Manage Claude Code plugins as executable code with access to your session—not as harmless add-ons. Before enabling one, inspect its components and source, review its permissions and MCP connections, and keep any automatic approvals narrowly scoped. Use managed settings for organization-wide policy, and reserve bypassPermissions for isolated containers or virtual machines.
Why plugins need a security review
A Claude Code plugin is a directory of components that Claude Code installs and loads as a unit. The manifest is .claude-plugin/plugin.json; a plugin can include skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers. Skills provide instructions, agents define subagents, hooks run commands at lifecycle events, and MCP servers connect Claude Code to tools and services. See Anthropic’s plugin documentation.
While enabled, a plugin affects every session: its skill, agent, and command names and descriptions use context, configured MCP servers run alongside sessions, and hooks run when their events occur. Anthropic’s concise warning is that “what the plugin runs, it runs as you.” Review the source and behavior of its components before installation, especially commands and network-connected integrations. Disable plugins you do not need.
Do not treat the official marketplace as a security guarantee for each listing. The official marketplace is added by default in ordinary interactive terminal use unless managed policy blocks it, but plugins can also come from third-party marketplaces or local folders. Confirm a plugin’s origin and inspect what it installs.
#1 Best Overall
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The Security Key C NFC is the essential physical passkey for protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts.
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single Security Key C NFC secures 100 of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key C NFC via USB-C and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- TRUSTED PASSKEY TECHNOLOGY: Uses the latest passkey standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn & FIDO U2F) but does not support One-Time Passwords. For complex needs, check out the YubiKey 5 Series.
- BUILT TO LAST: Made from tough, waterproof, and crush-resistant materials. Manufactured in Sweden and programmed in the USA with the highest security standards.
Review and narrow permission rules
Use /permissions to see active rules and which settings file supplied each one. Claude Code supports allow, ask, and deny rules. The evaluation order is deny, then ask, then allow; a narrower allow does not override a broader deny. Prefer matching the particular command, path, or domain the plugin needs instead of allowing an entire tool. Anthropic documents the syntax in Configure permissions.
Bash(npm run build)matches a specific command.Read(./.env)matches a file.WebFetch(domain:example.com)matches a domain.
A bare deny such as Bash removes that tool from Claude’s context. A scoped deny such as Bash(rm *) leaves the tool available while blocking matching calls. Prompt text and CLAUDE.md can shape requests, but they do not grant access; permission rules are enforced by Claude Code.
Rank #2
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The YubiKey 5 NFC is the most versatile physical passkey, protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with popular accounts like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single YubiKey 5 NFC secures 100+ of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5 NFC via USB and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC), to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required
- MOST SECURE PASSKEY: Supports FIDO2/WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP/HOTP, Smart card (PIV), and OpenPGP. That means it’s versatile, working almost anywhere you need it
- PRIMARY & SPARE KEYS: Just like having a spare house key, we recommend buying two YubiKeys - one for daily use and one as a spare. That way you’ll never get locked out of your accounts
When you approve an action with “Yes, and don’t ask again,” Claude Code may save a persistent allow rule in project-local settings. Treat that approval as durable configuration: revisit /permissions after plugin changes and remove permissions that are no longer needed.
Choose a permission mode for the environment
Permission modes differ in how much they prompt, what they allow automatically, and what isolation they assume. The available behavior can vary by Claude Code version; check the current permissions documentation for the version you use.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Rank #3
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The YubiKey 5C NFC is the most versatile physical passkey, protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with popular accounts like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single YubiKey 5C NFC secures 100+ of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5C NFC via USB and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC), to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required
- MOST SECURE PASSKEY: Supports FIDO2/WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP/HOTP, Smart card (PIV), and OpenPGP. That means it’s versatile, working almost anywhere you need it
- PRIMARY & SPARE KEYS: Just like having a spare house key, we recommend buying two YubiKeys - one for daily use and one as a spare. That way you’ll never get locked out of your accounts
| Mode | Behavior | Security implication |
|---|---|---|
default |
Asks before first use of each tool. | Preserves a confirmation point for tool use. |
acceptEdits |
Automatically accepts file edits and common filesystem commands within the working directory or additional directories. | Use only where automatic edits within those directories are acceptable. |
plan |
Allows read-only exploration without editing source files. | Useful when exploration is needed but source changes are not. |
auto |
Runs without routine prompts, with a background classifier checking actions such as shell commands and network requests when this mode is available. | Availability and behavior are version-sensitive; do not assume it is present in every installation. |
dontAsk |
Automatically denies actions that would otherwise prompt, while retaining permitted actions. | It reduces prompts by denying unapproved actions, not by approving them. |
bypassPermissions |
Skips permission prompts. | Anthropic says to use it only in isolated environments such as containers or VMs where Claude Code cannot cause damage. Organizations can disable it in managed settings. |
The CLI flag --dangerously-skip-permissions is equivalent to --permission-mode bypassPermissions, according to the CLI reference. Do not use it on a developer machine or sensitive working tree merely to avoid prompts.
Put settings at the right scope
Choose a settings scope based on who needs the policy and whether it should be shared or enforced. Anthropic describes the files and precedence in Settings files and precedence.
Rank #4
- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The Security Key NFC is the essential physical passkey for protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts.
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single Security Key NFC secures 100 of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key NFC via USB-A and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- TRUSTED PASSKEY TECHNOLOGY: Uses the latest passkey standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn & FIDO U2F) but does not support One-Time Passwords. For complex needs, check out the YubiKey 5 Series.
- BUILT TO LAST: Made from tough, waterproof, and crush-resistant materials. Manufactured in Sweden and programmed in the USA with the highest security standards.
| Scope | File or mechanism | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| User | ~/.claude/settings.json |
Settings for one user across projects. |
| Shared project | .claude/settings.json |
Reviewed team settings that can be committed, including shared permissions, hooks, plugins, and required environment settings. |
| Project-local | .claude/settings.local.json |
Personal settings for one project; do not commit it. |
| Managed | Organization-deployed settings | Policy intended to enforce organizational security and compliance requirements; local files generally cannot override it. |
For team configuration, commit only settings the team intends to share and review them like code. Verify policy sources with /status. Repository settings take effect in the context of workspace trust. Keep personal credentials out of shared project configuration.
Assess MCP servers as external access
An MCP server can expose tools, databases, or APIs, and a plugin’s configured server may run whenever the plugin is enabled. Check the publisher, code or endpoint, requested credentials, and available operations; grant only the access the task requires. Anthropic says it has not verified the correctness or security of every third-party MCP server and warns about prompt-injection risk when a server retrieves untrusted content. See Connect Claude Code to tools through MCP.
A project-scoped MCP server declared in .mcp.json is intended to be shared with a repository. In an interactive session, Claude Code prompts before using it. The documentation notes that non-interactive and certain bypass-mode sessions cannot show the same prompt. Review the committed file and the policy for non-interactive runs before trusting that approval flow.
Quick Recap
Use this review sequence before enabling a plugin
- Identify its source. Determine whether it comes from the official marketplace, another marketplace, or a local directory.
- Inspect the manifest and components. Read
.claude-plugin/plugin.jsonand identify the plugin’s skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers. - Examine executable and connected behavior. Read hook commands; inspect MCP endpoints, credentials, and permissions.
- Enable only what the task needs. Install necessary components and disable unused plugins.
- Check the resulting rules. Use narrow
allow,ask, anddenymatches, then inspect/permissions. - Choose the policy scope. Put reviewed shared rules in project settings or enforce organization policy through managed settings; keep personal settings local.
- Isolate bypass mode. Use it only in an isolated container or virtual machine.
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