[BUG] Project skill display in slash command but plugin skill doesn't

[elct9620]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

According to CHANGELOG.md, since v2.1.3, the slash command and skill are merged.

When skill is located in .claude/skills/my-skill, the /my-skill slash command is available.
However, when the skill is from a plugin e.g., plugin-skill, but /plugin:plugin-skill or /plugin-skill, both are not available.

What Should Happen?

Not sure which behavior is correct

Type	Project	Plugin
Command	Visible	Visible
Skill	Current Visible	Current Invisible

If the changelog is correct, all scenarios should be visible in /[command]

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a new plugin with plugin
2. Install plugin in project-level or use --plugin-dir to load it
3. Check /skills to ensure skill is available
4. Check /[...] -> not visible if in the plugin

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

2.1.3

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

No response

[natustx]

I'm seeing the same issue on macos. +1

[aaaaaandrew]

Root Cause Analysis

I independently encountered this bug and did systematic testing to isolate the cause. Adding my findings here.

Finding: The name frontmatter field removes the plugin prefix

When a file in the commands array has a name field in its frontmatter, Claude Code:

1. Strips the plugin namespace prefix
2. Uses the name field value as the command identifier

Since skills require a name field in their frontmatter (it's part of the skill format), they lose their plugin prefix when added to the commands array and behave inconsistently in the autocomplete.

Test Results

All files placed in ./commands/ folder and added to the commands array:

File	Frontmatter Fields	Result	Has Prefix?	In Autocomplete?
test-command-format.md	description, allowed-tools	/rdc-os:test-command-format	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
test-with-version.md	description, version, allowed-tools	/rdc-os:test-with-version	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
test-with-invocable.md	description, user-invocable, allowed-tools	/rdc-os:test-with-invocable	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
test-with-name.md	description, name, allowed-tools	/test-with-name	❌ No	✅ Yes
test-skill-format.md	description, name, version, user-invocable	/test-skill-format	❌ No	⚠️ Partial

Additional Observations

1. Skills with user-invocable: true in the skills array don't appear in autocomplete at all (even though docs suggest they should)
2. Adding skill paths to the commands array as a workaround partially works - commands can be invoked by typing directly (e.g., /my-skill works) but only some appear in autocomplete dropdown
3. The autocomplete seems to show only a subset of registered commands when there are many

Expected Behavior

The name field should set the identifier after the prefix:

• Current: name: my-skill → /my-skill
• Expected: name: my-skill → /plugin-name:my-skill

Or alternatively, user-invocable: true in skills should make them appear in autocomplete with proper namespacing, without needing the commands array workaround.

---

Cross-reference: I initially filed #17509 before finding this issue. Closing that as duplicate.

[aaaaaandrew]

Workaround Found

For skills that need both auto-activation AND slash menu visibility with proper plugin prefix:

Steps:

1. Remove name field from skill frontmatter (this causes the command to use the filename instead)
2. Rename SKILL.md to <skillname>.md (e.g., sre.md)
3. Create symlink: ln -s <skillname>.md SKILL.md (so the skills array still finds it for auto-activation)
4. Add ./skills/<name>/<name>.md to the commands array in marketplace.json
5. Keep ./skills/<name> in the skills array (for auto-activation)

Result:

• /plugin-name:skillname appears in autocomplete with proper prefix ✅
• Auto-activation still works (skills array finds SKILL.md symlink) ✅

Example structure:

skills/sre/
├── sre.md          # actual content, no "name" field in frontmatter
└── SKILL.md -> sre.md   # symlink for auto-activation

marketplace.json:

{
  "skills": ["./skills/sre"],           // for auto-activation
  "commands": ["./skills/sre/sre.md"]   // for slash menu
}

Downside: Maintenance burden - each patched skill needs file rename, symlink, and frontmatter edit. Will need to unwind once the bug is fixed.

Note on symlinks: Git supports symlinks on macOS/Linux. Windows users may need core.symlinks=true configured.

[wkoutre]

Great find @aaaaaandrew 🙏🏼 A useful middle ground for the time being.

[MrAshRhodes]

Experiencing the same issue.
But adding some info.

It appears on the VSCode extension it does see the slash commands without the need of a workaround.