Anthropic Opens Claude Plugin Submissions With Review and Usage Analytics
A new portal accepts MCP connectors and skill bundles, surfaces safety-review feedback and tracks how approved extensions are discovered and installed.
Edited by Tyronne Panaino
Anthropic opened a developer portal for submitting plugins to the Claude directory on September 25, 2026. Developers on paid Claude plans can now submit an extension, follow it through review and, after approval, choose when to publish it. The portal also adds usage and discovery analytics once a plugin is live.
The release matters because Anthropic is turning Claude extensions into a governed distribution workflow rather than leaving every connector or skill to be discovered and installed informally. It gives builders a defined route into the Claude directory, while keeping review, safety scanning and publication as separate steps.
What developers can submit
Anthropic defines a Claude plugin as a package containing Model Context Protocol connectors, Agent Skills or both. The submission portal accepts a single remote MCP connector, or a broader plugin bundle that combines MCP servers and skills in a GitHub repository.
Claude Code bundles can also include language-server integrations, commands, hooks and agents. That gives developers a way to package more than a data connection: one directory item can carry the instructions, tools and development-environment behavior needed for a specialized workflow.
The distinction between the two submission paths is practical. A team with one hosted MCP service can point the portal to that server. A team building a fuller workflow can submit a repository that joins multiple components. Anthropic says existing skills, connectors and plugins already listed in the directory do not need to change because of this announcement.
Review is visible, but approval is not automatic
The portal performs validation and a safety scan when a submission arrives. Developers can see review status, feedback, scan results and recommended changes. Anthropic describes that feedback loop as a way to catch issues before launch.
Passing the automated checks does not by itself publish the plugin. The item still moves through approval, and the developer decides when to make it public after approval. That separation gives builders control over release timing while leaving Anthropic's directory review as a gate.
The announcement does not publish a guaranteed review time, detailed acceptance criteria, rejection rates or an appeals process. It also does not provide independent evidence that the safety scan finds every unsafe behavior, dependency risk or deceptive extension. Teams should treat the scan as one control in a wider review process, not as proof that a plugin is safe for every organization.
Analytics connect distribution to maintenance
After publication, the portal reports installs by Claude product surface and plugin version. It also shows listing views and the searches that led people to the plugin. Those measures can help a developer identify where an extension is being used, which release needs attention and whether a directory description matches the terms people actually search for.
The source does not say that every organization will expose the same usage data or that analytics measure successful outcomes inside a workflow. Install counts and listing views describe distribution; they do not establish reliability, user satisfaction or business value.
MCP features and rollout boundaries
Anthropic says Claude supports the latest MCP specification, which it calls MCP 2.0, including a stateless core. The announcement highlights MCP Apps for interactive interfaces inside chat and Enterprise Managed Auth for centrally managed OAuth. More MCP features and extensions are still described as coming later.
Directory discovery is also not presented as finished everywhere on launch day. Anthropic says one discovery experience will roll out across Claude and Claude Code over the coming weeks. Builders therefore need to distinguish between the submission portal being open now and the broader cross-product discovery experience still rolling out.
The next useful checkpoints are published review standards, clearer security-test coverage, measured review times and evidence about how directory distribution affects maintenance quality. For now, the supported conclusion is narrower: Anthropic has opened a paid-plan submission and review workflow for Claude plugins, with post-launch analytics and a staged discovery rollout.
Status
Confirmed. Internal confidence is medium because one official Anthropic announcement supports the portal, workflow and availability, while review effectiveness and adoption have not been independently evaluated in this run.
Sources
Update note: Last reviewed 2026-09-28. We will revise this post if Anthropic changes plan eligibility, review rules, analytics or the cross-product discovery rollout.
Sources
- Anthropic — Build plugins for Claude — official
Drafted with AI assistance from source briefs; reviewed for citation completeness and label accuracy.