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How do I sync Claude.ai skills and plugins into a Claude Code terminal session?

Arthur Teboul
Arthur TeboulEditor, claude/for
UPDATED SEP 19 · 6 MIN

On Claude Code 2.1.275+, skills and plugins enabled on your claude.ai account sync into terminal sessions signed in with that account. Opt out with syncClaudeAiSkills / syncClaudeAiPlugins set to false.

On Claude Code 2.1.275+, when you sign in with your claude.ai account, skills and plugins enabled on that account sync into the terminal by default. Opt out with "syncClaudeAiSkills": false and/or "syncClaudeAiPlugins": false. Skills land under ~/.claude/skills/synced/; plugins under ~/.claude/plugins/synced/ as <name>@synced. Not the same as a marketplace /plugin install. Checked 2026-09-19 against CHANGELOG 2.1.275 + settings/skills/plugins docs. We haven't re-tested this in the interactive CLI; the steps follow the docs.

TL;DR. Signed-in terminal → account enables mirror in. Opt out with the two JSON keys set to false. Prefer ≥ 2.1.275 (named opt-outs); docs also describe terminal sync from 2.1.273+.

When this applies / when it does not

Use when skills/plugins enabled on claude.ai (or org-enabled) should appear in the CLI - or sync already happened and you need the named opt-outs.

Skip when

Broader map: Claude skills. Related: what changed in 2.1.273-278 and sharing AGENTS.md with CLAUDE.md.

Prerequisites

  1. claude --version ≥ 2.1.275 - CHANGELOG adds the named opt-outs. Skills/plugins docs: terminal sync from v2.1.273+.
  2. Sign in with claude.ai (/login). No sync on API-key / ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN / CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN / apiKeyHelper, Bedrock / feature-flag-disabled traffic, bare mode, or --safe-mode (skills docs).
  3. Skills/plugins enabled on claude.ai (or org-required). Some Anthropic skills (pdf, xlsx) always sync per docs.

Confirm sync is working

These steps follow the docs; we haven't reproduced the UI ourselves yet:

  1. Start a terminal session under the claude.ai account.
  2. Skills: /skills → group claude.ai sync; files in ~/.claude/skills/synced/ (background refresh ~every 10 minutes).
  3. Plugins: claude plugin list → Synced from claude.ai; /plugin Installed source synced; IDs name@synced; files in ~/.claude/plugins/synced/.
  4. Optional -p wait: CLAUDE_CODE_SYNC_SKILLS=1 (skills docs).
  5. CHANGELOG 2.1.275: ListPlugins = account enables, not local /plugin installs. Write/Edit in the synced account-skills folder is not saved to the account.

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Opt out with settings

User (~/.claude/settings.json), local (.claude/settings.local.json), managed, or --settings:

{
  "syncClaudeAiSkills": false,
  "syncClaudeAiPlugins": false
}
  • Opt-out only. Docs: true = unset; default when unset is sync for signed-in sessions.
  • Scope: user / local / managed. Shared project .claude/settings.json cannot turn sync off.
  • Precedence exception (configuration docs): false from managed, --settings, user, or local is honored even when managed sets true. A false in shared project .claude/settings.json is ignored.
  • After plugins opt-out: next start stops download; copies move to ~/.claude/plugins/.trash/. Skills opt-out (user/managed) → ~/.claude/skills/.trash/.
  • Org-required @synced plugins cannot be disabled locally. Turning Skills off on claude.ai can also stop plugin sync.

Per-plugin: claude plugin disable <name>@synced / enable (user enabledPlugins).

Sync vs marketplace vs skill-doctor

PathJob
Account sync (syncClaudeAi*)Mirror claude.ai enables
Marketplace /pluginLocal catalog install - marketplace
/skill-doctorPrune unused skill cost - skill-doctor

Personal/project ~/.claude/skills or .claude/skills = on-disk skills, not account sync.

Pitfalls

  • Expecting sync on API-key / Bedrock / flag-disabled / bare / --safe-mode sessions
  • Editing skills/synced/ expecting claude.ai to update
  • Treating @synced like a marketplace slug (install / uninstall don’t apply)
  • Opt-out only in shared project settings (ignored)
  • CLI older than 2.1.275 without named opt-out keys
  • Context bloat after sync → /skill-doctor, not more installs

FAQ

What version do I need?
Opt-out keys: CHANGELOG 2.1.275+. Docs: terminal sync from 2.1.273+. Run claude --version.

How do I turn sync off?
"syncClaudeAiSkills": false and/or "syncClaudeAiPlugins": false in user, local, or managed settings - not shared project .claude/settings.json.

Same as adding Anthropic’s skills marketplace?
No. Marketplace = catalog install; sync = account enables. See marketplace guide.

Where do synced artifacts live?
Skills: ~/.claude/skills/synced/. Plugins: ~/.claude/plugins/synced/ as name@synced.

Synced skills bloated my context?
Run /skill-doctor; opt out or disable individual @synced plugins.

Sources (checked 2026-09-19)

The Claude moves worth stealing, by email

Workflows tested on real jobs, sent only when they are worth it. Free.