Install GitHub Plugin

Overview

claude plugin install clones repos via SSH. If SSH auth isn't configured, or if the repo has no .claude-plugin/marketplace.json manifest, the install fails. This skill works around both problems.

Workflow

1. Clone the repo via gh CLI (bypasses SSH)

gh repo clone <owner>/<repo> "~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/<marketplace-name>"

Use the same directory the marketplace manager would have used (check known_marketplaces.json if the marketplace was already added).

2. Check for an existing manifest

ls "~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/<name>/.claude-plugin/"

If marketplace.json exists, skip to step 4.

3. Inspect the repo structure and generate manifest

Common layouts to look for:

• skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md — skill collection
• agents/ — agent personas
• hooks/ — session lifecycle hooks
• .claude/commands/ — slash commands

Read one or two SKILL.md files to understand the content, then write .claude-plugin/marketplace.json:

{
  "name": "<marketplace-name>",
  "owner": { "name": "<author>", "email": "" },
  "metadata": {
    "description": "<one-line description>",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "<plugin-name>",
      "description": "<what the plugin does>",
      "source": "./",
      "strict": false,
      "skills": [
        "./skills/<skill-1>",
        "./skills/<skill-2>"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

List every skill directory under skills/ in the skills array.

4. Install the plugin

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

5. Verify

claude plugin list

Confirm the plugin shows as ✔ enabled.

Notes

• If the marketplace was added via claude plugin marketplace add but the clone failed, the marketplace entry exists in known_marketplaces.json but the directory is empty or missing. Re-clone manually into the installLocation path shown there.
• Skills with only SKILL.md (no plugin.json) are bundled via the marketplace manifest's skills array — no per-skill plugin.json is needed.
• After install, a Claude restart is required for new skills to appear in the available-skills list.