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Plugin Marketplace and Integration Plan

Plugin Marketplace This document defines SI’s plugin marketplace model and the implementation now available in si plugins .... Related:

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Goals

  • Provide a fast, operator-friendly path to add integrations without modifying SI core code for every new ecosystem.
  • Enforce namespaced plugin identity and safety checks before installation.
  • Keep a catalog/marketplace model that can evolve from local-first to hosted registries.
  • Support MCP-focused integrations (HTTP/SSE/stdio), provider metadata, and command hints.

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OpenClaw Lessons Applied

The SI design intentionally mirrors proven OpenClaw patterns:
  1. Manifest-first validation.
  • Like OpenClaw’s openclaw.plugin.json, SI requires si.plugin.json and validates metadata before install/use.
  1. Discovery precedence.
  • SI merges catalogs with clear precedence: built-in catalog, then ~/.si/plugins/catalog.json, then ~/.si/plugins/catalog.d/*.json.
  1. Safe installation boundaries.
  • SI uses safe install path resolution to prevent traversal escapes from ~/.si/plugins/installed.
  • Plugin source trees are copied without following symlinks.
  1. Lifecycle + diagnostics UX.
  • SI exposes list/info/install/uninstall/enable/disable/doctor/register/scaffold workflows.
  • si plugins doctor surfaces catalog and install-state problems in machine-readable JSON and human text.
  1. Explicit enable-state.
  • Install records track enabled separately from catalog metadata so operators can stage plugins safely.

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Manifest Contract (si.plugin.json)

Minimum required shape: 
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "id": "acme/release-mind",
  "namespace": "acme",
  "install": { "type": "none" }
}
Important rules:
  • id must be namespaced as <namespace>/<name> using lowercase segments.
  • namespace must match id prefix.
  • install.type allowed values:
    • none
    • local_path
    • mcp_http
    • oci_image
    • git
  • Optional legal/compliance metadata:
    • terms_url
    • privacy_url
    • license
  • Optional integration metadata:
    • integration.provider_ids
    • integration.commands
    • integration.mcp_servers
    • integration.capabilities

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Marketplace Sources

SI now loads catalog entries from:
  1. Embedded built-in catalog (si/browser-mcp seeded as core).
  2. User catalog file: ~/.si/plugins/catalog.json.
  3. User catalog directory: ~/.si/plugins/catalog.d/*.json.
  4. Optional env overrides via SI_PLUGIN_CATALOG_PATHS (comma/semicolon/path-list separated file/dir paths).
User sources override lower-precedence entries for the same plugin id.

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Runtime State and Files

  • Root: ~/.si/plugins
  • Install root: ~/.si/plugins/installed
  • Install state: ~/.si/plugins/state.json
  • User catalog: ~/.si/plugins/catalog.json
Install state tracks:
  • plugin id
  • enabled flag
  • source (catalog:<id> or path:<absolute-path>)
  • install directory (when copied locally)
  • timestamp
  • normalized manifest snapshot

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CLI Workflows

  • si plugins list [--installed] [--json]
  • si plugins info <id> [--json]
  • si plugins install <id-or-path> [--disabled] [--json]
  • si plugins update <id>|--all [--json]
  • si plugins uninstall <id> [--keep-files] [--json]
  • si plugins enable|disable <id> [--json]
  • si plugins policy show [--json]
  • si plugins policy set [--enabled <true|false>] [--allow <id>]... [--deny <id>]... [--clear-allow] [--clear-deny] [--json]
  • si plugins doctor [--json]
  • si plugins register [--manifest <path>|<path>] [--channel <name>] [--verified] [--json]
  • si plugins scaffold <namespace/name> [--dir <path>] [--force] [--json]
  • si plugins catalog build --source <path> [--output <path>] [--channel <name>] [--verified] [--tag <value>]... [--added-at YYYY-MM-DD] [--json]
  • si plugins catalog validate --source <path> [--json]
Catalog metadata now includes source provenance:
  • catalog_source in si plugins list --json
  • catalog_source in si plugins info --json
  • override diagnostics report both new and previous source when ids collide

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External Catalog Packs

For large integration ecosystems, keep manifests in a separate repository and generate catalog artifacts for SI consumption. Example with the sibling si-integrations repository: 
cd ../si-integrations
npm test
SI_PLUGIN_CATALOG_PATHS="$(pwd)/catalog/all.json" si plugins list --json
This keeps SI core stable while allowing rapid integration expansion and independent validation.

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Quick Integration Onboarding Flow

  1. Scaffold plugin metadata:
si plugins scaffold acme/release-mind --dir ./integrations
  1. Fill manifest details (terms_url, privacy_url, MCP/provider metadata).
  2. Register into local marketplace catalog: 
si plugins register ./integrations/acme/release-mind --channel community
  1. Install and stage:
si plugins install acme/release-mind --disabled
si plugins enable acme/release-mind
Local archive install is also supported: 
si plugins install ./dist/release-mind-plugin.zip
si plugins install ./dist/release-mind-plugin.tgz
  1. Validate:
si plugins doctor --json

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Security Baseline

  • Strict namespaced IDs to avoid collisions.
  • Safe install-dir resolution to prevent path escape.
  • Symlink copy rejection for local installs.
  • Doctor checks for manifest mismatch, missing files, and unsafe install paths.

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Future Work

  • Signed catalog bundles and trust policy.
  • Remote package fetch and verification pipeline.
  • Policy controls (allow/deny lists and slot ownership) similar to OpenClaw’s advanced plugin config.
  • Optional compatibility contracts for SI command/runtime versions.