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Plugin Settings Pattern

Teaches an agent to store and read per-project plugin settings in .claude/*.local.md files

Source Download skill
Repository
anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Stars
45,770
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
8 files

What it does

It teaches an AI agent how to build Claude Code plugins that remember user preferences. Settings live in a small markdown file inside the project's .claude folder, with a YAML header for values like on/off switches and numbers, and free text below for notes or prompts. The skill gives the agent ready-made shell snippets and two helper scripts for reading and checking these files, so the agent can write plugin hooks and commands that adjust their behaviour to the project.

Great for

  • Plugin developers who want users to toggle or tune plugin behaviour per project
  • Teams building hooks or commands that need a small piece of saved state

Skip it if

  • Storing secrets or API keys: the files are plain text in the project and the skill does not cover secure storage
  • Non-developers looking for an end-user settings tool: it is a build pattern for plugin authors, not a settings app

Try asking

  • “Make my plugin's strict mode configurable per project”
  • “Show me how to read YAML frontmatter from a settings file in a bash hook”
  • “Create a .local.md settings file template for my plugin's README”
  • “Validate that my plugin's settings file has correct frontmatter”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Plugin Settings PatternInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 8 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    plugin-settings.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip plugin-settings.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip plugin-settings.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Add the .local.md files to .gitignore so personal settings are not committed
  • Keep settings values simple (booleans, numbers, short strings); the parsing is line-based and does not handle full YAML
  • Restart Claude Code after editing settings, as the skill itself notes hooks may not pick up changes immediately

What's inside

  • examples/create-settings-command.md
  • examples/example-settings.md
  • examples/read-settings-hook.sh
  • references/parsing-techniques.md
  • references/real-world-examples.md
  • scripts/parse-frontmatter.sh
  • scripts/validate-settings.sh
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from anthropics/claude-plugins-official under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.