[BUG] Plugin skill short-name resolution fails for some plugins ("Unknown skill" error)
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
When invoking a plugin skill using its short name (e.g., /code-review instead of /code-review:code-review), some plugins return an "Unknown skill" error while others resolve correctly.
Works: /frontend-design test resolves to frontend-design:frontend-design
Fails: /code-review test → Unknown skill: code-review
Fails: /feature-dev test → Unknown skill: feature-dev
Workaround: /code-review:code-review test → works correctly
This is inconsistent behavior — the short-name resolution works for some plugins but not others.
Previous issues covering this problem were auto-closed without a fix: #11328 (autoclose), #17376 (duplicate→#11328), #26436 (stale).
What Should Happen?
/code-review test should resolve to /code-review:code-review test when unambiguous, consistently across all plugins — the same way /frontend-design already resolves correctly.
Error Messages/Logs
> Skill(code-review, args: "test")
Error: Unknown skill: code-review
> Skill(feature-dev, args: "test")
Error: Unknown skill: feature-dev
> Skill(code-review:code-review, args: "test")
(works)
> Skill(frontend-design, args: "test")
(works — inconsistent with the above)Steps to Reproduce
- In a Claude Code session, invoke
/code-review test(short name) - Observe error:
Unknown skill: code-review - Invoke
/code-review:code-review test(fully-qualified name) - Observe it works correctly
- Compare with
/frontend-design testwhich resolves correctly using the short name
Claude Model
Opus
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Claude Code Version
2.1.87 (Claude Code)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Linux 6.8.0-49-generic (Ubuntu)
Terminal/Shell
bash
Additional Information
This was also reproduced with third-party marketplace plugins (e.g., cli-anything from HKUDS/CLI-Anything), where /cli-anything ./gimp fails but /cli-anything:cli-anything ./gimp works.
The inconsistency between plugins (some resolve short names, some don't) suggests a bug in the resolution logic rather than a missing feature.
Related closed issues (none resulted in a fix):
- #11328 — namespace resolution fails (autoclose)
- #17376 — duplicate of #11328
- #26436 — root cause analysis: Skill tool examples teach short names (stale)
4 Comments
Correction: The "broken state requiring
/reload-plugins" mentioned in the Additional Information section applies specifically to third-party marketplace plugins (e.g.,cli-anything), not to built-in plugin skills likecode-reviewandfeature-dev.With built-in skills, the short-name resolution simply fails each time but does not corrupt plugin state — subsequent invocations with the fully-qualified name still work without needing
/reload-plugins.With marketplace plugins, the failed short-name invocation can leave the plugin in a broken state where even the fully-qualified name stops working until
/reload-pluginsis run. That secondary issue is likely related to #14815 / #35641.This issue focuses on the primary bug: inconsistent short-name resolution across plugins.
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
Closing as duplicate of #37956, which covers the same short-name resolution issue.
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.