Plugins and marketplaces
Plugins add capabilities to Axiomate. A plugin can provide slash commands, Skills, Agents, hooks, MCP servers, output styles, or a set of project- or domain-specific instructions.
A marketplace is a source of plugin listings. Axiomate reads available plugins from marketplaces, then installs selected plugins into a chosen configuration scope.
When plugins are useful
Use plugins when:
- A ready-made official or community capability should be installed instead of writing a Skill manually.
- A complete toolchain should be connected, such as design, browser automation, code review, or a model-specific CLI.
- A team wants to package commands, Agents, MCP servers, and rules into one distributable unit.
- A full workflow should be reused across projects.
If only a small repeatable process needs to be saved, start with Skill. Use plugins when a larger capability package is needed.
Official marketplace
Axiomate prefers the official plugin marketplace. In the source code, the official marketplace name is:
claude-plugins-official
Its primary source is:
anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Axiomate also includes a fallback source:
axiomates/axiomate-plugins-official
This means installing or refreshing official plugins may read plugin listings and plugin contents from the official marketplace repositories on GitHub. This also explains why installing Python is recommended during Axiomate setup: the plugin ecosystem may include Python runtimes, Python tools, or MCP bundles. Not every plugin needs Python, but having it available reduces later environment issues when installing plugins.
Open plugin management
Inside an Axiomate conversation, run:
/plugin
Aliases are also available:
/plugins
/marketplace
For day-to-day plugin management, this TUI is usually the primary entry point. It can browse available plugins, manage installed plugins, add marketplaces, show errors, and configure plugin options. The commands below are most useful when you need precise input, repeatable setup, or troubleshooting.
Add a marketplace
Add a GitHub marketplace:
/plugin marketplace add owner/repo
For example:
/plugin marketplace add axiomates/axiomate-plugins-official
Other sources are also supported:
/plugin marketplace add https://example.com/marketplace.json
/plugin marketplace add ./path/to/marketplace
The source code supports GitHub owner/repo, Git SSH URLs, HTTP/HTTPS URLs, local .json files, and local directories as marketplace inputs.
Install a plugin
Install a plugin:
/plugin install <plugin-name>
If more than one marketplace may contain the same plugin name, specify the marketplace:
/plugin install <plugin-name>@<marketplace-name>
Example:
/plugin install codex@openai-codex
After installation, reload plugins so new commands, Agents, MCP servers, and other capabilities become available in the current session:
/reload-plugins
Some plugins provide their own setup command. For example, after installing the Codex plugin, /codex:setup checks local dependencies and login state.
Installation scope
Plugin installation supports different scopes:
| Scope | Command example | Best for |
|---|---|---|
user | /plugin install -s user <plugin> | Default. Installs for the current user and works across projects. |
project | /plugin install -s project <plugin> | Writes project configuration, useful for team-shared setup. |
local | /plugin install -s local <plugin> | Applies only to this local checkout, useful for personal or temporary setup. |
If unsure, use the default user scope.
Common commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/plugin | Open plugin management. |
/plugin list | List installed plugins. |
/plugin list --available --json | Output installable marketplace plugins as JSON. |
/plugin marketplace list | List configured marketplaces. |
/plugin marketplace update | Refresh marketplaces; updates all when no name is provided. |
/plugin update <plugin> | Update one plugin; reload is usually needed before changes apply. |
/plugin disable <plugin> | Disable a plugin. |
/plugin enable <plugin> | Enable a plugin again. |
/plugin uninstall <plugin> | Uninstall a plugin. |
Plugins and other capabilities
A plugin is a packaging and distribution mechanism. It can install several Axiomate capabilities together.
Common relationships include:
- With MCP: a plugin can declare MCP servers. After the plugin is installed and loaded, Axiomate reads those MCP settings and adds the corresponding servers to the MCP connection flow. If a plugin provides MCP servers, check their connection state in
/mcp. - With MCP bundles: some plugins include MCP bundles (
.mcpb/.dxt). These bundle manifests supportpython,node, andbinaryruntime types. Python is not required for Axiomate itself, but it can determine whether some plugins or MCP bundles run smoothly. - With Skills: a Skill is a reusable task instruction, usually for saving one clear workflow. A plugin can include one or more Skills and distribute them together with slash commands, Agents, hooks, MCP servers, and other capabilities. After a plugin is installed and reloaded, the Skills it provides become available alongside project Skills and user Skills.
Simple rule of thumb: if you only want to save a project or personal workflow, start with a Skill. If you want to install a complete capability package, or a team needs to distribute several capabilities together, use a plugin.
Safety guidance
Plugins come from external marketplaces. Confirm the source before installing. Recommended practice:
- Prefer official or team-approved marketplaces.
- Do not install plugins from unknown sources casually.
- For team-shared plugin setup, avoid committing tokens, private keys, or personal paths.
- If a plugin causes problems, disable it first with
/plugin disable <plugin>, then investigate.