What
The --plugin-dir flag, previously used to load a single plugin from a directory, can now also be pointed at a directory that itself contains multiple plugin folders. Claude Code detects this case, loads each child folder that has a valid plugin manifest as its own plugin, and logs which children were loaded and which were skipped for lacking a manifest.
Why
This makes it easier to load a whole collection of local plugins for a session in one go, without repeating the --plugin-dir flag for each one individually.
Names in the bundle--plugin-dir
--plugin-dir
Claude Code changelog modified, high confidence
* Added support for pointing `--plugin-dir` at a folder of plugins: each child folder with a manifest loads, and children added or removed while running are picked upsee the edit
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Added since
A small documentation edit on Create plugins touched a line naming --plugin-dir after this was published.
Trying the plugin with `--plugin-dir` tells you it can work. To find out how often Claude actually reaches for it and gets the right result, run it against a set of test prompts with [`claude plugin eval`](/docs/en/plugin-evals). Each prom…plugins see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up --plugin-dir, on Discover and install prebuilt plugins through marketplaces.
* Edits to a plugin you loaded with [`--plugin-dir`](/docs/en/plugins#test-your-plugins-locally) while you develop itdiscover-plugins see the edit
Two sources agreeTwo things we can check say the same as this entry.
Anthropic's documentation agrees
--plugin-dir on Claude Code changelog
Anthropic's release notes agree
Added support for pointing --plugin-dir at a folder of plugins: each child folder with a manifest loads, and children added or removed while…