Build Plugins

DotCraft plugins distribute reusable capabilities. The fastest path is to ask the built-in $plugin-creator to scaffold the plugin first, then tailor the generated descriptions, tool behavior, and verification notes for your use case.

If you are only adding a personal workflow for the current project, create a regular skill first. Build a plugin when you want to distribute skills, dynamic tools, icons, and install-page metadata together.

Start With Plugin Creator

Describe the plugin you want directly in chat:

$plugin-creator create a plugin named External Process Echo with one skill and one external process tool.

You can include the runtime, language, and verification goal:

$plugin-creator create a local plugin that provides an EchoText dynamic tool through a Python process and includes install verification notes.

plugin-creator generates the DotCraft plugin directory, .craft-plugin/plugin.json, a plugin-contained skill, and optional process-backed dynamic tool scaffolding. After generation, you usually only need to:

1. Replace TODOs and sample copy.
2. Implement or adjust the tool process behavior.
3. Install the plugin locally and refresh the Plugins page to verify it.

DotCraft Plugin Structure

DotCraft uses .craft-plugin/plugin.json as the plugin entry point:

my-plugin/
  .craft-plugin/
    plugin.json
  skills/
    my-skill/
      SKILL.md
  tools/
    tool_process.py

DotCraft v1 supports two contribution types:

Content	Description
skills	DotCraft/Codex-compatible skills distributed with the plugin.
tools	DotCraft dynamic tools the Agent can call, optionally executed by a local stdio process.

Understand the Minimal Manifest

You usually do not need to write the full manifest by hand. For troubleshooting or advanced customization, know the basic shape:

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "id": "my-plugin",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "displayName": "My Plugin",
  "description": "Package reusable DotCraft capabilities.",
  "skills": "./skills/",
  "interface": {
    "displayName": "My Plugin",
    "shortDescription": "Reusable workflow for DotCraft",
    "developerName": "Your team",
    "category": "Coding"
  }
}

Plugins with external-process dynamic tools also include tools and processes. Let plugin-creator generate that structure, then edit it for your tool.

Verify Locally

1. Put the plugin under .craft/plugins/<plugin-id>/, or add the plugin directory to Plugins.PluginRoots.
2. Open the Desktop Plugins page and click Refresh.
3. Open the plugin detail page and confirm the tools and plugin-contained skills.
4. Describe the capability in chat, or click Try in chat.
5. If the plugin does not appear, check the diagnostics banner on the Plugins page.

When to Read the Reference

Read the full references when you need advanced details such as:

• the JSON-RPC protocol for process-backed dynamic tools
• approval metadata for tools
• manifest path rules
• complete fields and schema

References:

• src/DotCraft.Core/Skills/BuiltIn/plugin-creator/references/plugin-json-spec.md
• Plugin Architecture Spec

Related Docs

• Install and Use Plugins
• Search and Install Skills
• AppServer Protocol