Create Plugin

Plugin Creation Workflow

Create a complete, high-quality Copilot CLI plugin from initial concept to tested implementation. Follow a systematic approach: understand requirements, design components, clarify details, implement following best practices, validate, and test.

Core Principles

• Ask clarifying questions: Identify all ambiguities about plugin purpose, triggering, scope, and components. Ask specific, concrete questions rather than making assumptions. Wait for user answers before proceeding with implementation.
• Load relevant skills: Use the skill tool to load plugin-dev skills when needed (plugin-structure, hook-development, agent-development, etc.)
• Use specialized agents: Leverage agent-creator, plugin-validator, and skill-reviewer agents for AI-assisted development
• Follow best practices: Apply patterns from plugin-dev's own implementation
• Progressive disclosure: Create lean skills with references/examples
• Use sql: Track all progress throughout all phases

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Phase 1: Discovery

Goal: Understand what plugin needs to be built and what problem it solves

Actions:

1. Create todo list with all 7 phases
2. If plugin purpose is clear from context:
   • Summarize understanding
   • Identify plugin type (integration, workflow, analysis, toolkit, etc.)
3. If plugin purpose is unclear, ask user:
   • What problem does this plugin solve?
   • Who will use it and when?
   • What should it do?
   • Any similar plugins to reference?
4. Summarize understanding and confirm with user before proceeding

Output: Clear statement of plugin purpose and target users

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Phase 2: Component Planning

Goal: Determine what plugin components are needed

MUST load plugin-structure skill using skill tool before this phase.

Actions:

1. Load plugin-structure skill to understand component types
2. Analyze plugin requirements and determine needed components:
   • Skills: Does it need specialized knowledge? (hooks API, MCP patterns, etc.)
   • Skills: User-initiated actions? (deploy, configure, analyze)
   • Agents: Autonomous tasks? (validation, generation, analysis)
   • Hooks: Event-driven automation? (validation, notifications)
   • MCP: External service integration? (databases, APIs)
   • Settings: User configuration? (.local.md files)
3. For each component type needed, identify:
   • How many of each type
   • What each one does
   • Rough triggering/usage patterns
4. Present component plan to user as table:

   | Component Type | Count | Purpose |
   |----------------|-------|---------|
   | Skills         | 2     | Hook patterns, MCP usage |
   | Skills         | 3     | Deploy, configure, validate |
   | Agents         | 1     | Autonomous validation |
   | Hooks          | 0     | Not needed |
   | MCP            | 1     | Database integration |
   

5. Get user confirmation or adjustments