> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qomicex.top/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plugin development guide

## Plugin development guide

This section is for ecosystem developers. It covers the architecture of the Qomicex plugin system (plugin system), the development workflow, and every interface.

## What a plugin is

A Qomicex plugin (Plugins)(`.qplugin`) is essentially a **ZIP archive** containing a `manifest.json` manifest and the plugin's frontend assets (HTML / JS / CSS). After installation the Launcher (Launcher)renders and executes it in a controlled sandbox or inline environment, where it can call the plugin API (plugin API)exposed by the launcher to read and write settings, operate on instances, make network requests, and inject UI.

## Plugin capabilities

| Capability | Description |
| - | - |
| Inject sidebar entries | Create entries at the bottom of the sidebar through `contributes.menuItems` (navigate to a page or open an overlay window) |
| Dashboard widget (Dashboard widget) | Declare the `dashboard:widgets` slot through `contributes.slots` to add UI to the editable dashboard widget grid |
| Plugin settings page (Plugin Settings) | Declare through `contributes.settingsPages`; settings UI is collected under Settings → Plugins → Plugin settings |
| Overlay window (Overlay window) | Declare through `contributes.overlay` to create a draggable standalone mini window |
| Plugin page | Serve a full page through `entry.frontend`, mounted at `/plugins/p/:id` |
| Settings read/write | Read and write the plugin's own `settings.json` (`getSettings` / `setSettings`) |
| Plugin cache | Read and write the plugin's own `cache.json` (`setCache` / `getCache`, with TTL expiry) |
| Network requests | Call the Backend (Backend)API directly (`callBackend`) or reach the internet through the CORS proxy (`proxyFetch` / `proxyFetchStream`) |
| Plugin-to-plugin calls | Register methods for other plugins to call (`registerMethod` / `callPlugin`) |
| Intercept launcher methods | Inject logic before and after launcher methods through the Hook system (modify arguments or return values, block execution, replace entirely) |
| Theme following | Follow the launcher's light and dark themes automatically (CSS variable injection) |

## Library plugins (Library plugin)

Some plugins provide no UI and exist only as **capability libraries** that other plugins depend on (for example, MarkdownLib provides `renderMarkdown`). These plugins declare no `contributes`, so they **create no sidebar entry**. See [Plugin dependencies and inter-plugin calls](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/dependencies.md).

## Contents (contents)

**Getting started**

* [Plugin development overview](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins.md)
* [Build your first plugin from scratch](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/creating-plugin.md)
* [React + Vite plugin development](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/react-plugin.md)

**Core reference**

* [Manifest reference](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/manifest.md)
* [Complete plugin API reference](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/plugin-api.md)
* [UI component library (.p-\* styles)](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/plugin-ui.md)
* [Plugin dependencies and inter-plugin calls](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/dependencies.md)

**Advanced**

* [WASM plugins (L3)](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/wasm-plugin.md)
* [L4 remote WebView](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/webview-l4.md)
* [Overlay window development](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/overlay.md)
* [Dashboard widgets (dashboard:widgets)](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/dashboard-widget.md)
* [Plugin settings page (settingsPages)](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/settings-page.md)
* [Hook system (intercepting launcher methods)](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/hooks.md)
* [Theme system](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/theme.md)

**Tooling and debugging**

* [CLI reference](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/cli.md)
* [Debugging and hot reload](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/debugging.md)
* [AI-assisted development](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/ai-development.md)

**Publishing and quality**

* [Publishing guidelines](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/publishing.md)
* [Canary telemetry](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/telemetry.md)
* [Development tips and pitfalls](https://docs.qomicex.top/en/plugins/pitfalls.md)


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