Claude Cowork Plugins: The Complete Directory and Install Guide

What are Cowork plugins?

A plugin is a folder of plain markdown and JSON files. There is no code to compile and no server to host. Anthropic describes Cowork plugins as a way to tell Claude how you like work done, which tools and data to pull from, and which workflows matter most to your role.

A plugin can contain any mix of four building blocks:

On disk, every plugin in Anthropic's knowledge-work repository follows the same layout:

plugin-name/
├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json   # manifest: name, version, description
├── .mcp.json                    # connector (MCP server) definitions
├── commands/                    # optional explicit slash commands
└── skills/                      # domain knowledge Claude draws on

Because Cowork plugins are just files, you can read exactly what it will tell Claude before you install it. It is also why several open source Claude Cowork alternatives can import Cowork plugins. That matters, since a plugin can ship a local MCP server that runs with the same permissions as any other program on your machine.

Official Claude Cowork plugins from Anthropic

Anthropic publishes its first-party Cowork plugins in the open-source anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins repository, which also serves as the default plugin marketplace inside Cowork. The launch set had eleven role plugins; the catalog of Cowork plugins has since grown. Here are the first-party plugins and a few of the skills each one ships with (skill names are taken from the repository).

Once Cowork plugins are installed, skills fire on their own when relevant, and you can call them directly with the plugin prefix, for example /sales:call-prep or /data:write-query. Step-by-step guides: the sales plugin tutorial and the productivity plugin tutorial. For deeper dives into two of the most popular role plugins, see our pages on Cowork legal agents and Cowork financial agents.

Financial services plugins and agents

Anthropic keeps a second catalog, anthropics/financial-services-plugins, aimed at investment banking, equity research, private equity, wealth management, and fund administration. It contains two kinds of Cowork plugins:

• Vertical plugins such as Financial Analysis (DCF, comps, LBO, and three-statement models), Investment Banking, Equity Research, Private Equity, Fund Admin, and Operations (KYC document parsing).
• Named agent plugins that run one workflow end to end: Pitch Agent, Market Researcher, Earnings Reviewer, Meeting Prep Agent, Model Builder, GL Reconciler, KYC Screener, Valuation Reviewer, Month-End Closer, and Statement Auditor.

The same catalog carries partner plugins from LSEG and S&P Global for market data. Each agent can also be deployed outside Cowork through Claude Managed Agents, using the same system prompt and skills. Anthropic stresses that these plugins draft analyst work for a qualified professional to review; they do not make investment decisions or post to a ledger.

Partner-built plugins

The public plugin marketplace now lists far more partner-built Cowork plugins than first-party ones. Software vendors package their own connector plus the skills that make it useful, so the plugin knows how to work with their product rather than just reach its API. Examples in the knowledge-work marketplace include Slack, Apollo, Common Room, Brand Voice, Zoom, Figma, Canva, Box, Dropbox, Airtable, Zapier, monday.com, HubSpot Sales, Intuit QuickBooks, Datadog, Grafana, Vanta, and Carta.

How to install Cowork plugins

Cowork plugins are available on every paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. If you have not set up the desktop app yet, start with our Cowork download guide.

1. Open Claude on the desktop app or the web. (In older desktop versions with separate Chat and Cowork tabs, switch to the Cowork tab first.)
2. Click Customize in the left sidebar, then choose Plugins.
3. Open Discover to browse the plugin marketplace. Anthropic's official catalog is the default.
4. Pick a plugin and click Install.
5. Open the installed plugin and review its skills, agents, connectors, and hooks. Connect any connectors it needs from the Connectors tab.
6. Start a Cowork task. Relevant skills load automatically, or type / to call one by name.

To turn a plugin off without deleting it, select Disable plugin. To delete it, open it under Customize → Plugins and select Remove. You can also upload a plugin package from a file on the same page, which is handy for plugins you build yourself.

Install the same plugins in Claude Code

Cowork plugins you install are saved to your Claude account, so their skills and connectors also appear in chat and sync into Claude Code (version 2.1.273 or later) each time it starts. You can also add Anthropic's catalog from the terminal:

claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
claude plugin install sales@knowledge-work-plugins

Hooks and subagents only run in Cowork and Claude Code, so they appear grayed out in regular chat. Plugins that bundle a local MCP server are desktop-only, because that server has to run on your own computer.

Add a plugin marketplace from GitHub

Any Git repository that contains plugin packages can act as a plugin marketplace. This is the simplest way to share internal plugins without publishing them publicly. On the Plugins page, select Add marketplace and paste the repository URL; Cowork accepts both https://github.com/owner/repo and the short owner/repo form. GitHub and GitHub Enterprise repositories work, as do public GitLab and Bitbucket repositories.

Use Check for updates to pull the latest versions, or turn on Sync automatically. If you have edited a plugin locally, Cowork warns you before an update overwrites your changes. Default limits from Anthropic's documentation:

Cowork plugins for Team and Enterprise

On Team and Enterprise plans, Cowork plugins become a way to standardize how a whole company works with Claude. Admins can:

• Require Cowork plugins for everyone. Required plugins install automatically, show the label “This plugin is required by your organization,” and cannot be removed or turned off.
• Run a private marketplace synced from the organization's own repository, alongside Anthropic-curated sources such as Knowledge Work, Financial Services, and Legal. They can also remove the default marketplace.
• Control sharing under Organization settings → Plugins & skills → Policy, including person-to-person sharing and, on Enterprise, sharing with groups.
• Scan for malicious content when a plugin is installed or updated.

Members can share a plugin from Customize → Plugins using the menu next to it; recipients see it under “Shared with you” and enable it when ready. Before you roll Cowork plugins out widely, read our Cowork security overview.

Customize Cowork plugins or build your own

The official Cowork plugins are generic starting points. They get much better once they know your tools, terminology, and processes. Open an installed plugin and click Customize; Cowork starts a task where Claude helps you adjust its skills and connectors.

• Swap connectors by editing .mcp.json to point at your stack. Our MCP setup guide covers the details.
• Add company context such as org structure, glossary, and approval rules to the skill files.
• Adjust workflows so a skill follows how your team actually works.
• Start from scratch with the Plugin Management plugin, which walks you through creating a new plugin.
• Borrow from the community. Thousands of community skills, subagents, and plugins are listed in our skills and plugins directory, each with its source and install steps.

Publish your plugin to the Claude directory

Since September 25, 2026, developers on paid Claude plans can submit Claude plugins to Anthropic's directory through a submission portal at claude.ai/directory/manage/new. There are two ways to submit:

• A single MCP connector that points to your remote MCP server.
• A plugin bundle that combines MCP servers and skills, hosted in a GitHub repository you submit.

Each submission is validated automatically and scanned for safety, and you can follow its review status in the portal. After approval you choose when it goes live. Once published, the portal shows installs by product and version, plus listing views and the searches that led people to your plugin. Anthropic says one shared discovery experience for plugins will roll out across Claude and Claude Code, so a listing reaches Cowork users and developers alike. For internal plugins you do not want public, a private plugin marketplace on GitHub remains the simpler route.

Cowork plugins not showing up or failing to install?

Most problems with Cowork plugins come down to a few causes:

• Free plan. Plugins need a paid plan. Compare tiers on our pricing page.
• Old app version. Update the desktop app; in older builds you must open the Cowork tab before Customize.
• Local connector on the web. Plugins with local MCP servers only work in the desktop app, not in cloud sessions on the web or mobile.
• Connector not connected. A plugin can install fine but still fail at runtime if its connectors are not signed in.
• Stale marketplace. Click Check for updates on a marketplace you added.
• Admin policy. On Team or Enterprise, your organization may hide some plugins or limit sharing.
• Package too large. Uploads over 200 MB or 5,000 files are rejected.

Frequently asked questions