Plugins from the hub
The plugin hub is where Runesmith's plugins are published. The plugin manager shows the plugins you have, the updates that wait for you and the hub's catalog, and installs plugins with what they need. This page covers using it; Plugins covers writing them.
The plugin manager
Open it from the Plugins page of the welcome screen, or with Tools › Plugins, which shows it as a panel beside the editor. Both show the same thing:
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Installed | Every plugin, with its tier, where it comes from and a switch to turn it off or on. Plugins with a problem come first, with notices above them. |
| Updates | Updates that wait for you, with their release notes and what they change. Update all applies them together. |
| Browse | The hub's catalog. Search by name or keyword, and filter by tier, category and whether a plugin runs on your Runesmith. |
Click a plugin to open its page: who publishes it, how it was reviewed, its source repository and the commit it was built from, what it may do and why, the plugins it needs, and its versions with their release notes. The status at the top says when Runesmith last checked the hub; the button beside it checks now.
Tiers
Every hub plugin has a tier, shown as a badge:
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Official | Published by Runesmith. Every version is reviewed. |
| Verified | From a publisher Runesmith verified. Every version is reviewed before you get it. |
| Unverified | Checked automatically, but no person at Runesmith has read the code. |
| Local | A plugin you put in your plugins folder yourself. It is never updated or reported to the hub. |
The setting Allowed plugins (plugins.hub.allowedTiers) can limit installs to official and verified plugins, or to official ones; the
others are then hidden from Browse.
Install a plugin
- Find the plugin in Browse, or open its page from a link, and click Install.
- Runesmith works out what to install: the plugin, the plugins it needs and any update they require. The dialog lists each with its tier and size, and every capability they have, such as connecting to the internet or starting programs. The ones new to you are marked, and the ones that need the most trust are in red.
- For each unverified plugin, read the warning and tick I understand that … is unverified and I trust its publisher. Install stays off until every box is ticked.
- Click Install. Runesmith downloads and checks every package, and changes nothing if one fails.
- Restart Runesmith when it offers to. New and updated plugins start at the next start.
When no combination of versions works, the dialog says why, such as a plugin that needs a newer Runesmith, and what would fix it.
To remove a plugin, open its page and click Uninstall. Plugins that came in only because it needed them go with it. Disable turns a plugin off without removing it.
Updates
Runesmith checks the hub after it starts, every six hours while it runs, and when you open the plugin manager.
| Plugin | What happens |
|---|---|
| Official and verified | Updates by itself within its version line, such as 1.4 to 1.5, and the update starts at the next start. |
| Unverified | Never updates by itself. Updates and a notification say an update exists. |
| Any | An update that adds a capability, moves to a new major version or brings in an unverified plugin waits for you, with the changes shown. |
Turn automatic updates off for all plugins with Update automatically (plugins.hub.autoUpdate), or for one plugin on its page. To go
back to an older version, select it in the plugin's Versions list and install it.
Notices about your plugins
| Notice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Disabled because Runesmith found it harmful | The hub blocked the plugin. Runesmith turned it off and moved it to a quarantine folder, with the plugins that need it. The notice gives the reason and offers a fixed version or removal. A blocked plugin cannot be turned back on. |
| New installs are paused | Runesmith is looking into a report. You can keep using the plugin. |
| Withdrawn by its developer | The installed version was withdrawn. It keeps working; update when you can. |
| No longer maintained | The developer stopped working on it and may suggest a replacement. |
| No longer available on the hub | It keeps working, but gets no updates. |
| Its files changed | A plugin's files changed after it was installed, so Runesmith turned it off. Reinstall puts the original back. |
Quarantined plugins are deleted after 30 days, or when you click Empty the quarantine.
When Runesmith cannot reach the hub, the plugin manager shows the catalog it saved and installs wait. When it cannot confirm the hub's data is current, it says since when, and installs and updates wait; your plugins keep running. If your computer's date is wrong, correct it.
Report a plugin
Report on a plugin's page opens your browser; Runesmith never sends anything itself.
| Choice | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| It's malicious or a security risk | The hub's private report form. Runesmith copies the plugin's details to the clipboard for you to paste. Without a GitHub account, write to security@runesmith.dev. |
| It's broken or doesn't work | A new issue in the plugin's repository. You can add recent log lines that mention the plugin, after reading and editing them. |
| It breaks the rules | A policy issue in the hub's registry, for impersonation, spam or license problems. |
Links
The hub's website, and anyone, can link to a plugin. A link only opens the plugin's page; installing still takes Install and the dialog.
| Link | Opens |
|---|---|
runesmith://hub/plugin/<id> | The plugin's page, such as runesmith://hub/plugin/lumen.todo. |
runesmith://hub/plugin/<id>?version=<version> | The page with that version selected. |
runesmith://hub/updates | Updates in the plugin manager. |
Runesmith refuses any other link and says why. When more than three links arrive within a minute, it opens only the latest.
| System | How links reach Runesmith |
|---|---|
| Windows | Runesmith registers itself for your user when it starts. Turn Open runesmith:// links (plugins.hub.registerLinks) off to stop that. |
| Linux | The menu entry Runesmith ships declares the links; install it as Install and run describes. |
| macOS | Not yet: links need Runesmith to ship as an application bundle. |
Settings
| Setting | Key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the plugin hub | plugins.hub.enabled | true | Off: only the plugins that come with Runesmith and the ones in your plugins folder load. |
| Allowed plugins | plugins.hub.allowedTiers | all-with-warnings | all-with-warnings, official-and-verified or official-only. |
| Update automatically | plugins.hub.autoUpdate | true | Lets official and verified plugins update by themselves. |
| Check for changes every | plugins.hub.checkInterval | 6 | Hours between checks, from 1 to 24. |
| Open runesmith:// links | plugins.hub.registerLinks | true | Registers Runesmith for links on Windows. |
| Pre-releases | plugins.hub.preReleases | empty | Ids of the plugins you want pre-releases of, separated by semicolons. |