Our word for it
What is a Flow?
A Flow is Flowy’s name for a Claude Code plugin that ships two things most plugins do not: a FLOW.md router that maps your intent to the skill that should handle it, and a hook that re-asserts that routing on every prompt. The result is that its skills fire as you work, instead of waiting to be called by name.
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Looking for the general answer rather than ours? Start with what a Claude Code plugin is. This page is about the specific kind Flowy publishes.
Why the word exists
We coined it, and it is fair to ask why a new word was needed when “plugin” already existed. Plugin describes the packaging: a bundle that installs several components at once. That part Flowy shares with every other plugin, and it is not the interesting part.
What has no common name is a plugin whose skills are routed: pointed at one goal, fired in an order, and held there by a hook for the length of a session. That is the thing worth naming, so we named it. If the word ever stops earning its keep, the mechanism underneath it is still just a router and a hook, and you can read both.
A Flow versus a plain plugin
Everything a plugin does, a Flow does. The rows that differ are all downstream of one thing: who decides which skill runs.
| Any plugin | A Flow | |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | A bundle of components | The same bundle, plus routing |
| Skills available after install | Yes | Yes |
| Decides which skill fits a prompt | The agent, case by case | A FLOW.md router |
| Survives a long session | Judgment weakens as context grows | A hook re-asserts the routing |
| Survives context compaction | Routing is not re-read | Re-read on the compaction event |
| You have to remember skill names | Yes | No |
What is inside a Flow?
Three parts, and you can read all of them before you install anything.
01
Hand-picked skills
A set that belongs to one goal, not everything the author ever wrote. Each is a SKILL.md you can read.
02
A FLOW.md router
The decision tree. It maps the context behind a prompt to a branch, and each branch names which skills to invoke and in which order. The branch that matters most is the one that fires nothing.
03
An enforcement hook
A script on a lifecycle event. It re-asserts the routing each prompt and again after context compaction, which is what stops the routing decaying over a long session.
Use hooks to enforce behavior deterministically. If the skill is large or you invoked several others after it, re-invoke it after compaction to restore the full content.
The hook and the re-invoke are not a workaround we invented. They are what Anthropic recommends for exactly this problem, and a Flow is that recommendation packaged so you do not have to wire it yourself.
How do I install a Flow?
The same way you install any Claude Code plugin. Add the marketplace, install the engine, add the overlay, activate.
> /plugin marketplace add flowy-sh/flowy-core> /plugin install flowy-core> /plugin install flowy-superpowers> /flowy-superpowers:activate
# now prompt normally. the Flow routes from here
FAQ
What is a Flow in Flowy?
A Flow is Flowy’s name for a Claude Code plugin that ships two things most plugins do not: a FLOW.md router that maps your intent to the skill that should handle it, and a hook that re-asserts that routing on every prompt. Its skills fire as you work rather than waiting to be invoked by name.
Is a Flow different from a Claude Code plugin?
A Flow is a Claude Code plugin. Every Flow installs the same way any plugin does. The difference is what it carries: a routing file and an enforcement hook on top of the skills, which is what turns an installed skill into one that actually runs at the right moment.
What is inside a Flow?
Three parts. A hand-picked set of skills that belong to one goal, a FLOW.md router that maps intent to the right skill and the right order, and a hook that re-asserts the routing each prompt and after context compaction so it does not decay across a long session.
Why is it called a Flow and not a plugin?
Because the word names the part that is different. Plugin describes the packaging, which Flowy shares with every other plugin. Flow describes a plugin whose skills are routed and enforced toward one goal, which is the part worth having a word for.
Do I need a Flow to use Claude Code skills?
No. Skills work on their own and plugins install them fine. A Flow matters when you want the right skill to fire without you remembering which one to call, especially in long sessions where an agent’s judgment about loading a skill weakens and resets after compaction.
Read one before you install it.
Every Flow is open source, and every skill inside it is a file you can read first.