Local Plugin Marketplace for Claude Code Setup

Claude Code Plugin

This guide walks you through setting up a local plugin marketplace, installing plugins, and managing your Claude Code plugin development workflow — all with a more hands-on, conversational approach.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have Claude Code CLI installed and configured before proceeding. If you haven't done that yet, now's the time!

Setting Up Local Marketplace

Create the Marketplace Structure
First, create the directory structure for your local plugin marketplace:
```
mkdir -p /Users/growthacker/.claude/plugins/.claude-plugin
```

Create the Marketplace Manifest

Now create the manifest file at /Users/growthacker/.claude/plugins/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json:

{
  "name": "my-local-marketplace",
  "owner": {
    "name": "Your Name"
  },
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "rubot",
      "source": "./rubot",
      "description": "Your rubot plugin"
    }
  ]
}

Add and Install in Claude Code

/plugin marketplace add /Users/growthacker/.claude/plugins
/plugin install rubot@my-local-marketplace

Important: Make sure your plugin folder contains a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest file, or this won't work!

Updating Plugins

After making changes, you have several ways to update your plugins. Pick the one that fits your workflow:

Option 1: Restart Claude Code

Simply restart Claude Code to pick up the changes. If you're using --plugin-dir during development, restart after each change — it's the quickest way to see results.

Option 2: Update via Marketplace Command

If your plugin is installed from a marketplace, run this:

/plugin update rubot@rulisme

Option 3: Refresh the Marketplace

If you updated the plugin source, refresh the marketplace with:

/plugin marketplace update rulisme

Development Workflow

For active plugin development, load your plugin directly using the --plugin-dir flag:

claude --plugin-dir /Users/growthacker/.claude/plugins/rubot

Tip: When using --plugin-dir, you'll need to restart Claude Code each time you make changes to see updates. Think of it as a quick sanity check.

Troubleshooting

Clear Plugin Cache

If updates aren't sticking, clear the cache:

rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache

Reinstall Plugin

Sometimes a clean install works wonders:

claude /plugin uninstall rubot@rulisme
claude /plugin install rubot@rulisme

Sync Plugin Cache

Re-sync the plugin cache to keep everything fresh:

claude plugins sync

Remove Broken Plugin

If a plugin is broken, remove it temporarily:

rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/security-guidance

Then reload with --plugin-dir:

claude --plugin-dir ~/.claude/plugins/rubot

Quick Reference

/plugin marketplace add <path> — Add a local marketplace
/plugin install <name>@<marketplace> — Install a plugin
/plugin uninstall <name>@<marketplace> — Uninstall a plugin
/plugin update <name>@<marketplace> — Update a plugin
/plugin marketplace update <name> — Refresh marketplace
claude plugins sync — Sync plugin cache
claude --plugin-dir <path> — Load plugin directly for development

Bahrul Bangsawan

How to Set Up a Local Plugin Marketplace for Claude Code