One thing up front so you know what you are getting. Most of these install straight from the /plugin menu, but one is a skill, one is an MCP add-on, and one is a separate tool you run yourself. Each one is labelled clearly.
1. Superpowers Plugin
The one that changes how Claude thinks. Instead of rushing a one-shot answer, it makes Claude Code work in proper stages: plan first, write a test, debug on purpose, check its own work. It is the plugin real users name most when asked what actually changed their workflow, built by Jesse Vincent, of Prime Radiant.
Get it: github.com/obra/superpowers. Install with /plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace, then install from the /plugin menu, or grab it from the official marketplace with /plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official.
2. claude-mem Plugin
Gives Claude a memory across sessions. It quietly saves what you worked on, compresses it, and feeds the relevant bits back next time, so you stop re-explaining your project every morning. This is the real tool behind the "CloudMem" name you may have heard, which is a mishearing.
Get it: github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem. The plugin is free and open source (Apache-2.0). The repo now also offers a hosted memory service, free for 30 days then paid, but the local plugin works on its own. Install steps are in the repo.
3. Context7 MCP add-on
Feeds Claude the up-to-date documentation for the libraries you are coding with, pulled fresh, so it stops suggesting commands that changed two versions ago. It connects as an MCP add-on rather than through the /plugin menu. It is company-backed by Upstash rather than a solo project, so it is well maintained. Free to use, with an optional free API key for higher rate limits.
Get it: github.com/upstash/context7. Set it up with npx ctx7 setup --claude, or follow the steps in the repo.
4. Caveman Plugin
Makes Claude answer in short, stripped-back fragments to save tokens, while leaving your code and error messages untouched. The honest catch, which the maker says plainly: it trims the chatty prose, not the code, and prose is a small slice of real usage, so treat it as a gentle saving, not the "half your tokens" some videos claim.
Get it: github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman. It is a smaller indie project, so check its recent activity before you rely on it.
5. Task Observer Skill
Watches a working session, notices the corrections you keep making, and turns those repeated fixes into suggested improvements to your setup. It is a skill you run, part of a pack called "One Skill to Rule Them All", rather than an always-on background service, so the "quietly improving in the background" framing oversells it a little.
6. OmniRoute Separate tool, not a plugin
Solves the "I ran out of tokens mid-session" problem by switching to another model or tier so you can keep going. Worth being clear: it is not a Claude Code plugin. It is a small gateway you run on your own machine and point Claude Code at, and it handles the fallback behind the scenes. The capability is real; people just mislabel it as a plugin.
Get it: github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute.
7. Anthropic's own official plugins Official
Anthropic ships its own set, so you are not relying only on indie repos. plugin-dev is the one for building your own plugin when the ready-made ones do not fit: run /plugin-dev:create-plugin and it walks you through it. Claude Code Setup is the one that recommends your setup: a read-only plugin that scans your project and suggests the MCP servers, skills, hooks, subagents and slash commands worth adding, without changing a thing. There are others too, like code-review and security-guidance.
Get plugin-dev: Anthropic's plugins README. Get Claude Code Setup: claude.com/plugins/claude-code-setup, or install with /plugin install claude-code-setup@claude-plugins-official.
How to install them
The command depends on the type, so it is not one size fits all:
- The plugins (Superpowers, claude-mem, Caveman, and Anthropic's own) install from the
/pluginmenu: run/plugin, add the source with/plugin marketplace add <repo>, then install from the list. - Context7 is an MCP add-on, so you set it up with
npx ctx7 setup --claude. - Task Observer is a skill folder you drop in, not a
/plugin. - OmniRoute is a separate tool: install it with
npm install -g omniroute, then point Claude Code at it.
Names and slugs do change, so if a command does not work, open the repo linked by each one above and use the command there, which is always the current one.
How to check any plugin is real before you trust it
This is worth doing yourself, because the lists are full of confident nonsense. Open the GitHub repo and look at three things: the stars and forks for traction, the commit history to see it is still maintained, and the Issues tab to see real people using it. Then search r/ClaudeAI or r/ClaudeCode for the name and see if practitioners mention it without being paid to. If it is not on GitHub and has no repo, be suspicious.
Names people get wrong
- "Headroom" as a plugin. "Headroom" means two things, and neither is a Claude Code plugin. One is a real local compressor you run yourself with
headroom wrap claude. The other is a quota-routing setting inside OmniRoute. So do not go hunting for a "Headroom plugin" in the/pluginmenu. - "CloudMem" and "OmniRoute the plugin". CloudMem is really claude-mem, and OmniRoute is a separate tool you run yourself, not a plugin. Same tools, wrong labels.
Try one tonight
Do not install all seven at once. Start with the one that fixes your biggest daily annoyance: Superpowers if Claude rushes and makes a mess, claude-mem if you are sick of re-explaining your project, or Context7 if it keeps giving you out-of-date code. Install that one, use it for a few sessions, and add the next only when you feel the need. New to Claude Code itself? Start with your first hour with Claude.
A few quick questions
Are Claude Code plugins free?
Most on this page are free and open source on GitHub. Context7 is free with an optional API key for higher rate limits, claude-mem's plugin is free although it now also offers a paid hosted add-on, and OmniRoute is a separate free tool you run on your own machine.
What is the difference between a plugin, a skill and a marketplace?
A plugin bundles commands, skills or hooks that you install into Claude Code. A skill is one set of instructions Claude follows for a task. A marketplace is a source you add so you can find and install plugins. A few things called plugins online are really a skill or a separate tool, which is worth knowing before you install.
How do I install a Claude Code plugin?
In Claude Code, run the slash-plugin command, add the source with plugin marketplace add and the repo name, then install it from the menu. Each plugin's GitHub repo lists the exact command, and the repo is the source of truth if a name ever changes.