fix(dev): link-github links plugins from the ledmatrix-plugins monorepo

link-github <name> cloned https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-<name>.git,
and those per-plugin repositories no longer exist: official plugins are
directories in the ledmatrix-plugins monorepo. It now clones (or pulls) the
monorepo once into the dev directory, finds plugins/<name>,
plugins/ledmatrix-<name> or the plugin whose manifest id is <name>, and
links it under its manifest id. With an explicit repo URL it still links a
single-repository plugin as before.

dev_plugins.json: github_user is honoured again (monorepo owner, e.g. a
fork), plus plugins_repo and plugins_branch; github_pattern, which was
documented but never read, is dropped and warned about. Ships
dev_plugins.json.example and git-ignores dev_plugins.json, both of which
the guide promised. Reading JSON falls back to python3 when jq is missing
(get_plugin_id silently returned nothing without jq).

update/status/list find the git checkout above a monorepo plugin
directory (its .git is not in the plugin dir), and update pulls a shared
checkout once. status no longer exits 1 when nothing is broken.

Docs: PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE (quick start, link-github, configuration,
workflow, store integration, hello-world link, submission), and the
nonexistent scripts/git-hooks/pre-push-plugin-version and
scripts/bump_plugin_version.py replaced with the real rule: bump the
manifest version and run update_registry.py. scripts/dev/README.md and
CLAUDE.md updated to match.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Chuck
2026-09-17 09:03:52 -04:00
co-authored by Claude Opus 5
parent 9378901054
commit 4d9c52f182
6 changed files with 319 additions and 165 deletions
+105 -86
View File
@@ -45,28 +45,45 @@ The solution uses **symbolic links** to connect plugin repositories to the `plug
## Quick Start
### 1. Link a Plugin from GitHub
Official plugins all live in one repository,
[ledmatrix-plugins](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins), with
one directory per plugin under `plugins/` (there are no per-plugin
`ledmatrix-<name>` repositories). The helper script links a plugin directory
from a checkout of that monorepo into LEDMatrix's `plugins/` directory.
The easiest way to link a plugin that's already on GitHub:
### 1. Link an Official Plugin
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github music
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github football-scoreboard
```
This will:
- Clone `https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-music.git` to `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/ledmatrix-music`
- Create a symbolic link from `plugins/music` to the cloned repository
- Validate that the plugin has a proper `manifest.json`
- Clone `https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins.git` to
`~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/ledmatrix-plugins` (or `git pull` it if it is
already there)
- Find `plugins/football-scoreboard` in it (also accepted:
`plugins/ledmatrix-<name>`, or a plugin whose manifest `id` is the name)
- Validate that it has a `manifest.json`
- Create a symbolic link named after the plugin's manifest id, e.g.
`plugins/football-scoreboard` → `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/ledmatrix-plugins/plugins/football-scoreboard`
### 2. Link a Local Plugin Repository
`link-github music` finds the monorepo's `plugins/ledmatrix-music` directory
and links it into LEDMatrix as `plugins/ledmatrix-music`, because
`ledmatrix-music` is that plugin's manifest id.
If you already have a plugin repository cloned locally:
To work from your fork of the monorepo, set `github_user` in
`dev_plugins.json` (see [Configuration](#configuration)).
### 2. Link a Local Plugin Directory
If you already have the monorepo (or a third-party plugin repository) cloned
locally:
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link music ../ledmatrix-music
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link hello-world ../ledmatrix-plugins/plugins/hello-world
```
This creates a symlink from `plugins/music` to your local repository path.
This creates a symlink from `plugins/hello-world` to that directory.
### 3. Check Status
@@ -79,13 +96,17 @@ See which plugins are linked and their git status:
### 4. Work on Your Plugin
```bash
cd plugins/music # Actually editing the linked repository
# Make your changes
cd plugins/football-scoreboard # Actually editing the monorepo checkout
# Make your changes, then bump "version" in manifest.json
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
git push origin main
git commit -m "feat(football-scoreboard): add new feature"
git push # to your fork, then open a PR against ledmatrix-plugins
```
In the monorepo, every plugin change must bump `version` in the plugin's
`manifest.json` and run `python update_registry.py`, or users won't receive
the update.
### 5. Update Plugins
Pull latest changes from remote:
@@ -118,7 +139,7 @@ Links a local plugin repository to the plugins directory.
**Example:**
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link football-scoreboard ../ledmatrix-football-scoreboard
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link football-scoreboard ../ledmatrix-plugins/plugins/football-scoreboard
```
**Notes:**
@@ -131,23 +152,25 @@ Links a local plugin repository to the plugins directory.
Clones a plugin from GitHub and links it.
**Arguments:**
- `plugin-name`: The name of the plugin (will be the directory name in `plugins/`)
- `repo-url`: (Optional) Full GitHub repository URL. If omitted, constructs from pattern: `https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-<plugin-name>.git`
- `plugin-name`: Without `repo-url`, the plugin to link from the monorepo: a
directory under `plugins/` (`<name>` or `ledmatrix-<name>`) or a manifest
id. The link is named after the plugin's manifest id. With `repo-url`, the
name of the link in `plugins/`.
- `repo-url`: (Optional) A plugin that has its own repository (e.g. a
third-party plugin). The repository root is linked.
**Examples:**
```bash
# Auto-construct URL from plugin name
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github music
# Official plugin, from the ledmatrix-plugins monorepo
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github stocks
# Use explicit URL
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github stocks https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-stocks.git
# Link from a different GitHub user
# Third-party plugin with its own repository
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github custom-plugin https://github.com/OtherUser/custom-plugin.git
```
**Notes:**
- Repositories are cloned to `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/` by default (configurable)
- The monorepo is cloned once and shared by every plugin you link from it
- If the repository already exists, it will be updated with `git pull` instead of re-cloning
- The cloned repository is preserved when you unlink the plugin
@@ -219,30 +242,28 @@ Updates plugin(s) by running `git pull` in their repositories.
### Custom Development Directory
By default, GitHub repositories are cloned to `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/`. You can customize this by creating a `dev_plugins.json` file:
By default, GitHub repositories are cloned to `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/`
and official plugins come from `ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins`. To change
either, copy `dev_plugins.json.example` (in the LEDMatrix root) to
`dev_plugins.json` and edit it. `dev_plugins.json` is git-ignored.
```json
{
"dev_plugins_dir": "/path/to/your/dev/plugins",
"github_user": "ChuckBuilds",
"github_pattern": "ledmatrix-",
"plugins": {
"music": {
"source": "github",
"url": "https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-music.git",
"branch": "main"
}
}
"dev_plugins_dir": "~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins",
"github_user": "your-github-user",
"plugins_repo": "ledmatrix-plugins",
"plugins_branch": "main"
}
```
**Configuration options:**
**Configuration options** (all optional):
- `dev_plugins_dir`: Where to clone GitHub repositories (default: `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins`)
- `github_user`: Default GitHub username for auto-constructing URLs
- `github_pattern`: Pattern for repository names (default: `ledmatrix-`)
- `plugins`: Plugin definitions (optional, for future auto-discovery features)
- `github_user`: Owner of the plugin monorepo that `link-github <name>` clones — set it to use your fork (default: `ChuckBuilds`)
- `plugins_repo`: Name of that monorepo (default: `ledmatrix-plugins`)
- `plugins_branch`: Branch to clone it at (default: the repository's default branch). Only applies when the clone is first made.
**Note:** Copy `dev_plugins.json.example` to `dev_plugins.json` and customize it. The `dev_plugins.json` file is git-ignored.
`github_pattern` from older versions of this guide is no longer used (the
script warns if it is set).
## Development Workflow
@@ -250,43 +271,46 @@ By default, GitHub repositories are cloned to `~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/`. You c
1. **Link your plugin for development:**
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github music
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github clock-simple
```
2. **Test in LEDMatrix:**
```bash
# Run LEDMatrix with your plugin
python run.py
# Run LEDMatrix with your plugin (emulator shown)
python3 run.py -e
```
3. **Make changes:**
```bash
cd plugins/music
cd plugins/clock-simple
# Edit files...
# Test changes...
```
4. **Commit to plugin repository:**
4. **Commit to the plugin repository:**
```bash
cd plugins/music # This is actually your repo
cd plugins/clock-simple # This is inside your monorepo checkout
# bump "version" in manifest.json, then from the monorepo root:
# python update_registry.py
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
git push origin main
git commit -m "feat(clock-simple): add new feature"
git push
```
5. **Update from remote (if needed):**
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh update music
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh update clock-simple
```
6. **When done developing:**
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh unlink music
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh unlink clock-simple
```
### Working with Multiple Plugins
You can have multiple plugins linked simultaneously:
You can have multiple plugins linked simultaneously. Plugins linked from the
monorepo share one checkout:
```bash
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github music
@@ -296,7 +320,7 @@ You can have multiple plugins linked simultaneously:
# Check status of all
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh status
# Update all at once
# Update all at once (the shared monorepo checkout is pulled once)
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh update
```
@@ -411,7 +435,7 @@ If you have conflicts when updating:
1. **Manually resolve in the plugin repository:**
```bash
cd ~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/ledmatrix-music
cd ~/.ledmatrix-dev-plugins/ledmatrix-plugins
git pull
# Resolve conflicts...
git add .
@@ -472,18 +496,19 @@ You can mix local and GitHub plugins:
The development workflow is separate from the plugin store installation:
- **Plugin Store:** Installs plugins to `plugins/` as regular directories
- **Development Setup:** Links plugin repositories as symlinks
- **Plugin Store:** Installs plugins as regular directories in the configured
plugins directory (`plugin-repos/` by default)
- **Development Setup:** Links plugin directories as symlinks in `plugins/`
If you install a plugin via the store, you can still link it for development:
The plugin loader scans only one directory, so while developing set
`plugin_system.plugins_directory` to `plugins` (see the note at the top of
this guide). If `plugins/` already holds a regular directory of the same
name, `link`/`link-github` offers to rename it to
`<name>.backup.<timestamp>` before linking.
```bash
# Store installs to plugins/music (regular directory)
# Link for development (will prompt to replace)
./scripts/dev/dev_plugin_setup.sh link-github music
```
When you unlink, the directory is removed. If you want to switch back to the store version, re-install it via the plugin store.
`unlink` removes only the symlink. To switch back to the store version, set
`plugins_directory` back to `plugin-repos` (or reinstall the plugin from the
store).
## API Reference
@@ -527,7 +552,7 @@ Want to create and share your own plugin? Here's everything you need to know.
- [Advanced Plugin Development](ADVANCED_PLUGIN_DEVELOPMENT.md) - Patterns and examples
2. **Start with a template**:
- Use the [Hello World plugin](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-hello-world) as a starting point
- Use the [Hello World plugin](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins/tree/main/plugins/hello-world) as a starting point
- Or fork an existing plugin and modify it
3. **Follow the plugin structure**:
@@ -591,24 +616,16 @@ Your plugin must:
### Versioning Best Practices
- **Use semantic versioning**: `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` (e.g., `1.2.3`)
- **GitHub as source of truth**: the plugin store resolves versions in this
order: GitHub Releases → GitHub Tags → manifest from branch → git commit hash
- **Automatic version bumping**: install the self-contained pre-push hook in
your plugin repo and patch versions bump themselves on push (a git tag
`v{version}` is created and `manifest.json` staged automatically):
```bash
# From your plugin repository directory
cp /path/to/LEDMatrix/scripts/git-hooks/pre-push-plugin-version .git/hooks/pre-push
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-push
```
Set `SKIP_TAG=1` in the environment to skip auto-tagging for one push.
- **Manual versioning**: only needed for major/minor bumps, CI pipelines that
bypass hooks, or forks without the hook — use
`scripts/bump_plugin_version.py`.
- **Registry stores no versions**: `plugins.json` holds only metadata (name,
description, repo URL).
- **Bump `version` in `manifest.json` by hand** for every change you ship.
There is no automatic version-bump hook or bump script.
- **Official (monorepo) plugins**: after bumping the manifest, run
`python update_registry.py` in the `ledmatrix-plugins` checkout. It copies
each manifest's version into `plugins.json` as `latest_version`, which is
what the store compares installed versions against. Without it, users
won't be offered the update.
- **Plugins in their own repository**: still bump the manifest `version`,
so users can see which version they run; tagging releases (`v1.2.3`) to
match is a good habit.
### Submitting to Official Registry
@@ -620,12 +637,14 @@ To have your plugin added to the official plugin store:
- Follows best practices
- Tested on Raspberry Pi hardware
2. **Create GitHub repository**:
- Repository name: `ledmatrix-<plugin-name>`
- Public repository
- Proper README.md with installation instructions
2. **Choose where it lives** (see `SUBMISSION.md` in
[ledmatrix-plugins](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins)):
- **In the monorepo (preferred):** fork ledmatrix-plugins, add
`plugins/<your-plugin-id>/`, and open a pull request
- **In your own public repository** (conventionally
`ledmatrix-<plugin-name>`), with a README that covers installation
3. **Contact maintainers**:
3. **Contact maintainers** (own-repository plugins):
- Open a GitHub issue in the [ledmatrix-plugins](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins) repository
- Or reach out on Discord: https://discord.gg/uW36dVAtcT
- Include: Repository URL, plugin description, why it's useful