# Claude Desktop Extension Plan

Status: current  
Updated: March 30, 2026

This document turns the existing Claude-specific bundle metadata into a concrete promotion and submission packet for Claude Desktop.

Commercial guardrails:

- Use [COMMERCIAL_TRUTH.md](COMMERCIAL_TRUTH.md) for revenue and traction claims.
- Use [VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md](VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md) plus proof reports for engineering authority.
- Do not claim directory approval, partnership, or listing status before it is real.

## Why this matters

Claude Desktop extensions are a real discovery surface for Claude-first users.

For this repo, that means:

- one-click discovery is a demand lane
- local install lowers friction for Claude-first buyers
- directory inclusion supports credibility, but it is not customer proof

## Official references

- Anthropic Local MCP Server Submission Guide: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12922832-local-mcp-server-submission-guide
- Anthropic Building Desktop Extensions with MCPB: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12922929-building-desktop-extensions-with-mcpb
- Anthropic Software Directory Terms: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13145338-anthropic-software-directory-terms
- Anthropic Software Directory Policy: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13145358-anthropic-software-directory-policy
- Anthropic Cowork plugin customization tutorial: https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/how-to-customize-plugins-in-cowork
- MCPB manifest specification: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/mcpb/blob/main/MANIFEST.md

## Repo assets already in place

- Claude plugin metadata: [../.claude-plugin/plugin.json](../.claude-plugin/plugin.json)
- Claude marketplace metadata: [../.claude-plugin/marketplace.json](../.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)
- Claude extension README: [../.claude-plugin/README.md](../.claude-plugin/README.md)
- Claude bundle launcher: [../.claude-plugin/bundle/server/index.js](../.claude-plugin/bundle/server/index.js)
- Claude bundle icon: [../.claude-plugin/bundle/icon.png](../.claude-plugin/bundle/icon.png)
- Claude bundle build script: [../scripts/build-claude-mcpb.js](../scripts/build-claude-mcpb.js)
- Local install config example: [../adapters/claude/.mcp.json](../adapters/claude/.mcp.json)
- Privacy policy URL: `https://thumbgate-production.up.railway.app/privacy`
- Security policy: [../SECURITY.md](../SECURITY.md)
- Proof pack: [VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md](VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md)
- Public server metadata: [../server.json](../server.json)

## Local install path

Use the portable install command in Claude Desktop today:

```bash
claude mcp add thumbgate -- npx --yes --package thumbgate thumbgate serve
```

Or bootstrap from the package:

```bash
npx thumbgate init
```

Claude Code users can also add the repo marketplace immediately while Anthropic review is pending:

```text
/plugin marketplace add IgorGanapolsky/ThumbGate
/plugin install thumbgate@thumbgate-marketplace
```

## Submission-ready messaging

Use:

- Claude Desktop extension
- Claude workflow hardening
- history-aware lesson distillation
- Pre-Action Checks
- Reliability Gateway
- proof-backed reliability

Do not use:

- official Anthropic partner
- Anthropic-approved extension
- directory-listed today
- any unverified customer or ROI claim

## Anthropic requirements mapped to this repo

### 1. Tool safety annotations

Anthropic requires every tool to declare `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint`.

This repo now enforces that contract in the MCP tool registry and test suite:

- tool definitions: [../scripts/tool-registry.js](../scripts/tool-registry.js)
- verification: [../tests/mcp-server.test.js](../tests/mcp-server.test.js)

### 2. Privacy policy

- Public privacy route exists at `https://thumbgate-production.up.railway.app/privacy`
- The Claude extension README links directly to it
- The generated bundle manifest now includes `privacy_policies`

### 3. Support and vulnerability reporting

- Issues: GitHub issue tracker
- Security reports: GitHub Security Advisories
- Support policy: [../SECURITY.md](../SECURITY.md)

### 4. Usage examples

The Claude extension README includes three examples:

- PR review hardening
- code modernization workflow
- internal ops or release workflow
- bare thumbs-down with automatic lesson proposal from up to 8 prior recorded entries in the current Claude hook path

### 5. Proof and trust layer

Every buyer-facing or directory-facing claim should point back to:

- [VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md](VERIFICATION_EVIDENCE.md)
- [../proof/compatibility/report.json](../proof/compatibility/report.json)
- [../proof/automation/report.json](../proof/automation/report.json)

## History-aware feedback distillation

For Claude Desktop, the highest-ROI feedback improvement is allowing a user to give a vague `👍` or `👎` and still produce a useful lesson.

Current shipped behavior:

- `capture_feedback` accepts optional `chatHistory` and `relatedFeedbackId`
- negative signals can distill `whatWentWrong` and `whatToChange` from up to 8 prior recorded entries plus the failed tool call in the current Claude auto-capture path
- positive signals are stored directly; they do not use that same 8-entry history window in the current hook path
- accepted feedback opens a linked 60-second follow-up session, and appended notes reset the timer instead of creating isolated duplicates

Do not market this as generic black-box summarization. Market it as:

- local-first history-aware lesson distillation
- up-to-8-entry inference for vague thumbs-down feedback in the current Claude hook path
- reusable corrective rules grounded in the actual workflow transcript

## Build the MCPB

Anthropic's current guide requires a working `.mcpb`, not just marketplace metadata.

Build the bundle locally with:

```bash
npm run build:claude-mcpb
```

That command:

- stages a clean Claude Desktop bundle in `.artifacts/claude-desktop/bundle`
- installs production dependencies only
- writes a generated `manifest.json` with tool inventory and privacy policy URLs
- packs `thumbgate-claude-desktop-v<version>.mcpb`
- validates the artifact with `mcpb info`

## Public install path

The repo now publishes a user-consumable Claude Desktop bundle on GitHub Releases:

- Latest direct download: https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/ThumbGate/releases/latest/download/thumbgate-claude-desktop.mcpb
- Latest review packet zip: https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/ThumbGate/releases/latest/download/thumbgate-claude-plugin-review.zip
- Release notes: https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/ThumbGate/releases

This is the clean public install lane for buyers who do not want to build the bundle locally. The review packet zip is the backup lane when Anthropic asks for a source zip instead of a GitHub repository link.

## Promotion lanes

### 1. Public landing page

Call out the Claude Desktop extension path as:

- install locally today
- download the packaged `.mcpb` from GitHub Releases
- keep a review-ready source zip handy for submission forms
- review proof and privacy before rollout
- treat directory inclusion as discoverability, not traction proof

### 2. GEO fan-out

Target high-intent queries and fan-out pages around:

- Claude Desktop extensions
- Claude Desktop plugins
- local MCP servers for Claude Desktop
- Claude workflow hardening

### 3. Repo metadata

Keep `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` and `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` aligned with:

- package version
- current product description
- keywords for `claude-desktop`, `workflow-hardening`, and `pre-action-checks`

Keep the generated MCPB manifest aligned with:

- the package version
- the current tool registry
- the public privacy policy URL

## Submission checklist

1. Re-run the standard verification suite.
2. Keep Claude plugin metadata version-aligned with `package.json`.
3. Run `npm run build:claude-mcpb`.
4. Confirm the GitHub Release asset exists at `releases/latest/download/thumbgate-claude-desktop.mcpb`.
5. Confirm the GitHub Release asset exists at `releases/latest/download/thumbgate-claude-plugin-review.zip`.
6. Confirm privacy, support, and proof links resolve.
7. Inspect the resulting `.mcpb` with `mcpb info`.
8. Submit through Anthropic's official directory process using the GitHub repository link or the review packet zip.
9. Do not market the directory listing until approval is real.
