Claude Mods Guide

Mods are small JavaScript or TypeScript functions that change how Claude Code looks and behaves. Anthropic launched them on October 1, 2026. They ship inside plugins, so you install and share them the same way as any plugin.

Claude Code fires an event each time it acts, such as calling a tool, receiving a prompt, or drawing part of the screen. A mod hooks into an event and can:

Observe

Watch the event, then let it continue

Rewrite

Alter the event before it continues

Answer

Handle the event itself, such as refusing a risky command

Mods let you fit Claude Code to the way you work.

• Draw a pane beside the transcript or a band above the prompt, complete with buttons and text fields
• Restyle parts of the Claude Code interface itself, such as the spinner or a tool call row
• Hold, rewrite, or block any tool call
• Rewrite a prompt before the model sees it
• Add a /command that runs your code instantly, with no Claude turn
• Hide secrets in tool output before Claude reads them

No mod can change what the permission prompt shows you.

Terminal

Yes, on Claude Code v2.1.287 or later

Desktop app Code tab

Yes, from v2.1.286, minus some terminal-only elements

VS Code chat panel, claude -p, and cloud sessions

The mod’s logic runs, but nothing it draws appears

Mods are turned on by default.

Some Claude Code features now run as mods. Find them in /plugin, under Installed, then Built-in:

/diff

The diff pane. Turn it off or swap in your own.

AGENTS.md

Loads AGENTS.md files in as project instructions

You Should Know

Off by default. A side agent watches longer tasks and posts a note above the prompt when it spots something you might miss.

Security default

Shields what your organization manages from user-installed mods

Anthropic plans to move more built-in features into mods over time.

• Inside Claude Code, run /plugin install name@marketplace
• From your shell, run claude plugin install name@marketplace
• Browse plugins in the Claude directory or in marketplaces you trust
• Run /reload-plugins to load it into an open session
• Run /plugin to check which mods are active

Anthropic publishes sample mods in its claude-code-playground repository on GitHub:

Token Weather

A forecast above the prompt that shows how full your context window is

Blast Radius

Holds risky commands, such as rm -rf or a force push, behind Proceed and Cancel buttons

Replay Theater

Adds /replay so you can step through the file edits Claude made last turn

Load one for a single session with claude --plugin-dir plus the mod’s folder.

Describe the mod you want in a Claude Code session, and Claude can write it, load it, and reload it as you iterate. You can also write the code by hand.

Build a mod that shows, beside the spinner, how many tool calls you have made this turn.

Mod

Code that runs inside Claude Code. Use it for panes, commands, and event rewrites.

Settings hook

A script that runs on an event. Use it to block, allow, or log with a script you already own.

Skill

Written instructions. Use it for directions you keep repeating.

MCP server

Gives Claude new tools. Use it to reach external systems.

Choose the simplest option that does the job.

One mod

Disable or uninstall the plugin that holds it in /plugin

All mods, one session

Launch Claude Code with --safe-mode

All installed mods, permanently

Set disableAllHooks to true in your settings. This also stops your settings hooks and your custom status line.

• Mods run unsandboxed, with your permissions
• A mod can read your files and secrets, see your prompts, approve tool calls, and spend your plan
• Install only from authors and marketplaces you already trust
• Run claude plugin validate on a mod’s folder to list what it does before you install it
• Read the code of every mod you install

A mod is code holding your keys. Treat it like any other software you install.

Admins control mods with managed settings and plugin marketplace rules. On Team and Enterprise plans, and on managed machines, the built-in security mod loads first and restricts risky behavior from user-installed mods.