A SMALL UPGRADE, A GOOD START

Your first Claude Code mod.

Mods add interface elements and custom behavior to Claude Code. They ship inside plugins, so you install them through the plugin system.

01 / Check your version

The official documentation specifies Claude Code 2.1.287 or later, with mods enabled by default. Older early-access instructions that ask you to enable function hooks are no longer needed on these versions.

INSTALL / TERMINAL
claude --version

02 / Choose a mod with public source

Open the author’s repository and read its requirements. Our collection distinguishes mods with published source and setup from demonstrations without confirmed install instructions.

03 / Add its marketplace and install

Follow the author’s exact marketplace and plugin names. For example, Claude Ambient publishes these shell commands:

INSTALL / TERMINAL
claude plugin marketplace add barisdemirhan/claude-ambient
claude plugin install ambient@claude-ambient

Its README then asks you to restart Claude Code and run /ambient. Read the full author instructions ↗

For installs made from a shell during an open session, the official docs describe /reload-plugins to load the new plugin.

04 / Or try an official sample locally

Token Weather is a small example that displays context usage. Clone the playground, inspect the plugin, and load it for one session:

INSTALL / TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-playground.git
cd claude-code-playground/claude-code/mods
claude plugin validate ./token-weather
claude --plugin-dir ./token-weather

Read Token Weather’s setup and limitations ↗

Where will the interface appear?

Mods can draw UI in the terminal and in the Code tab of Claude Desktop. The VS Code chat panel and headless sessions do not display mod UI. Individual mods can have narrower requirements, so check their README.

What does “source reviewed” mean?

We check original sources and documented setup, but do not execute every mod. Mods run with your machine permissions. Inspect code before installing; claude plugin validate lists hooks and API calls without running the mod code.

Official Mods documentation ↗

Guide reviewed October 2, 2026. Author setup instructions remain the source of truth.