claude-plugin-json-valid

plugin.json must be valid JSON with required fields

Formerly known as plugin-json-valid. The legacy name still works in configs, --rule/--skip-rule, suppression comments, and baselines.

Severity	error (auto)
Autofix	-
Since	v0.1.0
Repo Types	marketplace, single-plugin
Category	Claude Code

Why

plugin.json is the plugin manifest — if it contains invalid JSON or is missing required fields, the plugin cannot be loaded. The host application uses this file to register the plugin's name, version, and capabilities.

name is required. description, version, and author are recommended; their absence produces warnings controlled by recommended-fields. When present, version must be a string. Claude Code accepts release labels such as "release-candidate" and calendar versions such as "2026.10" as well as semantic versions.

Examples

Bad:

{"name": "my-plugin", "version": 2026}

Good:

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "description": "Deployment automation plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

How to fix

Fix the JSON syntax error or add the missing required fields identified in the violation message. Write version values as JSON strings; they do not need to follow semantic versioning. See the upstream manifest version reference.

Configuration

rules:
  claude-plugin-json-valid:
    enabled: auto  # true | false | auto
    severity: error

Parameter	Description	Default
recommended-fields	Fields that trigger a warning if missing from plugin.json	["description", "version", "author"]

Run skillsaw explain claude-plugin-json-valid to see this documentation and the rule's effective configuration in your terminal.