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The plugin.json file is the manifest for your Claude plugin. It lives at .claude-plugin/plugin.json in your plugin directory and defines the plugin’s identity, metadata, and discoverability.

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Location

plugin-name/
└── .claude-plugin/
    └── plugin.json

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Schema

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name
string
required
The unique identifier for your plugin. Use lowercase with hyphens for multi-word names.
"name": "sales"

"name": "product-management"
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version
string
required
Semantic version number following the major.minor.patch format.
"version": "1.0.0"

"version": "1.1.0"
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description
string
required
A clear, concise description of what your plugin does and who it’s for. This appears in the plugin marketplace and helps users understand the value.
"description": "Prospect, craft outreach, and build deal strategy faster. Prep for calls, manage your pipeline, and write personalized messaging that moves deals forward."
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author
object
required
Information about the plugin creator.
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homepage
string
URL to the plugin’s homepage, documentation, or repository.
"homepage": "https://github.com/slackapi/slack-mcp-plugin"
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license
string
The license under which the plugin is distributed (e.g., “MIT”, “Apache-2.0”, “BSD-3-Clause”).
"license": "MIT"
​
keywords
array
Array of keywords to improve plugin discoverability in search and filtering.
"keywords": ["brand-voice", "sales", "marketing", "content-creation", "guidelines", "discovery", "enterprise"]

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Examples

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Minimal Plugin

{
  "name": "sales",
  "version": "1.1.0",
  "description": "Prospect, craft outreach, and build deal strategy faster. Prep for calls, manage your pipeline, and write personalized messaging that moves deals forward.",
  "author": {
    "name": "Anthropic"
  }
}

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Full Plugin with Metadata

{
  "name": "slack-by-salesforce",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Official Slack MCP server for interactive and collaborative workflows. Surface insights, draft messages, and engage teams directly within Slack from Claude Cowork.",
  "author": {
    "name": "Salesforce",
    "url": "https://slack.com"
  },
  "homepage": "https://github.com/slackapi/slack-mcp-plugin",
  "license": "MIT"
}

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Plugin with Keywords

{
  "name": "brand-voice",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Brand Voice transforms scattered brand materials into enforceable AI guardrails — automatically. It searches across Notion, Google Drive, Confluence, Gong, Slack, and meeting transcripts to distill your strongest brand signals into a single source of truth.",
  "author": {
    "name": "Tribe AI"
  },
  "keywords": ["brand-voice", "sales", "marketing", "content-creation", "guidelines", "discovery", "enterprise"]
}

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Validation Rules

Required Fields: The name, version, description, and author.name fields are required. Your plugin will not load without them.
Naming Conventions: Use lowercase letters and hyphens for plugin names. Avoid spaces, special characters, or uppercase letters.
Version Format: Follow semantic versioning (semver) format: major.minor.patch. Increment the version number when you publish updates.

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Best Practices

  1. Clear Descriptions: Write descriptions that explain both what the plugin does and who should use it. Focus on outcomes, not just features.
  2. Accurate Versioning: Update the version number whenever you make changes:
    • Patch (0.0.x): Bug fixes and minor improvements
    • Minor (0.x.0): New features, backward-compatible
    • Major (x.0.0): Breaking changes
  3. Useful Keywords: Add keywords that match how users might search for your plugin’s functionality.
  4. Author Attribution: Include your organization or personal name to help users know who maintains the plugin.
  5. License Clarity: Specify a license if you’re sharing your plugin publicly to clarify usage rights.

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