LEDMatrix/docs/PLUGIN_REGISTRY_SETUP_GUIDE.md

Plugin Registry Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up and maintain your official plugin registry at https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins.

Overview

Your plugin registry serves as a central directory that lists all official, verified plugins. The registry is just a JSON file; the actual plugins live in their own repositories.

Repository Structure

ledmatrix-plugins/
├── README.md              # Main documentation
├── LICENSE               # GPL-3.0
├── plugins.json          # The registry file (main file!)
├── SUBMISSION.md         # Guidelines for submitting plugins
├── VERIFICATION.md       # Verification checklist
└── assets/               # Optional: screenshots, badges
    └── screenshots/

Step 1: Create plugins.json

This is the core file that the Plugin Store reads from.

Important: The registry stores metadata only (name, description, repo URL, etc.). The plugin store always pulls the latest commit information directly from GitHub, so you never manage semantic versions here.

File: plugins.json

{
  "last_updated": "2025-01-09T12:00:00Z",
  "plugins": [
    {
      "id": "clock-simple",
      "name": "Simple Clock",
      "description": "A clean, simple clock display with date and time",
      "author": "ChuckBuilds",
      "category": "time",
      "tags": ["clock", "time", "date"],
      "repo": "https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-clock-simple",
      "branch": "main",
      "stars": 12,
      "downloads": 156,
      "last_updated": "2025-01-09",
      "last_commit": "abc1234",
      "verified": true,
      "screenshot": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins/main/assets/screenshots/clock-simple.png"
    }
  ]
}

Note: There's no need for version arrays or release tracking. The store queries GitHub for the latest commit details (date, branch, and short SHA) whenever metadata is requested.

Step 2: Create Plugin Repositories

Each plugin should have its own repository:

Example: Creating clock-simple Plugin

1. Create new repo: ledmatrix-clock-simple
2. Add plugin files:

   ledmatrix-clock-simple/
   ├── manifest.json
   ├── manager.py
   ├── requirements.txt
   ├── config_schema.json
   ├── README.md
   └── assets/
   

3. Add to registry: Update plugins.json in ledmatrix-plugins repo

Step 3: Update README.md

Create a comprehensive README for your plugin registry:

# LEDMatrix Official Plugins

Official plugin registry for [LEDMatrix](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/LEDMatrix).

## Available Plugins

<!-- This table is auto-generated from plugins.json -->

| Plugin | Description | Category | Last Updated |
|--------|-------------|----------|--------------|
| [Simple Clock](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-clock-simple) | Clean clock display | Time | 2025-01-09 |
| [NHL Scores](https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-nhl-scores) | Live NHL scores | Sports | 2025-01-07 |

## Installation

All plugins can be installed through the LEDMatrix web interface:

1. Open web interface (http://your-pi-ip:5000)
2. Open the **Plugin Manager** tab
3. Browse or search the **Plugin Store** section
4. Click **Install**

Or via API:
```bash
curl -X POST http://your-pi-ip:5000/api/v3/plugins/install \
  -d '{"plugin_id": "clock-simple"}'

Submitting Plugins

See SUBMISSION.md for guidelines on submitting your plugin.

Creating Plugins

See the main LEDMatrix Plugin Developer Guide.

Plugin Categories

• Time: Clocks, timers, countdowns
• Sports: Scoreboards, schedules, stats
• Weather: Forecasts, current conditions
• Finance: Stocks, crypto, market data
• Entertainment: Games, animations, media
• Custom: Unique displays

## Step 4: Create SUBMISSION.md

Guidelines for community plugin submissions:

```markdown
# Plugin Submission Guidelines

Want to add your plugin to the official registry? Follow these steps!

## Requirements

Before submitting, ensure your plugin:

- ✅ Has a complete `manifest.json` with all required fields
- ✅ Follows the plugin architecture specification
- ✅ Has comprehensive README documentation
- ✅ Includes example configuration
- ✅ Has been tested on Raspberry Pi hardware
- ✅ Follows coding standards (PEP 8)
- ✅ Has proper error handling
- ✅ Uses logging appropriately
- ✅ Has no hardcoded API keys or secrets

## Submission Process

1. **Test Your Plugin**
   ```bash
   # Install via URL on your Pi
   curl -X POST http://your-pi:5000/api/v3/plugins/install-from-url \
     -d '{"repo_url": "https://github.com/you/ledmatrix-your-plugin"}'

2. Fork This Repo Fork ledmatrix-plugins

3. Update plugins.json Add your plugin entry (metadata only - no versions needed):

   {
     "id": "your-plugin",
     "name": "Your Plugin Name",
     "description": "What it does",
     "author": "YourName",
     "category": "custom",
     "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"],
     "repo": "https://github.com/you/ledmatrix-your-plugin",
     "branch": "main",
     "verified": false
   }
   

4. Submit Pull Request Create PR with title: "Add plugin: your-plugin-name"

Review Process

1. Automated Checks: Manifest validation, structure check
2. Code Review: Manual review of plugin code
3. Testing: Test installation and basic functionality
4. Approval: If accepted, merged and marked as verified

After Approval

• Plugin appears in official store
• verified: true badge shown
• Included in plugin count
• Featured in README

Updating Your Plugin

Whenever you push new commits to your plugin repository's default branch, the store will automatically surface the latest commit timestamp and short SHA. No release tagging or manifest version bumps are required.

You only need to update the registry if:

• Plugin metadata changes (name, description, category, etc.)
• Repository URL changes
• You want to update the verified status

To update metadata:

1. Fork the registry repo
2. Update plugins.json with new metadata
3. Submit PR with changes
4. We'll review and merge

Questions?

Open an issue in this repo or the main LEDMatrix repo.

## Step 5: Create VERIFICATION.md

Checklist for verifying plugins:

```markdown
# Plugin Verification Checklist

Use this checklist when reviewing plugin submissions.

## Code Review

- [ ] Follows BasePlugin interface
- [ ] Has proper error handling
- [ ] Uses logging appropriately
- [ ] No hardcoded secrets/API keys
- [ ] Follows Python coding standards
- [ ] Has type hints where appropriate
- [ ] Has docstrings for classes/methods

## Manifest Validation

- [ ] All required fields present
- [ ] Valid JSON syntax
- [ ] Last updated metadata present when available
- [ ] Category is valid
- [ ] Tags are descriptive

## Functionality

- [ ] Installs successfully via URL
- [ ] Dependencies install correctly
- [ ] Plugin loads without errors
- [ ] Display output works correctly
- [ ] Configuration schema validates
- [ ] Example config provided

## Documentation

- [ ] README.md exists and is comprehensive
- [ ] Installation instructions clear
- [ ] Configuration options documented
- [ ] Examples provided
- [ ] License specified

## Security

- [ ] No malicious code
- [ ] Safe dependency versions
- [ ] Appropriate permissions
- [ ] No network access without disclosure
- [ ] No file system access outside plugin dir

## Testing

- [ ] Tested on Raspberry Pi
- [ ] Works with 64x32 matrix (minimum)
- [ ] No excessive CPU/memory usage
- [ ] No crashes or freezes

## Approval

Once all checks pass:
- [ ] Set `verified: true` in plugins.json
- [ ] Merge PR
- [ ] Welcome plugin author
- [ ] Update stats (downloads, stars)

Step 6: Workflow for Adding Plugins

For Your Own Plugins

# 1. Create plugin in separate repo
mkdir ledmatrix-clock-simple
cd ledmatrix-clock-simple
# ... create plugin files ...

# 2. Push to GitHub
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-clock-simple
git push -u origin main

# 3. Update registry
cd ../ledmatrix-plugins
# Edit plugins.json to add new entry
git add plugins.json
git commit -m "Add clock-simple plugin"
git push

For Community Submissions

# 1. Receive PR on ledmatrix-plugins repo
# 2. Review using VERIFICATION.md checklist
# 3. Test installation:
curl -X POST http://pi:5000/api/v3/plugins/install-from-url \
  -d '{"repo_url": "https://github.com/contributor/plugin"}'

# 4. If approved, merge PR
# 5. Set verified: true in plugins.json

Step 7: Maintaining the Registry

Regular Updates

# Refresh local clones of all plugin repos
python3 scripts/update_plugin_repos.py

# (Re-)create local plugin repo checkouts from the registry
python3 scripts/setup_plugin_repos.py

# Audit installed plugins for manifest/schema problems
python3 scripts/audit_plugins.py

# Validate a single plugin
python3 scripts/check_plugin.py <plugin-id>

Registry regeneration (update_registry.py) lives in the ledmatrix-plugins monorepo, not in this repo.

Converting Existing Plugins

To convert your existing plugins (hello-world, clock-simple) to this system:

1. Move to Separate Repos

# For each plugin in plugins/
cd plugins/clock-simple

# Create new repo
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Extract clock-simple plugin"
git remote add origin https://github.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-clock-simple
git push -u origin main
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

2. Add to Registry

Update plugins.json in ledmatrix-plugins repo.

3. Keep or Remove from Main Repo

Decision:

• Keep: Leave in main repo for backward compatibility
• Remove: Delete from main repo, users install via store

Testing the Registry

After setting up:

# Test registry fetch
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ChuckBuilds/ledmatrix-plugins/main/plugins.json

# Test plugin installation
python3 -c "
from src.plugin_system.store_manager import PluginStoreManager
store = PluginStoreManager()
registry = store.fetch_registry()
print(f'Found {len(registry[\"plugins\"])} plugins')
"

Benefits of This Setup

✅ Centralized Discovery: One place to find all official plugins
✅ Decentralized Storage: Each plugin in its own repo
✅ Easy Maintenance: Update registry without touching plugin code
✅ Community Friendly: Anyone can submit via PR
✅ Version Control: Track plugin versions and updates
✅ Verified Badge: Show trust with verified plugins

Next Steps

1. Create plugins.json in your repo
2. Update the registry URL in LEDMatrix code (already done)
3. Create SUBMISSION.md and README.md
4. Move existing plugins to separate repos
5. Add them to the registry
6. Announce the plugin store!

References

• Plugin Store Implementation: See PLUGIN_IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md
• User Guide: See PLUGIN_STORE_GUIDE.md
• Architecture: See PLUGIN_ARCHITECTURE_SPEC.md