugin, free)
18 pages in 15 chapters, a binder of 8 tools, and a sample plugin. Written by NextStart.AI based on the official Anthropic documentation and our Claude and [unclear] training courses. Cowork in a large organization.
- The grid for deciding between skill and plugin
- A first team plugin in 60 minutes, using the example plugin
- Distribution to the organization and managed settings
- The 12-point audit of a third-party plugin and the plugin registry
8. Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Claude plugin?
It's a package that groups several components (skills, commands, sub-agents, hooks, MCP connectors) and that Claude installs and loads as a whole. It has a name, a version, and a description, is shared via a marketplace, and updates with a single action.
What is the difference between a skill and a plugin?
A skill describes a procedure. A plugin groups the skills, connectors, and commands a team needs, with a common version and one-step installation. Plugins become useful when several people share multiple related skills, or when a connector or the same version is required for everyone.
Do the plugins work in Cowork ?
Yes. The skills, commands, sub-agents, and hooks of a plugin work within CoworkIn the chat, only skills and remote connectors are taken into account. Claude Code loads all components.
How do I install a plugin in Claude?
In Claude, open Customize and then Plugins: you can browse the available plugins, add a marketplace, or upload a plugin as a .zip file. In Claude Code, the command /plugin opens the same catalog, and /plugin install name@marketplace installs a plugin.
How do I distribute a plugin to the entire company?
On Claude Team or Enterprise, an Owner adds the plugin in the organization settings, under Plugins & Skills, and chooses its status: unavailable, available for installation, installed by default, or mandatory. For Claude Code, the IT department manages the plugin through the managed settings.
Is a plugin dangerous?
It can be: a plugin can execute code with the user's privileges, and its hooks and connectors run outside the sandbox. A plugin made up solely of skills doesn't execute any code. The kit offers a 12-point audit before any deployment.
Do you need to know how to program to create a plugin?
No, not for a skills-based plugin: it consists of text files and a small description file, generated by the kit's workbook. Hooks and connectors, on the other hand, require technical skills and IT department approval.
Is the kit free?
Yes. The Word document, Excel workbook, and sample plugin are free, in exchange for a professional email address used solely to send you the download link. No unsolicited emails.
9. Going further
To write down good skills before grouping them, the Claude Skills kit ten are provided, ready to install. To delegate complete work in Cowork, the Gift Sets Cowork provides the briefing method and safeguards; for teams building tools, the Claude Code kitDuring training, the Claude's training Cowork and the Claude's training in the workplace They help build their initial skills through real-world case studies within the team; the support Deploy the agents helps to set up and govern a park on an organizational scale.
Read also : Claude Skills: 10 ready-to-install skills for your team, Copilot Cowork : the getting started guide et Claude Code in business: the guide to getting started and managing it.
The entire series of free kits. To drive adoption: AI charter template, AI Ambassadors Kit, Manager's toolkit for dealing with AI, AI-powered time-saving kit, Adoption Roadmap Kit, AI maturity grid, AI Measurement and ROI Kit, AI Governance Kit, Gift Sets Cowork, 50 Copilot M365 prompts, Copilot Studio kit, Claude Skills kit, Claude Plugins Kit, Claude Code kit et Vibe coding kitFor the AI project sponsor: AI Act kit, GDPR kit, Security and data kit, Shadow AI kit, AI and Social Dialogue Kit, frugal AI kit, AI Sovereignty Kit et responsible AI kitBy profession: AI HR kit, AI marketing kit, AI finance kit, AI kit for lawyers, AI kit for salespeople, AI toolkit for project managers, AI innovator kit et communicator's AI kit.
10. Sources
The information cited on this page and in the kit is based on the following sources, verified on October 19, 2026. The kit provides a complete list in its Resources chapter.
- Anthropic, Introducing Claude Code's plugins.
- Anthropic, Reference to the plugin.json manifest.
- Anthropic, Plugin compatibility by surface.
- Anthropic, Administration of the organization's plugins.
- Anthropic, Plugin security.
- Anthropic, Using plugins in Claude.