Plugins

What it is

A plugin is a pre-built bundle of skills, connectors, and sub-agents for a particular role or workflow — sales, finance, legal, marketing, HR, engineering, design, operations, data analysis. Install one and you get a ready-to-go setup from the first conversation, instead of adding each skill and connector by hand.

Anthropic’s first-party plugins live on GitHub at anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins. Plugins are file-based (Markdown and JSON) — no code or infrastructure required to customize one.

Plugins are available to all Cowork users on paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise).

Where to find it

On desktop

Cowork tab → Customize (left sidebar) → Browse plugins.
Installed plugins’ skills appear when you type / or click + in the composer.

How to use it

Install a plugin from the catalog

In the Cowork tab, click Customize in the left sidebar.
Click Browse plugins to open the modal.
Click Install on the plugin you want.
Its skills and connectors become available immediately — trigger them with / or the + menu.

Add a marketplace from GitHub

Customize → Browse plugins → Personal.
Click the + button → Add marketplace from GitHub.
Paste the repo URL (e.g. https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services-plugins).
The marketplace’s plugins appear in your browser.

Customize or build a plugin

Customize an installed plugin: open it → Customize (upper right) → a Cowork task opens and walks you through adjusting its skills and connectors.
Build from scratch: use the built-in Plugin Create plugin, or fork any of the Anthropic templates. Plugin reference lives in the Claude Code docs.

Example: financial services plugin bundle

Anthropic publishes a marketplace of finance plugins at github.com/anthropics/financial-services-plugins. It includes a core plugin plus role-specific add-ons and partner data connectors:

Financial analysis (core, install first) — comps, DCF, LBO, 3-statement models. Bundles all shared MCP connectors for financial data.
Investment banking — CIMs, teasers, process letters, merger models, buyer lists.
Equity research — earnings updates, initiation reports, catalyst tracking.
Private equity — deal sourcing, due diligence, IC memos, portfolio KPI monitoring.
Wealth management — client-meeting prep, financial plans, rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting.
LSEG and S&P Global — partner-built plugins that bring each provider’s data and analytics into Cowork.

After install, invoke skills by name: /comps, /dcf, /earnings, /one-pager, /ic-memo, /source, /client-review, and so on. The core plugin also includes connector scaffolding for Daloopa, Morningstar, FactSet, Moody’s, MT Newswires, Aiera, PitchBook, Chronograph, and Egnyte — most require a separate subscription or API key from the provider.

Good to know

Installing a plugin installs its parts. Its skills show up in Customize → Skills and its connectors in Customize → Connectors. You can toggle individual pieces on/off.
Plugins you add are saved locally to your machine.
Local MCP warning. Plugins can include local MCP servers that run on your computer with the same permissions as any other program. Only install plugins from sources you trust, and review what an extension requests before approving.
Admin restrictions (Team / Enterprise). Owners can distribute plugins org-wide via plugin marketplaces. You can’t edit organization-managed plugins. Some may be auto-installed (uninstallable) or required (not removable). Enterprise admins can customise which plugins are available per group — your catalog may differ from a colleague’s in another group. Admins can also disable local MCP servers entirely.
Works across Cowork and Claude Code. The finance plugins, for example, are usable in both environments.
Connectors reach Anthropic’s cloud, not your local network. A custom connector must point at a server reachable on the public internet from Anthropic IP ranges. If your org’s MCP servers sit behind a firewall, see the help-center notes on Network requirements for custom connectors.
AI-generated financial analysis should always be reviewed by a qualified professional before being used in decision-making — Anthropic’s own guidance on the finserv bundle.

What’s changed recently

2026-04-18 — Cross-referenced with official help-center articles; added sources. Promoted page from stub to stable; fleshed out install flow, marketplace flow, finserv example, and admin guardrails.