plugin-forge

softaworks/agent-toolkit · updated Apr 8, 2026

$npx skills add https://github.com/softaworks/agent-toolkit --skill plugin-forge
0 commentsdiscussion
summary

Scaffold, structure, and manage Claude Code plugins with automated manifest generation and version control.

  • Includes Python scripts for creating plugins and bumping semantic versions across both plugin.json and marketplace.json manifests
  • Supports four component types: commands (with namespace-based naming), skills, agents, and hooks, each with defined directory structures
  • Provides three plugin patterns (framework, utility, domain) with reference documentation covering structure, mark
skill.md

CC Plugin Forge

Purpose

Build and manage Claude Code plugins with correct structure, manifests, and marketplace integration. Includes workflows, automation scripts, and reference docs.

When to Use

  • Creating new plugins for a marketplace
  • Adding/modifying plugin components (commands, skills, agents, hooks)
  • Updating plugin versions
  • Working with plugin or marketplace manifests
  • Setting up local plugin testing
  • Publishing plugins

Getting Started

Create New Plugin

Use create_plugin.py to generate plugin structure:

python scripts/create_plugin.py plugin-name \
  --marketplace-root /path/to/marketplace \
  --author-name "Your Name" \
  --author-email "your.email@example.com" \
  --description "Plugin description" \
  --keywords "keyword1,keyword2" \
  --category "productivity"

This automatically:

  • Creates plugin directory structure
  • Generates plugin.json manifest
  • Creates README template
  • Updates marketplace.json

Bump Version

Use bump_version.py to update versions in both manifests:

python scripts/bump_version.py plugin-name major|minor|patch \
  --marketplace-root /path/to/marketplace

Semantic versioning:

  • major: Breaking changes (1.0.0 → 2.0.0)
  • minor: New features, refactoring (1.0.0 → 1.1.0)
  • patch: Bug fixes, docs (1.0.0 → 1.0.1)

Development Workflow

1. Create Structure

Manual approach (if not using script):

mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/.claude-plugin
mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/commands
mkdir -p plugins/plugin-name/skills

2. Plugin Manifest

File: plugins/plugin-name/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

{
  "name": "plugin-name",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "Plugin description",
  "author": {
    "name": "Your Name",
    "email": "your.email@example.com"
  },
  "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"]
}

3. Register in Marketplace

Update .claude-plugin/marketplace.json:

{
  "name": "plugin-name",
  "source": "./plugins/plugin-name",
  "description": "Plugin description",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "keywords": ["keyword1", "keyword2"],
  "category": "productivity"
}

4. Add Components

Create in respective directories:

Component Location Format
Commands commands/ Markdown with frontmatter
Skills skills/<name>/ Directory with SKILL.md
Agents agents/ Markdown definitions
Hooks hooks/hooks.json Event handlers
MCP Servers .mcp.json External integrations

5. Local Testing

# Add marketplace
/plugin marketplace add /path/to/marketplace-root

# Install plugin
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name

# After changes: reinstall
/plugin uninstall plugin-name@marketplace-name
/plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name

Plugin Patterns

Framework Plugin

For framework-specific guidance (React, Vue, etc.):

plugins/framework-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── skills/
│   └── framework-name/
│       ├── SKILL.md
│       └── references/
├── commands/
│   └── prime/
│       ├── components.md
│       └── framework.md
└── README.md

Utility Plugin

For tools and commands:

plugins/utility-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── commands/
│   ├── action1.md
│   └── action2.md
└── README.md

Domain Plugin

For domain-specific knowledge:

plugins/domain-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json
├── skills/
│   └── domain-name/
│       ├── SKILL.md
│       ├── references/
│       └── scripts/
└── README.md

Command Naming

Subdirectory-based namespacing with : separator:

  • commands/namespace/command.md/namespace:command
  • commands/simple.md/simple

Examples:

  • commands/prime/vue.md/prime:vue
  • commands/docs/generate.md/docs:generate

Version Management

Important: Update version in BOTH locations:

  1. plugins/<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
  2. .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Use bump_version.py to automate.

Git Commits

Use conventional commits:

git commit -m "feat: add new plugin"
git commit -m "fix: correct plugin manifest"
git commit -m "docs: update plugin README"
git commit -m "feat!: breaking change"

Reference Docs

Detailed documentation included:

Reference Content
references/plugin-structure.md Directory structure, manifest schema, components
references/marketplace-schema.md Marketplace format, plugin entries, distribution
references/workflows.md Step-by-step workflows, patterns, publishing

Scripts

Script Purpose
scripts/create_plugin.py Scaffold new plugin
scripts/bump_version.py Update versions

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
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general reviews

Ratings

4.643 reviews
  • Chaitanya Patil· Dec 20, 2024

    Useful defaults in plugin-forge — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Amelia Sethi· Dec 16, 2024

    We added plugin-forge from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • James Harris· Dec 12, 2024

    Registry listing for plugin-forge matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • James Diallo· Dec 4, 2024

    plugin-forge has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • James Torres· Nov 23, 2024

    Useful defaults in plugin-forge — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Piyush G· Nov 11, 2024

    plugin-forge has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Arjun Okafor· Nov 7, 2024

    Keeps context tight: plugin-forge is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Anika Ndlovu· Oct 26, 2024

    plugin-forge is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Emma Ghosh· Oct 14, 2024

    I recommend plugin-forge for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Shikha Mishra· Oct 2, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: plugin-forge is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

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