Installing Architecture Studio

Architecture Studio is distributed as a single plugin for Claude Desktop and Claude Code. One install brings all 46 skills, all 7 agents, and all four hooks — NYC due diligence, site planning, zoning, programming, specifications, sustainability, materials research, presentations, project memory, and a guided learning course.

Prerequisites

You need one of the following:

• Claude Desktop (Mac or Windows) — the standalone app from claude.ai
• Claude Code — the CLI tool, available via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Both require an active Claude Pro or Team subscription.

Installing in Claude Desktop

Step 1: Open the Customize panel

Click the sliders icon in the sidebar to open Customize, then select Skills in the left panel. You’ll see any existing skills listed under Personal skills and Built-in skills.

Under Personal plugins, click Create plugin to expand the menu, then select Add marketplace.

Step 2: Add the Architecture Studio marketplace

In the Add marketplace dialog, paste the repository URL:

https://github.com/AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects

Click Sync to connect the marketplace.

Step 3: Install the plugin

After syncing, click Browse plugins to open the Directory. Select the Personal tab and click the + button on the Architecture Studio card. That single install loads everything.

Installing in Claude Code (CLI)

# Add the marketplace
claude plugin marketplace add AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects

# Install the plugin
claude plugin install as@skills-for-architects

Verifying the installation

After installing, type /as:studio in any conversation. If the plugin is installed correctly, Claude will present the Architecture Studio menu listing all available workflows.

You can also type / followed by any skill name (e.g., /as:zoning-analysis-nyc, /as:environmental-analysis, /as:epd-parser) to invoke a specific skill directly. Type /as:tool-catalog for the full list of available commands. New to Claude Code entirely? Type /as:learn — a guided, hands-on course built for architects.

Updating

The plugin updates automatically when the marketplace source is updated. To manually refresh in Claude Code:

claude plugin marketplace update skills-for-architects

Upgrading from v1.3

v1.4 changes the installed plugin identity. Architecture Studio now installs as as@skills-for-architects and its commands are namespaced /as:<skill>. The old install receives no further updates, and there are no compatibility aliases.

claude plugin marketplace update skills-for-architects
claude plugin uninstall architecture-studio@skills-for-architects
claude plugin install as@skills-for-architects

Then reload plugins or restart Claude Code.

The reinstall changes plugin code only. It does not delete or rewrite your project or workspace files, and your existing welcome and update-check preferences carry over. If you maintain Claude settings by hand, replace the old plugin identifier with the new one and change nothing else.

One project-level step is not automatic: if a project still uses the v1.x PROJECT.md Decisions table, open that project and run /as:project migrate. Review the proposed migration before approving it.

Upgrading from v1.2 or earlier

Before v1.3, Architecture Studio shipped as ten separate plugins (00-due-diligence … 09-project-dossier). Those installs no longer receive updates. Uninstall them, refresh the marketplace, and install the single plugin — there is no need to stop at v1.3 on the way:

for p in 00-due-diligence 01-site-planning 02-zoning-analysis 03-programming \
         04-specifications 05-sustainability 06-materials-research \
         07-presentations 08-dispatcher 09-project-dossier; do
  claude plugin uninstall "$p@skills-for-architects"
done

claude plugin marketplace update skills-for-architects
claude plugin install as@skills-for-architects

Everything the ten plugins provided is included; no skill was dropped.

Troubleshooting

The plugin appears in the Directory but skills don’t show: You browsed the marketplace but didn’t install. Go to Customize → Skills → Create plugin → Add marketplace, then Browse plugins and install Architecture Studio.

/as:studio doesn’t work: Make sure the plugin is installed — it provides the /as:studio entry point.

Skills don’t trigger automatically: Some skills trigger on slash commands only. Type / to see the full list of available commands.

Distributing to a team? See Distributing Skills to Teams for project settings, managed settings, and MDM deployment.

Need help? Open an issue on GitHub or email [email protected].