5.1 KiB
5.1 KiB
Discovery Patterns
Detailed GitHub search strategies for finding skills and plugins.
Topic-Based Discovery
Primary Topics
Navigate directly to GitHub topic pages:
| Topic | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|
claude-code-plugin |
Individual plugins | https://github.com/topics/claude-code-plugin |
claude-code-plugin-marketplace |
Plugin marketplaces | https://github.com/topics/claude-code-plugin-marketplace |
claude-code-skills |
Skill collections | https://github.com/topics/claude-code-skills |
claude-code-skill |
Single skills | https://github.com/topics/claude-code-skill |
Topic Page Analysis
On each topic page, use filters:
- Sort by: Recently updated (not Most stars)
- Language: Filter if relevant (TypeScript, Python)
- Updated: Last month/year
Note the topic card info:
- Stars and forks
- "Updated X days ago"
- Short description
Code Search Patterns
Finding SKILL.md Files
# Skills in standard location
filename:SKILL.md path:.claude/skills
# Skills in home directory (tutorials, examples)
filename:SKILL.md path:~/.claude/skills
# Any SKILL.md file
filename:SKILL.md
Finding Plugin Manifests
# Plugin configurations
filename:plugin.json path:.claude-plugin
# Marketplace configurations
filename:marketplace.json path:.claude-plugin
# Any plugin.json
".claude-plugin/plugin.json"
Finding Hook Configurations
# Hook definitions
"PreToolUse" filename:hooks.json
# Hooks that block
"exit 2" filename:hooks
# PostToolUse patterns
"PostToolUse" AND "matcher"
Finding Specific Features
# Skills with tool restrictions
filename:SKILL.md "allowed-tools:"
# Skills with forked context
filename:SKILL.md "context: fork"
# Skills with preprocessing
filename:SKILL.md "`!"
# Side-effect-safe skills
filename:SKILL.md "disable-model-invocation: true"
# Skills using specific agents
filename:SKILL.md "agent: Explore"
filename:SKILL.md "agent: Plan"
Finding Real-World Usage
# Skills in major repos (indicates adoption)
filename:SKILL.md org:pytorch
filename:SKILL.md org:facebook
filename:SKILL.md org:microsoft
# Skills with tests
filename:SKILL.md path:test
filename:SKILL.md path:__tests__
Recency Filters
GitHub search supports date filters. Calculate dates relative to today:
# Get date for 30 days ago
date -v-30d +%Y-%m-%d # macOS
date -d "30 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d # Linux
# Updated in last 30 days (adjust date)
pushed:>YYYY-MM-DD
# Updated in last 90 days (adjust date)
pushed:>YYYY-MM-DD
# Updated since plugins announcement (Oct 2025)
pushed:>2025-10-01
# Created recently (adjust date)
created:>YYYY-MM-DD
Combine with other searches:
filename:SKILL.md pushed:>2025-10-01 "allowed-tools"
Quality Filters
Activity Signals
# Repos with issues
filename:SKILL.md is:issue
# Repos with PRs
filename:SKILL.md is:pr
# Archived repos (avoid)
filename:SKILL.md NOT archived:true
Size Signals
# Reasonable file sizes (not bloated)
filename:SKILL.md size:<50000
# Multi-file skills (more complete)
path:.claude/skills language:Markdown
CLI Alternatives
Using gh CLI for search:
# Search code
gh search code "filename:SKILL.md path:.claude/skills" --limit 50
# Search repos
gh search repos "claude-code-skill" --sort updated --order desc
# Get repo details
gh repo view owner/repo --json stargazersCount,pushedAt,description
Discovery Workflow
1. Broad Search
Start with topic pages, sorted by recent updates:
- Note repos that appear across multiple searches
- Check "Used by" if visible
2. Narrow by Feature
Use code search to find specific capabilities:
filename:SKILL.md "context: fork" pushed:>2025-10-01
3. Verify Quality
For each candidate:
# Check activity
gh repo view owner/repo --json pushedAt,openIssuesCount
# Check structure
gh api repos/owner/repo/contents/.claude --jq '.[].name'
4. Cross-Reference
Search for mentions:
"owner/repo" claude skill
Check if referenced in:
- Official docs
- Awesome lists
- Community discussions
Bookmark-Worthy Sources
Official
- anthropics/claude-plugins-official — Curated directory
- agentskills/agentskills — Spec + reference skills
- Claude Code Docs — Official skill docs
Community Directories
- Search for repos with "awesome-claude" in name
- Check GitHub topics for curated lists
Marketplaces
Search for marketplaces and evaluate before adding:
filename:marketplace.json path:.claude-plugin
Search Tips
Escape Special Characters
# Search for literal braces
"interface\{\}"
# Search for backticks
"`git status`"
Combine Patterns
# Multiple requirements
filename:SKILL.md "context: fork" "allowed-tools" pushed:>2025-10-01
# Exclude patterns
filename:SKILL.md NOT "user-invocable: false"
Iterate
Start broad, then narrow:
- Topic search → get repo names
- Code search in promising repos → find specific skills
- Read and evaluate → decide on adoption