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5 Claude Code Plugins to Install First: OmniRoute, Frontend Design, Headroom, MemPalace, Playwright

8 minute readUpdated October 2026Explore more

TL;DR

Five free add-ons make Claude Code a lot stronger. OmniRoute keeps you coding when your Claude limit hits, Frontend Design makes pages look designed, Headroom shrinks long logs so you spend fewer tokens, MemPalace remembers your past chats, and the Playwright MCP gives Claude its own browser. Four of them have over 244,000 GitHub stars together. You don't set any of them up by hand: paste each GitHub link into Claude Code and say install this.

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The five Claude Code plugins and what each one does

Claude Code works fine on its own. These five add-ons fix its biggest gaps: running out of usage, bland design, wasted tokens, forgetting your chats, and not being able to look at a website. They are free and open source.

  • OmniRoute: switches to another model when your Claude limit hits.
  • Frontend Design: Anthropic's own plugin that makes pages look designer-made.
  • Headroom: shrinks long logs and tool output before Claude reads them.
  • MemPalace: stores your past chats so Claude can remember them.
  • Playwright MCP: gives Claude its own browser to test a site.

OmniRoute, Headroom, MemPalace and Playwright MCP have over 244,000 GitHub stars together. Frontend Design lives inside Anthropic's Claude Code repo, so it isn't counted.

Number 1: OmniRoute keeps you coding when your limit hits

The OmniRoute repo on GitHub with its star count
OmniRoute by diegosouzapw on GitHub (MIT license)

OmniRoute is a free gateway, a middleman that sits between Claude Code and many AI models. It has quota-aware auto-fallback, so when one model runs out it tries the next one. It runs on your own computer.

How to install OmniRoute: copy the repo URL below, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install this.

repo URLhttps://github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute

Or install it by hand (from the README). The server starts on localhost:20128.

bashnpm install -g omniroute

Best practices for OmniRoute:

  • Use your own API keys or its free providers. Anthropic does not allow routing your Free, Pro or Max login through a third-party tool, so never connect your Claude subscription to it.
  • Free models are not Claude, so give them small jobs like quick fixes, renames and questions.
  • Start a fresh Claude Code session when you switch models, so the new model doesn't get a giant chat.

Prompts to try with OmniRoute:

promptRead this repo: https://github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute
Install it on my computer, then show me the exact setting that points Claude Code at it. Do not change my main Claude Code settings. Put it in a separate file and tell me the one command to start Claude Code with it.
promptUsing OmniRoute, set up a fallback order for me: my own API key first, then free models. Explain in plain words what happens when the first one hits its limit.

Number 2: Frontend Design makes pages look designer-made

The Frontend Design plugin folder inside Anthropic's Claude Code repo
Frontend Design plugin in Anthropic's claude-code repo on GitHub

Frontend Design is made by Anthropic. It helps Claude build interfaces with bold choices, distinctive fonts and colors, and motion, instead of the same bland look every AI page has. Claude uses it by itself whenever you ask for frontend work.

How to install Frontend Design: copy the repo URL below, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install the frontend-design plugin from this repo.

repo URLhttps://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/frontend-design

Best practices for Frontend Design:

  • Say who the page is for and what it should feel like. A clear mood gets a clear design.
  • Ask for one page or one section at a time, not the whole site.
  • Name a real style you like, such as calm and minimal, or loud and playful.

Prompts to try with Frontend Design:

promptBuild a landing page for [my business] using the frontend-design plugin. The people who visit are [who they are]. It should feel [calm / bold / playful]. Make the type and colors distinctive, not a template.
promptLook at my current page and redesign only the top section with the frontend-design plugin. Keep my words and my logo.

Number 3: Headroom shrinks logs so you spend fewer tokens

The Headroom repo on GitHub with its star count
Headroom by headroomlabs-ai on GitHub (Apache-2.0 license)

A token is a small chunk of text, and Claude's usage limit counts them. Headroom squeezes long logs, files and tool output before Claude reads them. Its own demo shrinks a log from 10,144 tokens to 1,260 tokens, and the error line that matters is still found.

How to install Headroom: copy the repo URL below, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install this.

repo URLhttps://github.com/headroomlabs-ai/headroom

Or install it by hand (from the README), then start Claude Code through it:

bashuv tool install --python 3.13 "headroom-ai[all]"
headroom wrap claude

Best practices for Headroom:

  • Start Claude Code with headroom wrap claude each time, so the setup runs.
  • Run headroom doctor once to confirm it is working.
  • Check headroom dashboard now and then to see how many tokens you saved.

Prompts to try with Headroom:

promptRead this repo: https://github.com/headroomlabs-ai/headroom
Install it, run its health check, and tell me in plain words how to start Claude Code through it every time.
promptRun my test suite, then tell me which error actually matters. Use the shortened output, and ask for the full log only if you need it.

Number 4: MemPalace makes Claude remember your past chats

The MemPalace repo on GitHub with its star count
MemPalace on GitHub (MIT license)

MemPalace saves your conversation history word for word and finds it again with search by meaning. It does not summarize anything. It is local-first, so nothing leaves your computer unless you choose that.

How to install MemPalace: copy the repo URL below, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install this. Its setup skill picks the right steps for your computer.

repo URLhttps://github.com/MemPalace/mempalace

Or install it by hand (from the README), then ask your coding agent to set it up:

bashnpx skills add MemPalace/mempalace

Best practices for MemPalace:

  • Use the official GitHub page and the official docs only. The README warns that other websites with the MemPalace name are impostors.
  • Keep it private: choose the local option when setup asks.
  • Read the README's note on Claude Code chats. It says they expire in 30 days unless auto-save hooks are set up.

Prompts to try with MemPalace:

promptRead https://github.com/MemPalace/mempalace and set it up for me as a private local palace. Then tell me how to make sure my Claude Code chats get saved.
promptSearch my past chats for what we decided about [topic] and tell me what we chose and why.

Number 5: The Playwright MCP gives Claude its own browser

The Playwright MCP repo on GitHub with its star count
Playwright MCP by Microsoft on GitHub (Apache-2.0 license)

The Playwright MCP is a browser server made by Microsoft. With it, Claude can open a real website, click around and look at the page. So Claude can test your site, spot what's broken, and fix it.

How to install the Playwright MCP: copy the repo URL below, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install this.

repo URLhttps://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp

Or install it by hand (from the README, Claude Code section):

bashclaude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Best practices for the Playwright MCP:

  • Test your own site or a test copy first, not pages with real customer data.
  • Ask Claude to describe what it sees before it changes anything.
  • Have Claude test again after each fix, so you know the fix worked.

Prompts to try with the Playwright MCP:

promptOpen [my site URL] in the browser. Click through the main pages and the signup form. List everything that looks broken or confusing, then fix the most important one and test it again.
promptOpen my site on a phone-sized screen and tell me what looks cut off or too small.

Which plugin to install first

  • Hit your Claude limit a lot: start with OmniRoute, then Headroom.
  • Build websites: start with Frontend Design, then the Playwright MCP.
  • Keep forgetting what you told Claude: start with MemPalace.
  • Not sure: install Headroom and the Playwright MCP. They help on almost every project.
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Common questions

  • Are these Claude Code plugins free?

    Yes. All five are free and open source. OmniRoute and MemPalace use the MIT license, Headroom and the Playwright MCP use Apache-2.0, and Frontend Design is in Anthropic's open Claude Code repo.

  • How do I install a Claude Code plugin from GitHub?

    Copy the GitHub link, paste it into Claude Code, and say: install this. Claude reads the README and does the steps. The guide also lists the manual command for each one.

  • Is it safe to connect my Claude subscription to OmniRoute?

    No. Anthropic does not permit routing requests through Free, Pro or Max plan credentials or through third parties holding Claude.ai credentials. Use your own API keys or free providers instead.

  • Will Headroom cut out the error message in a log?

    Its own demo shrinks a 10,144-token log to 1,260 tokens and still finds the error line. Run headroom doctor to check your setup, and ask Claude for the full log if you ever need it.

  • Which plugin should I install first?

    If you run out of usage, start with OmniRoute and Headroom. If you build websites, start with Frontend Design and the Playwright MCP. If you want Claude to remember, start with MemPalace.

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