coworkplugins
Comparison

Cowork vs Code: which plugin features carry over?

The same plugin folder installs in both, but each surface loads a different subset. The documented matrix and the one-way sync rule.

By Arun BabuIntermediate

A plugin is one folder that installs in both Claude Cowork and Claude Code. What you get from it is not the same in both. This is the documented picture from Anthropic's plugin platform-support table and docs (October 2026); where a claim depends on a specific version, it is labelled.

What loads where

  • Skills, slash commands and MCP servers are the portable core: they load in Cowork and in Code.
  • Hooks and sub-agents do not load in a plain chat session. A plugin that automates on events or delegates to background agents only shows those behaviors where the surface supports them.
  • Local MCP servers run only when the session runs on your own computer - the desktop case. A Cowork session in Anthropic's cloud cannot reach a server on your laptop.
  • Code-only extras: Claude Code additionally loads executables from a top-level bin/ directory, LSP servers, output styles, themes and settings.

So the same install can look complete in Code and partial in Cowork or chat. That is a platform difference, not a broken plugin, and not something reinstalling fixes.

The sync rule

Claude Code (v2.1.273 and later) can sync installed plugins to Cowork. Two limits, both documented: the sync is one-way, from Code to Cowork; and it does not apply to setups authenticated with an API key or running through Amazon Bedrock. If a plugin appears in one tool and not the other, check your version and sign-in method before anything else.

How to evaluate a plugin for your surface

  1. Read the plugin's README or package for its component list (skills, hooks, agents, MCP).
  2. Cross-check against your surface: mostly-skills plugins travel well; hook-heavy plugins are Code-first.
  3. If you work in both, prefer installing through Code at project scope so the sync carries it to Cowork - scope details in user, project or local.

Our Cowork vs Code comparison has the side-by-side table, and plugins vs skills vs connectors explains what each component is.

Sources

Read more

Claude Code plugin scope: user, project or local?

The -s flag decides who gets the plugin and whether it travels in git. What each scope writes and which to pick.

Cowork plugins vs skills vs connectors, explained

A skill tells Claude how to do a task. A connector gives it access to a service. A plugin packages both. How to tell them apart and which you need.