Plugins, Skills, and Making It Your Own
After this page you'll have one plugin installed, you'll understand the difference between a plugin and a skill, and you'll know which custom skill to build first.
Estimated time: 15 minutes for the first plugin. The custom skill is a separate session.
The Names For These Things
Plugin = a skill pack you install
Bundles connectors, slash commands, and pre-built skills into one install. The Productivity plugin gives you task management and a memory system the second you turn it on. No configuration. Think of it as buying a fully-stocked toolbox.
Skill = one specific capability
A single thing Claude knows how to do. Format your standup notes a certain way. Analyze data in your specific reporting layout. You can install skills from a plugin or build your own. Think of it as one tool in the box.
Connector = a doorway to another app
The thing that lets Claude read Gmail, write to Notion, post to Slack. Covered in detail on the connectors page.
The 15-Minute Setup
Open the plugin marketplace and install Productivity
In Cowork, click Plugins in the chat bar. Browse the marketplace. Find Productivity. Install it. This one plugin gives you a TASKS.md tracker, a memory system, and the daily sync skills out of the box. Best first plugin for almost anyone.
Run the productivity flow once
Type "/start" in the chat. The plugin walks you through bootstrapping your TASKS.md file from whatever's in your head (or whatever's in your existing tracker). Five minutes. You'll have a working task list at the end.
Customize one thing
Find one default you don't love. Tell Claude. "Reformat tasks like this." "Group by project, not date." "Add a priority column." The plugin will rewrite itself based on your instructions. No code. The plugin is a starting point, not a ceiling.
Pick your first custom skill
Think of one repetitive thing you do every week. Standup notes. Weekly recap. Sprint retro template. That's your first custom skill. Don't build it yet. Just write the idea down in your CLAUDE.md so you remember it next session.
What You Can Actually Do
Install pre-built plugins from the marketplace
Productivity, document creation, data analysis, marketing, sales. Each one bundles skills, slash commands, and (sometimes) connectors. Click install. Done.
Customize an existing plugin without coding
Every plugin's behavior can be modified by talking to Claude. "I want the output formatted like this," "Add a rule that says this," "Skip the part about that." Claude edits the plugin's instructions for you.
Build your own skills from scratch
When no plugin does what you need, build a skill. Tell Claude what you want it to do, give it an example output, and it'll generate the skill file. Ben AI's video on building skills is the best resource.
Bridge to 8,000+ apps via Zapier
The wildcard. Zapier's connector means Claude can trigger basically any app. Send a text, update a spreadsheet, post to social, create a calendar event. If Zapier does it, Claude can trigger it.
One Next Action
Install the Productivity plugin right now. Type "/start" in any Cowork conversation. Five minutes from now you'll have a working task list and you'll feel the shift from "Claude is interesting" to "Claude is on my team."
Further Reading
Claude Starter Kit (GitHub) →
My full setup as a paste-in-order kit. Drop the RPI prompts into any plugin to make it follow Research / Plan / Implement / Validate by default.
Ruben Hassid: Claude Skills →
The clearest explainer I've seen on what skills are, when to build one, and the patterns that work. (How to AI)
Lenny's Newsletter →
PM-flavored writing teacher. Read his archive for the kind of framework-first thinking that makes a custom skill actually useful.
How to Build Claude Skills Better than 99% of People →
Ben AI's guide. Best resource for getting started with custom skills.
Claude Cowork Just Became 10x Better: Scheduled Tasks →
Ben AI on automating recurring tasks. The next unlock once your plugins are dialed in.
Use Plugins in Cowork (Official) →
Official documentation on finding, installing, and customizing plugins.
Power User Guide: 50+ Tested Tips →
Advanced guide on plugins, custom skills, sub-agents, and memory systems. (Karol Zieminski)
Part of Josh's Cowork Guide.