Your Claude plugin or MCP connector is built, maybe already listed, and the install count is small. Anthropic opened a developer portal for its directory on September 25, 2026, and most advice online covers how to submit, not what happens after. This guide covers what changed, the ways people meet a plugin inside Claude, what loads on each Claude surface, a listing checklist built from the portal's own checks, the rules that block or hold a listing, which channel fits which kind of plugin, a 30-day plan, a README opening and install instructions you can copy, and how to read the directory funnel the portal now shows. It is useful without a Soloop account.
The short answer
To get users for a Claude plugin, list it where people already browse, make it work on the surface they use, and send the people who already have the job to the listing. In practice: submit your remote MCP server as a connector and your plugin bundle separately, write the README and skill descriptions around one task, check what loads in chat, Cowork and Claude Code, then bring your existing users, Team and Enterprise owners, and developers who run your CLI.
Anthropic says directory ranking is usage-based and that every directory connector is eligible for in-chat suggestions, but there is no application for the Verified label or for placement. The parts you control are a clear listing, a first task that works, and a plugin people keep using. The portal's Usage tab now shows listing views, install clicks and installs, so you can see which step loses people and fix one thing at a time.
What changed for Claude plugins in 2026
A Claude plugin is a folder that can bundle skills, commands, agents, hooks and MCP server references. A connector is one remote MCP server people connect to. Both are listed in one directory that claude.ai, the desktop and mobile apps, Cowork and Claude Code share.
| Dimension | What changed | What it means for getting users |
|---|---|---|
| Developer portal (September 25) | Submissions, status, new versions, usage and delisting moved to one portal at claude.ai/directory/manage. The earlier Claude Console form is no longer supported. | Guides that describe the old form or a pull request are out of date. Move an earlier submission to the portal to get versions and usage figures. |
| Who can submit | Anyone on a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan; on Team and Enterprise, an Owner or a member with the Directory permission. No partner program is required. | Submit from the organization that should own the listing long term: the first organization to submit a repository folder holds it. |
| Two listing types | A plugin bundle from a public GitHub repository, or a remote MCP connector from its URL. Skills are not a submission type on their own, and desktop extension listings are deprecated. | If you run a server, submit it as a connector and the bundle that teaches Claude to use it, then pair them, so people see one set of tools. |
| Review | Every plugin version gets validation and a security scan, and a person reviews a new listing. Connectors are scanned and listed as Community by default; some are escalated to Verified review. | Plan the launch date after Published, not after Approved. An approved plugin is not installable yet. |
| Usage figures | A published plugin's Usage tab shows reach, versions, component use, quality and a directory funnel. Connectors get a dashboard with health, rank and usage by tool. | For the first time you can see where directory visitors drop off without adding your own tracking. |
September 25, 2026: directory submission portal for paid plans; plugin bundles or remote MCP connectors; automated validation and safety scanning; usage analytics including installs by surface and version and listing views; unified discovery rolling out.
Anthropic: Build plugins for ClaudePro, Max, Team or Enterprise; Owner or Directory permission on Team and Enterprise; first organization to submit a folder holds the listing; submit the server as a connector and the bundle separately; desktop extensions deprecated; Console form retired; review time not fixed.
Claude docs: Publish to the directoryHow people find and start using a plugin
Search in the directory is only one way in. Each entry point asks something different of your listing and setup.
| Dimension | How it works | What you can influence |
|---|---|---|
| Discover in Customize | On Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, people browse Customize > Plugins > Discover and Customize > Connectors. Ranking is usage-based. | The name, the short description and the README, which the directory shows as the listing's description. Rank follows use, so early users matter more than launch-day traffic. |
| A suggestion in a chat | Directory connectors are eligible for Suggested Connectors, shown when relevant to the user's task. Every directory entry is included automatically. | No criteria are published. Write tool descriptions that are narrow and accurate so Claude can match them to the right task. |
| A Team member's request | On Team plans, members who cannot enable a connector see Request; Owners see the requests in organization settings and notifications. | Tell users on Team plans to select Request rather than give up, and give Owners a short data-handling note. |
| Admin rollout | Owners set each plugin to Not available, Available to install, Installed by default or Required, and can sync a private marketplace from GitHub. | For a team product, one Owner can put the plugin in front of every member. Offer setup notes and a pilot for one team. |
| Claude Code | Developers browse with /plugin directory (Claude Code v2.1.287 and later) or add your own marketplace. A plugin added on claude.ai also loads in Claude Code as a synced plugin. | Publish the two install commands in your README, docs and release notes, and keep the plugin name permanent. |
| Your own links | A connector's listing URL, claude.ai/directory/connectors/your-slug, is fixed after publication. | Use it for a Connect to Claude button in your docs, onboarding and changelog. |
One catalog across claude.ai, Desktop, mobile, Claude Code and Cowork; directory connectors eligible for in-chat Suggested Connectors, every entry included automatically; ranking usage-based; Team members without permission see Request.
Claude docs: Connectors directoryDiscover in Customize > Plugins on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise; /plugin directory in Claude Code v2.1.287 and later; Owner availability options Not available, Available to install, Installed by default and Required.
Claude docs: Plugin feature support across platformsA connector's directory slug and its URL claude.ai/directory/connectors/SLUG are permanent after publication and can be shared from your documentation or a Connect to Claude button.
Claude docs: Manage your listing after publishingCheck what loads on each surface
The same plugin folder installs everywhere, but each surface loads a different subset. A plugin that looks complete in Claude Code can be mostly empty in chat, which is where many non-developers will try it first.
| Dimension | Chat (web, desktop, mobile) | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Load | Load |
| Commands | Load as a skill that Claude applies when it fits | Load |
| Agents and hooks | Ignored | Load |
| Remote MCP server with a fixed URL | Listed on the plugin's Connectors tab; works once the person connects it | Loads |
| Local MCP server | Ignored | Loads |
| Executables in a top-level bin/ folder | The plugin can't be installed | Load |
Skills load in chat, Cowork and Claude Code; commands load as skills in chat; agents and hooks are ignored in chat; remote MCP servers are listed on the Connectors tab in chat; local MCP servers are ignored in chat; a top-level bin/ directory makes chat and Cowork refuse the plugin.
Claude docs: Plugin feature support across platformsClaude plugin listing checklist
Check each item before you send anyone to the listing. Most come from the portal's validation, so missing them delays the launch itself.
- A permanent name: lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, up to 64 characters, built on your own product name, not a reserved word such as claude, anthropic, official, plugin or mcp, and not a look-alike of another brand or listing.
- A README of at least 40 words outside code blocks. The directory shows it as the listing's description, so open with who it is for and the task it finishes.
- A license file or a license field in plugin.json, plus description, author and version, raising version with every release.
- Skill and tool descriptions that state narrowly what each one does and when Claude should use it, without promising features it does not deliver.
- At least three working example prompts or use cases, documentation with troubleshooting steps, and a test account with sample data for review.
- Every package a launcher runs pinned to an exact version, no credentials in any file, and settings that need a secret requested through userConfig.
- A privacy policy link if the plugin collects data or connects to a remote service, and answers in the data-handling step that match what it actually does.
- Readable source, every file under 256 KiB except images and fonts, and no more than 512 files, so the version is not held for a reviewer.
- A test on each surface your users use, and a comparison of Claude's output with and without the plugin on real prompts.
Name up to 64 lowercase characters with reserved words, brands and look-alikes blocked or held; README of at least 40 words shown as the description; license required; pinned launchers; no credentials; 256 KiB and 512-file limits hold a version; security scan; compare output with and without the plugin.
Claude docs: Plugin pre-submission checklistDescriptions must be narrow, unambiguous and match actual functionality; developers provide a test account, at least three working example prompts and documentation; a privacy policy link is required when data is collected.
Anthropic Software Directory PolicyRules that block, hold or remove a listing
Some growth habits from web apps break the directory policy. Check your plan against this list before you build a launch around it.
- Serving advertisements, sponsored content or paid product placements, or building the plugin mainly as a promotional vehicle.
- Writing descriptions or skills that push Claude to call your plugin, or interfere with other tools, when the user did not ask for it.
- Pulling behavioral instructions from an external source at run time, or hiding instructions in the plugin.
- Collecting conversation data the task does not need, even for logging, or reading Claude's memory, chat history or uploaded files to build profiles.
- Moving money or running financial transactions without a person approving them.
- Renaming a published plugin: existing installs are recorded under the old name. Change displayName instead.
- Shipping a material change without telling Anthropic; it can trigger another review.
No advertisements, sponsored content or paid placements; no coercing Claude to call software or interfering with other tools unless the user asks; no dynamic or hidden instructions; data minimization and no extraction of memory, chat history or files; human-in-the-loop for financial transactions; notify Anthropic of material changes.
Anthropic Software Directory PolicyNever change a published plugin's name; users who installed it lose the plugin. Change displayName for a different label.
Claude Code docs: Publish and distribute a pluginChoose a channel by what the plugin does
A plugin is a shortcut to a job inside Claude. The fastest first users are people who already do that job, often with your product.
| Dimension | Where the first users are | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Companion to your SaaS | Your existing users and trial sign-ups who already use Claude. | Add a Connect to Claude link to the product, docs and onboarding email, with the exact prompt to try first. |
| Team or B2B tool | Team and Enterprise Owners and the lead who owns the workflow. | Offer setup notes, a data-handling summary and a pilot with one team set to Installed by default. |
| Developer tool or CLI | Claude Code users on GitHub, Hacker News and developer communities. | Put the two install commands in your README and release notes, and show one real task running in Claude Code. |
| Skills-only plugin for a profession | Communities, newsletters and accounts for that profession. | A short before-and-after of one task in chat, posted where the community's rules allow it. |
| Former desktop extension | People who installed the old extension. | Move the local server into a plugin bundle, then tell existing users where the new listing is. |
A 30-day launch plan
- Days 1–3: write one sentence naming who the plugin is for and the task it finishes. Rewrite the README opening, short description and skill descriptions from that sentence.
- Days 4–7: install it from the directory on each surface your users use, time a new user from the listing to the first useful result, and remove steps until it takes a few minutes.
- Days 8–14: invite 20 people who already do the task, one at a time, mostly from your own users. Ask each to try one example prompt and tell you where they got stuck.
- Days 15–21: fix the step where most people stopped, and contact two Team or Enterprise Owners who could make the plugin available to a team.
- Days 22–30: make one public announcement in the channel that produced the best conversations, then compare listing views, install clicks, installs and active accounts with the first two weeks.
Copy the README opening and install instructions
The README becomes the listing's description, so its first lines do the job of a store page. Lead with the audience and the task, then real example prompts, then plain statements about what the plugin reads, sends and changes, which also prepares you for the security scan.
The install commands are for people who use your own marketplace in Claude Code; directory users add the plugin from Customize. Keep pricing and upgrade prompts out of the plugin itself, and send people to your own site for plans.
Read the directory funnel each week
A published plugin's Usage tab covers up to 90 days and exports to CSV. It shows reach (installs, active accounts and retention, with installs by surface and by source such as Discover), the share of accounts on each version, how often each skill and server is used, load errors and server error rates, and a directory funnel of listing views, install clicks and installs. Figures update once a day in UTC. A connector's dashboard adds a health badge, its directory rank by distinct accounts over 30 days and the number of accounts that actually called a tool.
Illustrative example, not a benchmark: in one month a listing gets 800 views and 96 install clicks, a click rate of 12% (96 ÷ 800). Of those clicks, 72 become installs (75%, or 9% of views). Half of the installs, 36 accounts, use the plugin, and half of those, 18, are still active later, or 2.25% of everyone who viewed the listing (18 ÷ 800). If views are low, work on channels; if views are high and clicks low, rewrite the README opening and examples; if installs never become active accounts, fix the first task and the surface support before announcing anywhere else.
Usage tab for up to 90 days with CSV export: Reach (installs, active accounts, retention, installs by surface and source such as Discover), Versions, Components, Quality and Directory funnel (listing views, install clicks, installs); computed daily in UTC.
Claude docs: Manage your listing after publishingHealth badge (Healthy at 2% request errors or less, Worth a look above 2%, Degraded above 5%); directory rank by distinct accounts in 30 days with a Trending tag for the top 10 by growth; Used a tool, Tool calls and Error rate; metrics in beta and can lag up to 24 hours.
Claude docs: Manage your directory listingWhere Soloop fits
Soloop does not build, submit or manage Claude plugins, and it does not read directory usage. It helps with the outreach around the launch. According to the Soloop manual, it can research where a group of people discusses a task and return sources, post on X after you connect it with OAuth, prepare Reddit posts for you to publish yourself, send cold email through Gmail (beta) and prepare Google Search Ads for your review and payment. Actions wait for your approval by default.
A bounded first request: My Claude plugin [listing or repository link] helps [audience] [do one task]. Find where [audience] discusses [task], with sources, suggest one channel for a 30-day test and draft five short messages asking people to try one example prompt and tell me where they get stuck. Do not post or send anything.
Sources, limitations and refresh
Anthropic's September 25, 2026 announcement, the Claude directory, plugin and connector documentation, the Claude Code publishing documentation and the Anthropic Software Directory Policy were read on October 30, 2026. Anthropic does not publish how suggestions, ranking details or Verified escalation are decided, metrics are in beta, and availability varies by plan, organization settings and surface. The channel table, launch plan, templates and funnel example are editorial guidance; the funnel figures are illustrative. Nothing here guarantees approval, a Verified label, placement, suggestions or users.
This guide will be reviewed by January 30, 2027, or sooner if Anthropic changes the portal, the directory policy or the way plugins are discovered.
The Soloop manual describes research with sources, X publishing with OAuth, Reddit preparation with manual publication, beta cold email through Gmail and Google Search Ads after review and payment; approval comes first by default. It does not build or manage Claude plugins.
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