Anthropic's plugin directory is the official, free catalogue of add-ons for Claude: bundles of skills, commands and connectors that you install into Claude Code with one command. It has hundreds of plugins from names such as Canva, QuickBooks, Figma and Slack, and a person reviews new listings in Anthropic's directory before they go live. You need a paid Claude plan, from £18 a month, and Anthropic is clear that it can't vouch for every third-party plugin. I rate it ★★★★☆ 4/5.
Key facts
- What it is: Anthropic's official catalogue of plugins for Claude Code, also browsable on the Claude Marketplace website
- Made by: Anthropic, a US AI company
- Launched: Plugins arrived in Claude Code on 9 October 2025; the Claude Marketplace website on 23 September 2026
- Size: 341 plugins on the Claude Marketplace plugins page (18 October 2026); the GitHub repository has 42,275 stars
- Price: Free to browse and install. Claude Code needs a paid plan: Pro costs £18 a month plus VAT
- Best for: Claude users and small teams who want vetted add-ons from known brands
- Available in the UK: Yes
- Seller commission: None stated. New third-party listings go through Anthropic's review
- Our rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
On this page
- What is the Claude plugin directory?
- Who owns the Claude plugin directory?
- How popular is the Claude plugin directory?
- How much does it cost?
- Hidden costs
- Best plugins to try
- Selling or listing your plugin
- Is it safe?
- What other people rate it
- Who is it for?
- Using it in the UK
- Interesting facts
- Alternatives
- Frequently asked questions
What is the Claude plugin directory?
A Claude Code plugin is a bundle of add-ons that installs as one unit. Anthropic describes it as "a directory of skills, agents, hooks, MCP servers, or other components". In plain English, a plugin can teach Claude a new job, add slash commands, and connect it to another app such as Canva or QuickBooks.
The official directory is called claude-plugins-official. Claude Code adds it automatically the first time you start it, and you browse it by typing /plugin and opening the Discover tab. Installing is one line: /plugin install canva@claude-plugins-official.
Since 23 September 2026 the same catalogue also appears on the Claude Marketplace website, alongside connectors and partner products, and in the Claude apps' plugin settings. That makes it the easiest of the skills stores for people who don't live in a terminal.
Who owns the Claude plugin directory?
- Anthropic, the US company that makes Claude. The directory's own file lists its owner as Anthropic.
- Plugins launched in public beta on 9 October 2025. The official repository's first commit is dated 20 November 2025.
- Anthropic announced the Claude Marketplace website on 23 September 2026.
- The catalogue lives in a public GitHub repository, anthropics/claude-plugins-official.
How popular is the Claude plugin directory?
Very, and growing fast. The GitHub repository had 42,275 stars on 18 October 2026, and it was one of the top two repositories on GitHub's daily trending list that day. It jumped to number 3 on our weekly chart of the top agent skills in the third week of October.
When the Claude Marketplace launched, BleepingComputer reported it had more than 2,000 connectors and plugins in total. Partners include Adobe, AWS, Atlassian, Canva, Google, Microsoft, Intuit QuickBooks, Dropbox, Figma, Shopify and Slack.
How much does it cost?
The directory and its plugins are free to install. You pay for Claude itself.
| Plan | Price | Includes Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | No |
| Pro | £18 a month plus VAT | Yes |
| Max | From $100 a month (no UK price listed) | Yes |
| Team | $25 a seat a month, or $20 billed yearly | Yes |
| Enterprise | Custom | Yes |
Some plugins connect to services you pay for separately, such as a QuickBooks or Canva subscription.
Hidden costs
- A paid Claude plan. Claude Code isn't included on the free plan.
- Usage limits. Plugins add instructions that Claude has to read, which counts towards your plan's limits.
- Other companies' accounts. Many plugins only work if you already pay for the service they connect to.
Best plugins to try
| Plugin | Made by | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| frontend-design | Anthropic | Builds distinctive, production-grade web pages and interfaces |
| skill-creator | Anthropic | Helps you build, improve and test your own skills |
| canva | Canva | Creates, edits, resizes and brand-checks designs |
| intuit-quickbooks | Intuit | Profit and loss, cash flow and invoicing briefings from QuickBooks |
| hunter | Hunter.io | Finds and verifies business email addresses |
| dropbox | Dropbox | Searches, organises and shares your Dropbox files |
Selling or listing your plugin
- Anyone can make a plugin, and anyone can run their own marketplace for others to add.
- Getting into Anthropic's directory means submitting through its publishing process, which needs a paid Claude plan. Anthropic says every version gets automated checks and a security scan, and a person reviews each new listing before it goes live.
- Anthropic's newer documentation says the claude-plugins-official catalogue itself doesn't take submissions through the portal; partners go through their Anthropic contact.
- There's no fee or commission mentioned, and no way to charge for a plugin through the directory.
Is it safe?
Safer than an open directory, but not risk-free. Plugins run with your permissions: Anthropic's own documentation warns a plugin "can execute arbitrary code on your machine with your user privileges", and hooks and MCP servers run outside Claude Code's sandbox.
What helps:
- New listings in Anthropic's directory get a human review, and every version gets automated validation and a security scan.
- An "Anthropic Verified" badge marks plugins that had extra review. Anthropic says this "isn't a security audit".
- Claude Code blocks third-party marketplaces that pretend to be Anthropic's, a trick security firm PromptArmor demonstrated in October 2025.
What to watch:
- The repository's README says Anthropic "does not control what MCP servers, files, or other software are included in plugins and cannot verify that they will work as intended or that they won't change."
- Plugins from the official directory update automatically by default, so the files you checked can change later.
- Claude Code itself has had security bugs found and fixed, including two that let a booby-trapped project steal API keys or run commands (Check Point Research, patched).
Our guide to whether agent skills are safe to install has a five-point check that works for plugins too.
What other people rate it
I found no third-party star rating for the directory. Coverage of the Claude Marketplace launch focused on its size and big-brand partners. Developers value the one-line install and the official stamp; the main complaint is that third-party plugins still need checking by hand.
What's good
- Free, official and built into Claude Code
- Plugins from big brands such as Canva, QuickBooks, Figma and Slack
- A person reviews new listings in Anthropic's directory
- Browsable on a website and in the Claude apps, not only in a terminal
- UK pricing for Claude Pro, in pounds
What's not so good
- You need a paid Claude plan to use Claude Code
- Anthropic can't verify everything inside third-party plugins
- Automatic updates can change a plugin after you've checked it
- Much smaller than skills.sh
- Only works with Claude
Who is it for?
The directory suits anyone already paying for Claude Pro or Max, and small teams that want ready-made connections to the tools they use, without trawling GitHub. If you use several AI agents, skills.sh has a far bigger choice that works across them, with less vetting.
Using it in the UK
Claude and Claude Code are available in the UK, and Anthropic lists the Pro plan at £18 a month plus VAT. Claude Code runs on your computer but sends your prompts to Anthropic. On consumer plans Anthropic keeps chats for 30 days, or five years if you allow your data to be used for training; Team and Enterprise plans aren't used for training.
Plugins that connect to other services send data to those companies, and Anthropic says it doesn't control how third-party connectors handle your data. Check that before using a plugin with customer data under UK GDPR.
Interesting facts
- Matt Pocock's skills pack and Superpowers, two of the most popular skills collections on GitHub, both install through this directory.
- Anthropic's own frontend-design skill was the starting point for impeccable, one of the most popular design skills of 2026.
- The directory is a public GitHub repository, so anyone can see exactly what's listed.
Alternatives
- skills.sh: Vercel's free directory, far bigger and works with around 75 agent apps, but with no human review
- Cursor Marketplace: every plugin and update reviewed by hand, for Cursor users
- Smithery: a large registry of MCP connectors and skills
Our rating
| Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Choice | 4/5 |
| Pricing clarity | 4/5 |
| Getting started | 3/5 |
| Trust and safety | 4/5 |
| UK fit | 4/5 |
| Overall | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
The safest mainstream place to get plugins for Claude, with real review and big-brand partners. Stick to Anthropic Verified or well-known publishers, and keep an eye on automatic updates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Claude plugin directory?
It's Anthropic's official catalogue of plugins for Claude Code, called claude-plugins-official, which you browse with the /plugin command. Since September 2026 you can also browse it on the Claude Marketplace website.
Are Claude Code plugins free?
Installing them is free, but you need a paid Claude plan to use Claude Code, starting with Pro at £18 a month plus VAT. Some plugins also need a paid account with the service they connect to.
Are Claude Code plugins safe?
Not automatically. Plugins run code with your permissions, and Anthropic says it can't verify everything in third-party plugins. Prefer Anthropic Verified plugins and well-known publishers, and check the files first.
Read next
- Are agent skills safe to install?
- Claude Code: UK pricing, install guide and how to use it
- AI agent marketplaces: the biggest, reviewed
Sources
- Claude Code docs: plugins, discover plugins, Anthropic marketplaces, publishing and plugin security - checked 18 October 2026
- anthropics/claude-plugins-official on GitHub and its marketplace file - checked 18 October 2026
- Anthropic: Customize Claude Code with plugins - checked 18 October 2026
- Anthropic: Claude Marketplace and Claude Marketplace plugins - checked 18 October 2026
- Claude docs: plugins overview, publishing to the directory and verification - checked 18 October 2026
- Claude pricing and Anthropic help: how much does Claude Pro cost? - checked 18 October 2026
- Claude Code docs: data usage and Anthropic supported countries - checked 18 October 2026
- Check Point Research: RCE and API token exfiltration through Claude Code project files - checked 18 October 2026
- PromptArmor: Hijacking Claude Code via injected marketplace plugins - checked 18 October 2026
- BleepingComputer: Anthropic turns Claude into an AI marketplace - checked 18 October 2026
- GitHub trending - checked 18 October 2026
