feat: cross-platform plugin sync with path normalization

- Add path normalization for plugin configs (installed_plugins.json, known_marketplaces.json)
- Push: convert absolute paths to $CLAUDE_DIR placeholder
- Pull: expand placeholder to local path, convert backslashes to forward slashes on Unix
- Remove plugins/cache and plugins/marketplaces from exclude patterns
- Enables "sync once and forget" - plugins work across Windows/macOS/Linux

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: FelixIsaac

internal/cmd/pull.go

@@ -175,12 +175,58 @@ func runPull(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if pullDryRun {
 		logInfo(fmt.Sprintf("[DRY RUN] Would restore %d files", count))
 	} else {
+		// Expand cross-platform path placeholders to local paths
+		if err := expandPluginPaths(paths.ClaudeDir); err != nil {
+			logWarn(fmt.Sprintf("Failed to expand plugin paths: %v", err))
+		}
+
 		logSuccess(fmt.Sprintf("Pull complete! Restored %d files.", count))
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
 
+// expandPluginPaths converts cross-platform placeholders to local platform paths
+// in plugin configuration files after pulling from the repo.
+func expandPluginPaths(claudeDir string) error {
+	// Find all JSON files in plugins directory that may contain path placeholders
+	pluginsDir := filepath.Join(claudeDir, "plugins")
+	if !sync.FileExists(pluginsDir) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	files, err := sync.WalkFiles(pluginsDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, file := range files {
+		if !strings.HasSuffix(file, ".json") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		data, err := os.ReadFile(file)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Only process if file contains the placeholder
+		if !strings.Contains(string(data), sync.ClaudeDirPlaceholder) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		expanded := sync.ExpandPathsInJSON(data, claudeDir)
+		if err := os.WriteFile(file, expanded, 0644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to write expanded %s: %w", file, err)
+		}
+
+		relPath := sync.RelPath(claudeDir, file)
+		logInfo(fmt.Sprintf("Expanded paths: %s", relPath))
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // createBackupZip creates a zip backup of the claude directory
 func createBackupZip(claudeDir, claudeJSON, dest string) error {
 	if err := sync.EnsureDir(filepath.Dir(dest)); err != nil {

internal/cmd/push.go

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package cmd
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/felixisaac/claude-code-sync/internal/config"
 	"github.com/felixisaac/claude-code-sync/internal/crypto"
@@ -116,6 +118,11 @@ func runPush(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	// Normalize paths in plugin config files for cross-platform compatibility
+	if err := normalizePluginPaths(paths.RepoDir, paths.ClaudeDir); err != nil {
+		logWarn(fmt.Sprintf("Failed to normalize plugin paths: %v", err))
+	}
+
 	// Generate manifest
 	logInfo("Generating manifest...")
 	entries, err := sync.GenerateManifest(paths.RepoDir)
@@ -162,3 +169,46 @@ func runPush(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	logSuccess("Push complete!")
 	return nil
 }
+
+// normalizePluginPaths converts platform-specific paths to cross-platform placeholders
+// in plugin configuration files for seamless syncing across Windows/macOS/Linux.
+func normalizePluginPaths(repoDir, claudeDir string) error {
+	// Find all JSON files in plugins directory that may contain paths
+	pluginsDir := filepath.Join(repoDir, "plugins")
+	if !sync.FileExists(pluginsDir) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	files, err := sync.WalkFiles(pluginsDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, file := range files {
+		if !strings.HasSuffix(file, ".json") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		data, err := os.ReadFile(file)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Only process if file contains the claude dir path
+		if !strings.Contains(string(data), claudeDir) &&
+			!strings.Contains(string(data), filepath.ToSlash(claudeDir)) &&
+			!strings.Contains(string(data), strings.ReplaceAll(claudeDir, `\`, `\\`)) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		normalized := sync.NormalizePathsInJSON(data, claudeDir)
+		if err := os.WriteFile(file, normalized, 0644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to write normalized %s: %w", file, err)
+		}
+
+		relPath := sync.RelPath(repoDir, file)
+		logInfo(fmt.Sprintf("Normalized paths: %s", relPath))
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}

internal/config/config.go

@@ -70,9 +70,6 @@ var DefaultExcludePatterns = []string{
 	"shell-snapshots",
 	"telemetry",
 	"sessionStorage",
-	// Plugins subdirs (keep installed_plugins.json, known_marketplaces.json)
-	"plugins/cache",
-	"plugins/marketplaces",
 	// Files
 	"history.jsonl",
 	"stats-cache.json",

internal/sync/paths.go

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package sync
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// ClaudeDirPlaceholder is used to replace platform-specific paths in synced files
+const ClaudeDirPlaceholder = "$CLAUDE_DIR"
+
+// NormalizePathsInJSON replaces absolute ClaudeDir paths with a cross-platform placeholder.
+// This allows plugin configs to be synced across Windows/macOS/Linux.
+func NormalizePathsInJSON(data []byte, claudeDir string) []byte {
+	content := string(data)
+
+	// Handle escaped backslashes in JSON (Windows paths like C:\\Users\\...)
+	escapedClaudeDir := strings.ReplaceAll(claudeDir, `\`, `\\`)
+	content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, escapedClaudeDir, ClaudeDirPlaceholder)
+
+	// Handle forward slash version (normalized paths)
+	forwardSlashDir := filepath.ToSlash(claudeDir)
+	content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, forwardSlashDir, ClaudeDirPlaceholder)
+
+	// Handle raw backslash version (shouldn't normally appear in JSON, but just in case)
+	content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, claudeDir, ClaudeDirPlaceholder)
+
+	return []byte(content)
+}
+
+// ExpandPathsInJSON replaces the cross-platform placeholder with the local ClaudeDir path.
+// The expanded path uses the native format for the current platform.
+func ExpandPathsInJSON(data []byte, claudeDir string) []byte {
+	content := string(data)
+
+	// For JSON files, we need to use escaped backslashes on Windows
+	// Check if we're on Windows by looking for backslashes in claudeDir
+	if strings.Contains(claudeDir, `\`) {
+		// Windows: use escaped backslashes for JSON
+		escapedClaudeDir := strings.ReplaceAll(claudeDir, `\`, `\\`)
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, ClaudeDirPlaceholder, escapedClaudeDir)
+	} else {
+		// Unix: replace placeholder and convert any remaining backslashes to forward slashes
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, ClaudeDirPlaceholder, claudeDir)
+		// Convert escaped backslashes (\\) to forward slashes
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, `\\`, `/`)
+		// Convert single backslashes to forward slashes (shouldn't happen in JSON but just in case)
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, `\`, `/`)
+	}
+
+	return []byte(content)
+}