Claude App Partially Supports Plugins: Skills and Remote MCPs Load, Local Components Skipped

Plugins installed via Customize > Plugins in the Claude app exhibit partial functionality compared to Claude Code. The chat interface loads only the plugin's skills and remote (HTTP/SSE) MCP servers, while explicitly skipping hooks, subagents, and local stdio MCP servers. This creates a functional gap where a skill dependent on a local server loads successfully but lacks the necessary tools to execute.

Installation Scope and Syncing

The location of the plugin installation determines its visibility across platforms:

• Account-level sync: Plugins installed under Customize are saved to the user account and automatically sync to Claude Code at the start of the next session.
• Machine-local: Plugins installed via the /plugin install command remain on the local machine and are invisible to the Claude app chat.

Compatibility Requirement

For a plugin to function consistently across both the Claude app and Claude Code, its MCP servers must be remote. Local stdio servers will not be recognized by the app's chat interface. The official platform support table provides the complete breakdown of these limitations.