lichens-innovation/create-marketplace

Create Marketplace

Scaffold a new plugin marketplace with valid manifest, then guide the user through local testing and (optionally) private-repo + auto-update setup before publishing.

Workflow

1. Gather info via script Run: node <skill-dir>/scripts/gather-marketplace-info.cjs Returns one JSON line: { name, description, owner, homepage, targetDir, privateRepo }.

   The script enforces unique kebab-case names and rejects names reserved by Anthropic (anthropic-marketplace, claude-code-plugins, agent-skills).

2. Create marketplace directory structure

   <targetDir>/
   ├── .claude-plugin/
   │   └── marketplace.json
   ├── plugins/
   ├── CLAUDE.md
   └── README.md
   

3. Write .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

   {
     "name": "<name>",
     "owner": {
       "name": "<owner.name>",
       "email": "<owner.email>"
     },
     "metadata": {
       "description": "<description>",
       "version": "0.1.0",
       "homepage": "<homepage>"
     },
     "plugins": []
   }
   

   Required fields: name (kebab-case), owner.name, plugins[]. Omit homepage if user left it blank.

4. Write README.md Minimal: title, one-line description, install instructions:

   # <name>
   
   <description>
   
   ## Install
   
   ```bash
   claude plugin marketplace add <repo-or-path>
   claude plugin install <plugin-name>@<name>
   

5. Write CLAUDE.md Short context file for Claude Code sessions opened inside this marketplace repo. Explain that this is a marketplace catalog, point at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, and describe the convention used for plugin source layout.

6. Validate locally Run: claude plugin validate <targetDir> The validator checks marketplace.json, every plugin's plugin.json, skill/agent/command frontmatter, and hooks/hooks.json for syntax and schema errors.

7. Test locally before sharing Tell the user to add at least one plugin (use create-plugin skill) then run:

   claude plugin marketplace add <targetDir>
   claude plugin install <plugin-name>@<name>
   

   Inside Claude Code: /plugin marketplace add <targetDir> then /plugin install <plugin-name>@<name>.

   This proves the marketplace resolves, the plugin manifest is valid, and the catalog can be navigated before anyone else sees it.

8. Configure auto-updates (optional) By default, third-party and local marketplaces have auto-update disabled. To enable for this marketplace once it is registered on the user's machine:

   • Run /plugin → Marketplaces tab → select marketplace → Enable auto-update.

   Global env-var overrides (mention only if relevant to user's setup):

   export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1          # disable everything
   export FORCE_AUTOUPDATE_PLUGINS=1     # keep plugin auto-update only
   

   See docs/marketplace.md#auto-updates for the full table.

9. Configure private repository access (only if privateRepo is true) For manual install/update, Claude Code uses existing git credentials (gh auth login, SSH key in ssh-agent, etc.). For background auto-update at startup, credential helpers are skipped — set the matching env var:

   | Provider | Env vars | | --------- | ---------------------------- | | GitHub | GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN | | GitLab | GITLAB_TOKEN or GL_TOKEN | | Bitbucket | BITBUCKET_TOKEN |

   Example:

   export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   

   Add to .bashrc / .zshrc so it persists. For CI, set as a secret. See docs/marketplace.md#private-repositories.

10. Report to user

    • <targetDir>/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json created
    • <targetDir>/README.md, CLAUDE.md, and plugins/ created
    • Validation passed
    • Next steps:
      • Add plugins with create-plugin skill
      • Test locally with claude plugin marketplace add <targetDir>
      • When ready: push to a Git host, then share claude plugin marketplace add owner/repo
      • Auto-update + private repo setup as above (if applicable)