Install and manage plugins

Plugins provide tools the agent can use. ABot includes a bundled catalog and can load additional packages from your installation’s plugins/ folder. The Marketplace is a directory of community repositories; the Runtime still asks you to review and confirm an installation locally.

Install from a GitHub repository

Finish active conversations and Jobs first. Installation and configuration changes require the owning Runtime environments to be idle; an open but idle conversation is fine.

1. Open Plugins → Discover.
2. Paste the public GitHub repository URL. If needed, select a branch, tag or commit and the folder containing the plugin.
3. Select Review plugin. Review the tools, package source and configuration fields.
4. Enter any required plugin credentials. Use a key intended for that integration, with appropriate restrictions at its provider.
5. Select Install and enable.
6. Back in Installed, select Apply changes to load the plugin.

Review resolves the source to an exact commit and validates its manifest and declared files without executing plugin code. Installation downloads that reviewed commit and checks its content digest. It does not run npm install, build commands or repository lifecycle scripts. Publishers must provide a complete, built package.

After applying: the plugin should appear in Installed with its selected tools available to new work. If an environment is busy or owned by another process, the UI explains why it cannot activate the saved change yet.

Structural validation and Marketplace approval are not a security audit or sandbox. Once loaded, plugin implementation is executable code on your Runtime host. Review the publisher and source before installing, and do not install code you would not otherwise trust to run there.

Install from the Marketplace

An Install in ABot link uses the registered abot: protocol. It opens Discover in the Runtime associated with your local Computer access pairing, with the repository ready for review. The browser may first ask whether to open ABot.

The link does not silently install the package or bypass confirmation. If nothing opens, check Home → Computer access and the repair or update action offered for your platform, such as Repair Mac connection. See connection troubleshooting. You can always copy the repository URL and paste it into Discover instead; manual review does not depend on the website or protocol handler.

The current GitHub installation flow supports public HTTPS repositories on github.com. Private repositories, in-place plugin updates and Studio packages are outside that flow. It will not overwrite an existing plugin with the same ID.

Enable only the tools you need

Use the whole-plugin switch to enable or disable a package. Select Manage tools to change individual tool selections without changing the others. Back or Escape returns to the plugin overview.

A plugin may be enabled while all its tools are off. Existing global or parent-level deny rules still apply; switching on one child tool does not remove those rules. FULL+ does not restore a tool that is disabled or unavailable.

Select Apply changes after saving your selections. A saved switch alone does not change an agent that has already loaded its configuration. For action approval behavior, see Projects and permissions.

Configure settings and credentials

Select Configure on an installed plugin. Ordinary values use form controls; objects and arrays use JSON. Save changes stores the local configuration; Apply changes loads it into idle Runtime owners. Use plugin default removes a local setting override when saved.

Settings and secrets are stored outside the package in:

<consumer-root>/.runtime/plugin-configuration.json

This is private local plaintext configuration, not an encrypted vault. Do not commit, publish or share it. A secret’s presence can be shown in the UI without returning the saved secret value. You can keep, replace or explicitly clear a credential; clearing a required one prevents the plugin from loading until it is configured again.

Remove a community plugin

For packages installed through the GitHub flow, Remove disables the plugin, applies the idle configuration and then deletes its installed folder. Built-in packages and manually copied folders do not offer this removal action.

Removal can delete data stored inside that plugin folder. Files stored elsewhere and locally configured settings or secrets are retained. Review retained credentials separately if you no longer intend to use the integration. Platform compatibility and tool availability are separate from permission: an incompatible plugin may remain inspectable without being executable on the current host.