Codex/Plugin/Q/Is a Codex skills-only plugin the same idea as a Claude Code skills-directory plugin?

• Is a Codex/Plugin built as a "skills-only plugin" the same idea as a Claude/Code/Plugin/Skills-Directory Plugin?

  • AI Answer

    • Answer/Official from Build plugins – Codex and Plugins reference — Skills-directory plugins.
    • Short answer: No. The names collide but the two terms describe different axes. Skills-only is about composition — a plugin whose only component type is skills. Skills-directory is about discovery — a plugin found in place because of where its folder sits.

    • The two axes

      • Axis	Codex "skills-only plugin"	Claude "skills-directory plugin"
        What varies	Which components the bundle contains	How the host finds and loads the bundle
        Defining trait	Manifest points at skills/ and nothing else	A .claude-plugin/plugin.json inside a skills directory
        Components allowed	Skills only, by definition	Anything — skills, agents, hooks, MCP
        Install step	Yes: register in a marketplace source, then install	None: loads on the next session, labeled <name>@skills-dir
        Lives where	Anywhere; the marketplace entry points at it	~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/

    • Why the Codex tree is the opposite row

      • The minimal Codex layout is meeting-follow-up/ containing .codex-plugin/plugin.json and skills/meeting-follow-up/SKILL.md. In the table on Claude/Code/Plugin/Skills-Directory Plugin that is the third row — a skill packaged inside a plugin — which that page explicitly separates from the skills-directory case.
      • A skills-directory plugin is the second row: the manifest sits at <skills-dir>/foo/.claude-plugin/plugin.json, so the folder you were already using for a plain skill becomes a plugin without moving or installing anything.

    • What each actually maps to

      • Codex's skills-only plugin ↔ an ordinary Claude plugin that happens to ship only skills. Same idea, both need a marketplace source and an install.
      • Claude's skills-directory plugin ↔ Codex's repo marketplace plus project plugin configuration is the closest supported plugin workflow. Codex still installs a cached copy; it does not document discovering a full plugin merely from a manifest placed inside .agents/skills/.
      • For editing skills in place, use a plain Codex/Skill in a scanned directory: $CWD/.agents/skills, $CWD/../.agents/skills, $REPO_ROOT/.agents/skills, or $HOME/.agents/skills.

    • The practical difference

      • The skills-directory plugin exists to remove the install loop while authoring — edit SKILL.md and the running session picks it up; /reload-plugins for the rest. Codex's plugin workflow uses a marketplace and an installed copy. For its cache and refresh behavior, see Codex/Plugin/Q/Does registering a local plugin copy it into a home-directory cache?.

    • Repo activation in current Codex clients

      • As of October 15, 2026, a repo can expose plugins through .agents/plugins/marketplace.json and enable one through its trusted project .codex/config.toml:
        • toml

          [plugins."my-plugin@local-repo"]
          enabled = true

      • my-plugin matches the catalog entry; local-repo matches the catalog's top-level name. The catalog alone makes the plugin discoverable. Configured plugins can be installed or refreshed during marketplace refresh, even when configured as disabled. Enable or disable a plugin for a repo.
      • This provides a declarative repo setup for supported local Codex clients, subject to project trust and enforced requirements. It does not establish a universal promise that opening a repo activates the plugin in every ChatGPT Work surface. Workspace-imported plugins have separately managed installation and enabled state.
      • To develop and distribute the package, see ChatGPT/Plugin/How To/Develop and Share a Team Plugin for ChatGPT and Claude.