Installing Claude Code ModSmith: bundles, additional usage, and disabling

Distinguish the skill, bundle, and runtime environment

ModSmith comes from the DannyMac180/skills repository maintained by Dan McAteer; it is not an Anthropic plugin. The author added the modsmith-all bundle entry point on October 3, 2026. This makes ready-made components easier to install, but does not establish that every component is mature.

The current marketplace marks modsmith and modsmith-all as version 0.2.0. The former provides a skill to help design and inspect Mods. The latter depends on that skill and six Mods: quiz-after, next-steps-supervisor, assumption-ledger, mode-registry, effort-modes, and artifact-dashboard. Do not apply the bundle version to every component.

Run claude --version in the terminal first and confirm at least 2.1.287. Use an interactive terminal for initial acceptance checks. Official support also includes the corresponding Desktop Code interface, but Desktop WSL sessions do not load plugins, and the VS Code chat panel does not render Mod interfaces. Organizations may further restrict which Mods can load.

Install the bundle or choose one component you need

In a Claude Code session, first enter /plugin marketplace add DannyMac180/skills. To install the bundle, then enter /plugin install modsmith-all@modsmith. These slash-prefixed commands belong in the Claude Code input box.

The install command opens plugin details. Confirm the name before selecting the installation scope. For a first trial, choose local scope for your own use in the current repository. Read the installation summary and follow activation prompts. If reloading is required, follow the prompt, or start a new session and continue checking.

To try only quizzes, use /plugin install quiz-after@modsmith. To check task completion, install /plugin install next-steps-supervisor@modsmith individually. Install /plugin install modsmith@modsmith only if you need the ModSmith skill. These are alternatives selected as needed; you do not need to execute both the full bundle and every individual installation workflow.

Other components can also be selected individually; effort-modes brings mode-registry with it. First write down one specific need, such as reviewing a completed code change. Add more only with a clear purpose, making the responsible component easier to identify if a problem occurs.

Validate loading first, then run one small task

Open /plugin and inspect the active Mod list to confirm that the required components loaded. Check installation records separately from the active list. If a component is missing, inspect scope, session reload status, and organizational notices first. A missing notification bar alone does not prove installation failed.

In a disposable practice project, explicitly request a change to an example file and an explanation of the result. Enable only one type of check at first and observe after the turn ends normally. Do not use large changes to an important project as the first acceptance test. These steps are based on documentation; this article has not run the Mods locally.

Retain the client version, component name, actions before the trigger, and displayed result. These details are more useful to the author than “installed but nothing happened.” Remove sensitive project content from the record.

Additional usage depends on trigger conditions, not only file changes

quiz-after initiates one fork, an additional model request based on the current conversation, after the main session ends normally with a tool call that is neither read-only nor bookkeeping. It also judges whether the task is complete: if the answer is no, it shows no quiz, but the request has already occurred. Pure chat, read-only, or interrupted turns do not trigger under this automatic rule. Starting a subagent from the main session may also count as a non-read-only call.

supervisor has broader conditions: it may check when the main turn contains a non-read-only tool call or at least 8 total tool calls. Only the main loop is counted, so do not add every internal subagent call. A long read-only search may also reach the threshold. If both components are enabled and each qualifies, each makes its own request.

Cached usage still counts. Inspect the cached, new, and out numbers in the notification bar for cached input, new input, and output rather than interpreting cached as free. The author's estimated overhead is not your actual bill and does not justify a fixed savings promise.

If quizzes or buttons do nothing, check these points first

If no quiz appears, check the preceding section's conditions and whether the task is complete. On the first observation, wait for the check to finish before sending a new prompt so a discarded old result is not mistaken for no execution. Do not repeatedly trigger manual checks as probes; that adds requests and makes the problem harder to reproduce.

The author's October 3 fix adjusted the quiz Save and Dismiss positions and added a note that the notification bar must first receive focus. Click the bar before trying its buttons. In the terminal, the documented Ctrl+X, Tab sequence can also move focus. If saving fails, check that explain-this's memory directory already exists; the plugin does not create the entire card library for you.

supervisor's next-step button submits that step as your new prompt. Read the complete action before clicking. For example, if it suggests running tests, verify that the command fits the current project. This is a model's review opinion; actual test outputs, changes, and failure causes still determine whether the work is complete.

Turn off automatic checks first, then disable according to dependencies

To stop only automatic checks, enter /quiz off and /supervisor off separately in the session. The settings persist across sessions, but the plugins remain loaded. Manual check commands containing now can still make requests while automatic checks are off, so do not use them to verify that automatic calls have stopped.

To disable a particular Mod, manage the plugin itself in /plugin. Bundle users should first uninstall modsmith-all@modsmith, then disable or uninstall unneeded individual components. While the bundle is enabled, its dependencies may prevent individual disabling. Automatically installed components remain after the bundle is uninstalled; they do not disappear together.

For example, to keep only quiz, remove the bundle first, check whether each remaining component is needed, then inspect the active list again. If another plugin still depends on the target component, handle that dependent plugin first as instructed. Do not directly delete the entire plugin directory or settings for other projects.

What is confirmed and what should still be treated as a trial

The quiz DECISIONS record says the author observed a completed background request and quiz notification bar in a Desktop Code 2.1.287 session on October 3, 2026. The same record still lists buttons, shortcuts, card saving, and actual per-run usage as not yet confirmed firsthand. A visible interface and reliable buttons are separate acceptance checks.

supervisor also records its first request and notification-bar display while leaving buttons, shortcuts, whether the fork can already see the final reply, and actual usage awaiting confirmation. These are the author's published verification boundaries. They do not establish that the other four Mods have been verified to the same extent.

At the end of a trial, answer three questions: did the needed result appear, did extra calls match expectations, and did disabling actually stop them? If any answer remains unknown, keep the installation minimal and retain reproduction records until fixes or further evidence justify wider use.