Minimal Plugin Example

A bare-bones plugin with a single command.

Directory Structure

hello-world/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json
└── commands/
    └── hello.md

File Contents

.claude-plugin/plugin.json

{
  "name": "hello-world"
}

commands/hello.md

---
name: hello
description: Prints a friendly greeting message
---

# Hello Command

Print a friendly greeting to the user.

## Implementation

Output the following message to the user:

> Hello! This is a simple command from the hello-world plugin.
>
> Use this as a starting point for building more complex plugins.

Include the current timestamp in the greeting to show the command executed successfully.

Usage

After installing the plugin:

$ claude
> /hello
Hello! This is a simple command from the hello-world plugin.

Use this as a starting point for building more complex plugins.

Executed at: 2025-01-15 14:30:22 UTC

Key Points

1. Minimal manifest: Only the required name field
2. Single command: One markdown file in commands/ directory
3. Auto-discovery: Claude Code finds the command automatically
4. No dependencies: No scripts, hooks, or external resources

When to Use This Pattern

• Quick prototypes
• Single-purpose utilities
• Learning plugin development
• Internal team tools with one specific function

Extending This Plugin

To add more functionality:

1. Add commands: Create more .md files in commands/
2. Add metadata: Update plugin.json with version, description, author
3. Add agents: Create agents/ directory with agent definitions
4. Add hooks: Create hooks/hooks.json for event handling