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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [FEATURE] Local plugin installation support in Claude Code desktop app [1 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#52147•Fetched 2026-04-23 07:35:24
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Preflight Checklist

  • I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
  • This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

The Claude Code desktop app (macOS) has no mechanism to install local plugins. The /plugin slash command is available exclusively in the terminal CLI. The desktop app's plugin UI (+ → Plugins → Add plugin) shows only the claude-plugins-official marketplace directory. There is no file path input or file picker to register a local directory as a plugin marketplace.

Confirmed by Anthropic support: "The desktop app's plugin UI currently only supports marketplace-based installations, not direct local directory registration like the CLI's /plugin marketplace add command."

Proposed Solution

Add a local path option to the desktop app Add plugin UI — a file picker or path input field that registers a local directory as a plugin marketplace, equivalent to the terminal CLI command:

/plugin marketplace add /path/to/local/plugin /plugin install <plugin-name>

Alternative Solutions

Currently must switch to terminal CLI (claude binary) solely for plugin installation, then return to desktop app for all other work. This requires installing the terminal CLI as a prerequisite just to manage plugins.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

  1. Developer builds a local Claude Code plugin at ~/projects/my-plugin
  2. Opens Claude Code desktop app to test the plugin
  3. Clicks + → Plugins → Add plugin
  4. No local install option exists — only marketplace shown
  5. Must quit desktop app, open terminal, run: /plugin marketplace add ~/projects/my-plugin /plugin install my-plugin
  6. Restart desktop app to load the plugin
  7. Local plugin development requires terminal CLI as a prerequisite solely for installation

Additional Context

Confirmed by Anthropic support on April 22, 2026: "The desktop app's plugin UI currently only supports marketplace-based installations, not direct local directory registration like the CLI's /plugin marketplace add command."

Claude Code desktop app version: 2.1.116, macOS.

extent analysis

TL;DR

To install local plugins in the Claude Code desktop app, consider using the terminal CLI to register the local directory as a plugin marketplace.

Guidance

  • The current limitation is that the desktop app's plugin UI only supports marketplace-based installations, so using the terminal CLI is a necessary workaround.
  • To verify the issue, try to install a local plugin using the desktop app's Add plugin UI and confirm that only the marketplace directory is available.
  • To mitigate this, use the terminal CLI to run the /plugin marketplace add and /plugin install commands to register and install the local plugin.
  • Consider requesting an update to the desktop app to include a local path option for plugin installation, as suggested in the proposed solution.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not necessary for this issue.

Notes

The provided information is based on the confirmation from Anthropic support and the current version of the Claude Code desktop app (2.1.116, macOS).

Recommendation

Apply workaround: use the terminal CLI to install local plugins, as the desktop app currently does not support this feature. This is recommended because it allows developers to install local plugins, albeit not directly through the desktop app's UI.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [FEATURE] Local plugin installation support in Claude Code desktop app [1 participants]