What Is Claude Code Setup? Hook, Skill and MCP Recommendations for Your Project, Installation and Limits
You install the plugin and have Claude Code scan your project; it recommends in the chat which hooks, skills, MCP servers, subagents and slash commands you should set up. It's a plugin in Anthropic's official plugin marketplace (claude-plugins-official) that contains a single skill (claude-automation-recommender); the official README and SKILL.md say the skill is read-only: it doesn't create or modify files. Install it with `claude plugin install claude-code-setup@claude-plugins-official`. The plugin is free (Apache-2.0), but Claude Code isn't on the free plan; you need a Claude subscription or a Console account. The plugin has no hooks, MCP servers or scripts, only instruction text.
- What it does
- Recommends which hooks, skills and MCP servers your project needs
- Type
- Claude Code plugin (1 skill)
- Where
- Claude Code (terminal, desktop Code tab, VS Code)
- Does it write files?
- No; read-only, it writes recommendations in the chat
- Contents
- A single skill; no hooks, MCP or scripts
- Turkish
- Not stated in the official documentation
- Cost
- The plugin is free (Apache-2.0); Claude Code requires a subscription
What Is Claude Code Setup Used For?
Someone who has just installed Claude Code doesn't know which hooks, skills, MCP servers or subagents to add. This plugin scans your project and produces recommendations based on your needs. First it summarizes your project under a "Codebase Profile" heading (type, framework, libraries), followed by sections for MCP servers, skills, hooks and subagents; for each recommendation it gives the reason and where to install it (for example .claude/skills/name/SKILL.md or .claude/settings.json).
It gives the one or two most valuable recommendations in each category; if you ask for a specific type ("what MCP servers should I use?"), you get an expanded list with three to five options. The plugin has only one skill; commands and skills were merged in January 2026.
Who it's for: people new to Claude Code and those who want to review their setup. You need to evaluate the security of the plugins and MCP servers it recommends yourself.
How Do You Install Claude Code Setup?
What you need: Claude Code and the project folder to scan. The plugin has no account, key or MCP server of its own. The commands are taken verbatim from the Claude Code documentation.
› claude plugin install claude-code-setup@claude-plugins-officialThe default scope is user (all projects); change it with --scope project or --scope local. The plugin loads the next time Claude Code starts, or in an open session with /reload-plugins.
On a machine that has never opened an interactive Claude Code session, the official marketplace may not be registered; first run claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official.
› /plugin install claude-code-setup@claude-plugins-officialIn a session this command doesn't install right away; it opens the plugin's details panel. You review the contents and pick the scope: just you (user), everyone in the repository (.claude/settings.json) or just you in this repository (.claude/settings.local.json).
In the desktop app, follow + › Plugins › Add plugin next to the message box. In the VS Code extension, type /plugins in the message box and choose Install from the Plugins tab.
Cloud sessions (claude.ai/code) don't load plugins installed on your machine and don't offer a plugin browser; use a local or SSH session.
To verify the installation, check the Installed tab in the /plugin panel or run claude plugin list in the shell.
How Do You Use Claude Code Setup?
You don't need to type a command: open Claude Code in the project folder and state what you need in a sentence; the skill kicks in on its own. The example sentences in the README are in English; the documentation doesn't say whether requests in Turkish also work.
To apply the recommendations, you create the files yourself or ask Claude for separate help. Review every plugin or MCP server it recommends yourself before installing it.
Where Does Claude Code Setup Work?
| Claude Code (terminal)Yes | A shell command or /plugin inside a session. |
|---|---|
| Claude Code desktop (Code tab)Yes | Local and SSH sessions only; requires a paid subscription. |
| Claude Code VS Code extensionYes | With the /plugins command. |
| Cloud session (claude.ai/code)No | According to the documentation, plugins installed on your machine aren't loaded. |
What Does Claude Code Setup Access?
package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, pom.xml and dependencies; the .claude/ folder and CLAUDE.md; the list of folders such as src, app, lib and tests. The skill's frontmatter lists the Read, Glob, Grep and Bash tools.
No. SKILL.md says "this skill is read-only and does not create or modify files" (per the source). Recommendations are written in the chat.
The plugin has no hooks, MCP servers, scripts or network code. The scanned file contents go, as usual with Claude Code, to the model of the Claude account you use.
Admins can distribute or restrict plugins through managed settings (Claude Code documentation); an admin setting specific to this plugin isn't clear in the official documentation.
!The catalog says it "can perform web searches." The body of SKILL.md mentions web search for codebase-specific recommendations, but the tool list in the skill's frontmatter doesn't include WebSearch; an open issue (#6369) reports that this tool list key isn't valid in skills. Whether web searches actually happen is unclear. The official security documentation says a plugin can run code on your machine with your permissions and that Anthropic can't audit plugin contents; review the plugins this plugin recommends separately. There are no security advisories on file for the repository; this doesn't mean it's "safe."
Is Claude Code Setup Free?
The plugin itself is free and open source (Apache-2.0). However, Claude Code isn't available on the free plan on most surfaces: you need a Claude subscription or a pay-as-you-go Anthropic Console account (the CLI, VS Code and JetBrains can also work with third-party providers). So calling it "completely free" wouldn't be accurate. Plan prices aren't covered on this page.
- Apache-2.0: free to use, modify and distribute
- Claude Code isn't on the free plan; a subscription or Console account is required
Source: the Claude Code documentation and the LICENSE in the plugin folder. This isn't legal advice.
Common Problems and Fixes
| What's happening | What to do |
|---|---|
| Reported by users The skill scans without reading the "don't do broad scans" rule in the project's CLAUDE.md | Open issue #6029 (September 11, 2026); no permanent fix. If your project forbids broad scans, state the rule in the chat before running the skill. |
| Reported by users Scheduled (weekly) runs open a new PR or issue every time | Open issue #5932 (September 8, 2026): the skill doesn't check for the previous run's open PR. Adding "first check whether there's an open PR" to the task text is a suggested pattern. |
| The plugin doesn't appear in a cloud session | Cloud sessions don't load plugins installed on your machine; use a local or SSH session. |
| I typed /plugin install but the plugin wasn't installed right away | Inside a session this command opens the details panel; it installs once you pick the scope. To install directly, use claude plugin install in the shell. |
How Do You Uninstall Claude Code Setup?
- In a session: /plugin › Installed › claude-code-setup › Uninstall (Disable plugin to just turn it off).
- In the shell:
claude plugin uninstall claude-code-setup@claude-plugins-official. - Auto-update: on by default in the official marketplace; to stop it, /plugin › Marketplaces › claude-plugins-official › Disable auto-update.
Since the plugin doesn't write files, nothing is left behind in your project when you uninstall it; any hook or skill files you created by applying its recommendations remain.
Frequently asked questions
Does Claude Code Setup change my files?
No. The official README and SKILL.md state that the skill is read-only and only analyzes and writes recommendations. To apply the recommendations, you or Claude (if you ask separately) create the files.
How do I run it, and is there a command?
The plugin carries only one skill. When you write a sentence like "recommend automations for this project" or "help me set up Claude Code," Claude loads the skill on its own.
How many recommendations does it give?
The one or two most valuable recommendations in each category. If you ask for a single type, it gives three to five options; at the end it says you can ask for more.
Are the plugins it recommends safe?
The official security documentation says a plugin can run code on your machine with your permissions and that Anthropic can't audit plugin contents; review each recommended plugin separately before installing it. This plugin itself has no hooks, MCP servers or scripts.
Does it update automatically?
Yes, auto-update is on by default in the claude-plugins-official marketplace. To turn it off, choose Disable auto-update in the Marketplaces tab inside /plugin. Updates apply to the next session, not the open one.
Related guides
Sources
- Claude Code Setup plugin folder
- Claude Code documentation: installing plugins
- Claude Code documentation: plugins
Not clear in the official sources: Whether the skill performs web searches (the frontmatter and the body contradict each other) · whether it produces a Turkish report for a Turkish request · the "Context cost" value in the /plugin panel · a plugin-specific admin setting on enterprise accounts. Each is covered in the relevant section.