Get Started in 5 Minutes

1 Add Your First Hook

Let's start with the most immediately useful extension: a desktop notification when Claude finishes working.

{
  "hooks": {
    "Stop": [{
      "matcher": "",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "osascript -e 'display notification \"Claude is done\" with title \"Claude Code\"'"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Now start a Claude Code session and give it a task. When it finishes, you'll get a notification. That's it — your first hook is running.

2 Create a Custom Skill

Let's build a /status command that gives you a quick project overview.

---
name: status
description: Quick project status overview
---

# Project Status Report

Give me a concise project status:

1. Run `git status` to see uncommitted changes
2. Run `git log --oneline -5` for recent commits
3. Check for TODOs: `grep -r "TODO\|FIXME" --include="*.{ts,js,py}" -l .`
4. Report:
   - Branch name and uncommitted changes count
   - Last 5 commits (one line each)
   - Files with TODOs/FIXMEs
   - Overall health: clean / needs attention / messy

Now in any Claude Code session, type /status and get an instant project health check.

3 Connect an MCP Server

Let's connect the GitHub MCP server so Claude can search repos and manage issues.

Now in Claude Code, you can ask things like "search my GitHub repos for anything related to authentication" or "create an issue on my-repo about the login bug."

4 Install a Community Plugin

Browse what the community has built and install what fits your workflow.

Good first plugins to explore:

• Superpowers — TDD, debugging, code review (94K+ stars)
• Severance — Semantic memory across sessions
• Trail of Bits Security — Professional security auditing skills

5 Share What You Build

Once you've built something useful, share it with the community:

1. Package as a plugin

   Create a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest and organize your skills/hooks into the plugin directory structure.

2. Push to GitHub

   Add the claude-code-plugin topic to your repo so others can find it.

3. Submit to awesome-claude-code

   Open a PR on the curated list to help others discover your extension.

Total Cost Summary

Here's what you actually need to spend to use everything in this guide:

Common Issues

# Check your settings file is valid JSON
$ cat ~/.claude/settings.json | jq .

# Common issues:
# 1. Matcher doesn't match the tool name (case-sensitive)
# 2. Command path isn't in $PATH
# 3. File is in wrong location (project vs personal)

# Debug: add a simple echo hook first
"command": "echo 'HOOK FIRED' >> /tmp/claude-hooks.log"

# Verify the file structure
$ ls -la ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md

# The file must be named exactly SKILL.md (uppercase)
# The directory name becomes the command name
# ~/.claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md -> /deploy

# Check frontmatter is valid YAML
# The --- delimiters must be on their own lines

# Check the server runs standalone
$ npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

# Common issues:
# 1. Missing environment variables (GITHUB_TOKEN, etc.)
# 2. npx can't find the package - try installing globally
# 3. Port conflicts for SSE/HTTP transports

# Check connection status
$ claude mcp list
$ claude mcp logs github

What's Next?