The Claude Code plugin marketplace has 800+ skills. You do not need all of them. If you're starting from scratch, these ten cover the highest-leverage work — the ones that make the difference between Claude-as-autocomplete and Claude-as-collaborator. Install them in order; the earlier ones matter more.
Hypothesis-and-test debugging instead of random log shotguns. The one skill that pays for its install the first time you use it. 162,164 stars.
Claude runs the tests and shows the output before claiming done. Eliminates the single biggest category of "it looked fixed" bugs.
Writes the failing test first, runs it, implements, confirms green. The habit Claude ought to have by default.
Forces a spec-before-code step for any non-trivial task. Saves the "three hours in and realized we're building the wrong thing" moment.
The matched pair to writing-plans. Works through a written plan with checkpoints, stopping when something's off instead of bulldozing through.
Structured self-review before you open a PR. Catches issues that'd otherwise get caught by someone else — or worse, production.
If you touch UI, install this. Lifts the baseline quality of generated components by a real margin. 17,453 stars.
Drive a real browser for end-to-end tests. Part of the flagship 121,347-star skills plugin.
When Claude needs to work on multiple things in parallel, worktrees keep them from stepping on each other. Essential for any multi-agent setup, useful for solo too.
The docs you're not writing because "it's just a small change" are the reason your future self hates your past self. This skill makes it easy enough that you'll actually do it.
Install order, and why
Install in order. Skills 1-6 change how Claude works — they're process skills. Once those are in place, your baseline session quality is measurably better. Skills 7-10 add specific capabilities on top. If you do it the other way around, you'll have great tools driven by a sloppy process, and the results will be uneven.
Total install time: about 10 minutes. Total install commands: 10, one per skill, each one copy-paste from the skill's detail page.
What's not on this list
Video-prompt skills, image generation, specialist research tools. All good, none universal. This list is the floor — the skills every developer should have. Build up from here based on what you actually work on.