Plugins, Skills, and Making It Your Own
Plugins are pre-built skill packs that give Claude new abilities out of the box. Skills are individual capabilities you can build yourself. Together, they're how you go from "this is cool" to "this is indispensable."
Start Here: The Productivity Plugin
The first plugin everyone should grab is the productivity one. It gives you task management (a shared TASKS.md file) and a memory system right out of the box. No configuration needed. Just install it and Claude starts tracking your stuff.
But here's where it gets interesting: you can customize it. Don't like how it formats tasks? Change it. Want it to sync with your specific workflow? Build a custom skill. The plugin is a starting point, not a ceiling.
What You Can Do With Plugins
Install Pre-Built Plugins
Browse the plugin marketplace and install ones that match your workflow. Productivity, document creation, data analysis, and more. Each one bundles skills, connectors, and slash commands into a single package.
Customize Existing Plugins
Every plugin can be tweaked. Change how it formats output, add your own rules, adjust its behavior for your specific needs. You don't need to know how to code. Just tell Claude what you want different and it'll modify the plugin for you.
Build Your Own Skills
Skills are individual capabilities. Want Claude to always format your standup notes a certain way? Build a skill. Want it to analyze data in your specific reporting format? Build a skill. Ben AI's video on building skills is the best resource for this.
Connect Zapier for 8,000+ Apps
This is the wildcard. Zapier integration means Claude can trigger actions in basically any app you use. Send a text, update a spreadsheet, post to social media, create a calendar event. If Zapier can do it, Claude can trigger it.
Video Guides for Going Deeper
How to Build Claude Skills Better than 99% of People
Ben AI's guide to building custom skills. The best resource for getting started with skills. Watch this when you're ready to level up.
Claude Cowork Just Became 10x Better - Scheduled Tasks
Ben AI on automating recurring tasks. Once you've been playing for a bit, this is the next unlock.
Further Reading
Use Plugins in Cowork (Official)
Official documentation on finding, installing, and customizing plugins.
Claude Cowork Guide for Power Users: 50+ Tested Tips
Advanced guide with 56 practical tips on plugins, custom skills, sub-agents, and memory systems. (Karol Zieminski)
7 Claude Cowork Skills That Replace Hours of Daily Work
Specific skills and plugins that automate daily work tasks. Good for inspiration. (AI Fire)
Zapier MCP Claude Tutorial (2026 Setup Guide)
Step-by-step setup for connecting 8,000+ apps through Zapier. (No Code MBA)
Part of Josh's Cowork Guide.