Claude Code Templates

1. What is Claude Code Templates?

Claude Code Templates is a catalogue of ready-made add-ons for Claude Code, Anthropic's AI coding assistant. Instead of writing long prompts or configuring everything by hand, you pick components other people have already built and install them with one command. The catalogue has its own website for browsing: https://aitmpl.com

There are six kinds of component:

Kind	What it is	Examples
Agent	An AI "specialist" for one area of work	Frontend specialist, security auditor
Command	A shortcut that starts with /	/generate-tests to produce tests
MCP	A bridge between Claude Code and an outside service	GitHub, PostgreSQL, Stripe
Setting	A preset configuration for Claude Code	Timeouts, read-only mode
Hook	Something that runs automatically on an event	Checking code before a commit
Skill	A reusable capability	PDF processing, Excel automation

Besides the catalogue, the tool bundles a few utilities: a dashboard for your sessions, a phone-friendly conversation viewer, and a health check for your Claude Code setup.

To be plain: this is a tool for people who use Claude Code to program. It is not a standalone app. The tool is free under the MIT licence, and each component in the catalogue keeps its original author's licence. The part that costs money is the Claude Code account.

A good fit if:

• You already use Claude Code and want it to be better at a particular kind of work without configuring it yourself.
• You want to see how others set up Claude Code and learn from it.
• You want a dashboard for keeping an eye on your Claude Code sessions.

Not a fit yet if:

• You have not installed or used Claude Code.
• You are after a general-purpose AI chat app.
• You do not want to touch a terminal at all. The aitmpl.com site helps you choose, but installing is still one command.

2. What do you need?

• A computer running Windows, macOS or Linux, with an internet connection.
• Node.js. The runtime for JavaScript-based tools; installing it gives you the npx command used in section 3. The project's documentation says version 14 at minimum in one place and 18 in another (the health check); installing the current LTS release is the safe choice. Download it from https://nodejs.org
• Claude Code, installed and signed in. Installation steps and paid plans are at https://code.claude.com
• Git (optional). A version-control tool, listed in the docs as optional, for version-control integration (for example Git-related hooks). Get it from https://git-scm.com
• A project folder. Components are installed into a .claude subfolder of wherever you are standing, so open your terminal in your code project's folder.

Some MCPs need an API key for the service they connect to (a GitHub token, for example). That key comes from the other service, and whether it costs anything depends on that service.

3. Step-by-step installation

You do not need to install this tool on your machine. The npx command downloads the latest version, runs it, and that is all.

Step 1: Check Node.js

node --version

You are good when it prints a version number such as v22.x. If it says "not found" or "is not recognized", install Node.js from the link in section 2, then close the terminal and open a new one.

Step 2: Choose a component on the website (the easiest way)

1. Open https://aitmpl.com in your browser.
2. Browse by kind (Agents, Commands, MCPs and so on) or type a keyword into the search box.
3. Click a component to read its description. The page shows the install command for it.
4. Copy that command.

Step 3: Run the install command in your project folder

Open a terminal in your project folder, paste the command and press Enter. For example, this installs a code-review agent:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --agent development-tools/code-reviewer --yes

The --yes part skips the confirmation questions. The first time, npx may ask whether to download the package; type y and press Enter.

It worked if you see a message saying the component was installed, and your project folder now has a .claude/agents/ folder containing a .md file named after the agent.

Alternative: the interactive menu

If you do not know what you need yet, run the command with nothing after it:

npx claude-code-templates@latest

A menu appears. Use the arrow keys to move, Space to tick items, Enter to confirm. Choose Project Setup, then pick a template for your language and the agents, commands, MCPs, hooks and settings you want. At the end the tool shows a summary and asks whether to proceed.

Installing several things at once

Combine several options in one command:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --agent development-team/frontend-developer --command testing/generate-tests --mcp development/github-integration --yes

Previewing without installing

Add --dry-run and the tool only lists which files would be created and which folders would change:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --agent frontend-developer --dry-run

Where components end up

Kind	Location
Agent	.claude/agents/
Command	.claude/commands/
MCP	merged into the project's .mcp.json file
Settings and hooks	written to a settings file; the tool asks whether they should apply to all projects, this project, or only you

4. First use

1. Still in the project folder, type claude to start Claude Code. If it was already open, quit and start it again so it loads the new components.
2. Call the agent you installed in plain language:

Use the code-reviewer agent to review the changes I just made

A correct result: Claude Code hands the job to that agent and returns feedback in line with the agent's speciality.

3. If you installed a command, type / in Claude Code to see the list of commands and pick the new one, for example:

/generate-tests src/components/Button.tsx

4. Try the health check. Quit Claude Code and run:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --health-check

The tool inspects your system, the Claude Code installation, project configuration, agents, MCPs, commands and hooks, then gives a score with recommendations.

The other bundled utilities:

Command	What it does
npx claude-code-templates@latest --analytics	Opens a dashboard of your Claude Code sessions in the browser at http://localhost:3333
npx claude-code-templates@latest --chats	A conversation viewer designed for phone screens
npx claude-code-templates@latest --chats --tunnel	The same, with remote access through a Cloudflare Tunnel
npx claude-code-templates@latest --plugins	A view of installed plugins and marketplaces

5. Common problems and fixes

The terminal says npx is not found

• Cause: Node.js is not installed, or the terminal was not reopened after installing it.
• Fix: install Node.js from https://nodejs.org, open a new terminal and check with node --version.

Installed, but Claude Code does not show the new agent or command

• Cause: Claude Code is open in a different folder from the one you installed into, or it has not been restarted.
• Fix: check that the project folder contains a .claude folder. Start Claude Code in that exact folder. Restart Claude Code. If that does not help, run npx claude-code-templates@latest --health-check.

A permission error while installing (macOS / Linux)

• Cause: you are in a folder you cannot write to.
• Fix: move to a folder you own, or name the target explicitly:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --directory ~/my-project

An MCP will not connect

• Cause: a missing API key or credentials for the outside service, or that service is not running.
• Fix: read the MCP's description on aitmpl.com to see which environment variable it needs (for example GITHUB_TOKEN), fill in the right value, then restart Claude Code. MCP changes only take effect after a restart.

Note: Never upload a .env file containing API keys to GitHub or send it to anyone.

The tool asks whether to overwrite configuration

• Cause: the setting or MCP you are installing has the same name as an existing one but a different value.
• Fix: read the question carefully. If unsure, decline and rerun with --dry-run to see the change.

A global install runs an old version

• Cause: you installed with npm install -g some time ago and have not updated.
• Fix: see section 6, or use npx claude-code-templates@latest, which always fetches the newest version.

6. Uninstalling / updating

Updating

If you use npx claude-code-templates@latest as shown above, there is nothing to do: @latest always pulls the newest release. The latest version when this guide was written was 1.29.6 (released 17 September 2026).

If you installed it globally:

npm update -g claude-code-templates

Removing the tool

Used through npx, it leaves nothing behind to remove. If you installed it globally:

npm uninstall -g claude-code-templates

Removing components from a project

The official documentation has no dedicated command for removing project components. Each agent and command is a file in .claude/agents/ or .claude/commands/; delete the file and restart Claude Code. For an MCP, delete its entry in .mcp.json. For settings and hooks, delete the matching part of the settings file you chose at install time. Back the file up before editing it.

"Global agents" (created with --create-agent) do have their own removal command; put the agent's name at the end:

npx claude-code-templates@latest --remove-agent customer-support

7. Frequently asked questions

Does it cost money? The tool and the catalogue are free. You pay for Claude Code. Some MCPs connect to services that charge separately.

Does it need an internet connection? Yes. npx downloads the tool and components each time, and Claude Code needs a connection as well.

Does the tool send any data out? According to the documentation, each time you install a component the tool reports its type, name, path and category, plus the tool's version, to the project's server for download statistics. To switch that off, set the environment variable CCT_NO_TRACKING=true before running. The --analytics dashboard runs on your own machine at localhost.

Are the components safe? The catalogue gathers work from many community sources. Agents and commands are text files you can open and read. Hooks and MCPs run real commands on your machine, so read what they contain before installing and use --dry-run when in doubt.

I installed into one project. Can another project use it? Agents and commands are installed per project folder. For settings and hooks you can choose "User settings" so they apply to every project.