// Plugin development
distribution
how to publish a plugin to the registry.
distribution
the registry has two phases. both are free to use.
phase a — curated registry (ships first)
submission is a pull request to the kern-registry github repo. a github action:
- 1.unzips your
.kern, - 2.parses
manifest.json, - 3.checks
id/version/ schema, - 4.uploads the blob to r2,
- 5.upserts a row in the d1 catalog.
curation = maintainers review the pr. official plugins (kern/official, kern/sample) get a verified badge. this path needs zero auth infra and gives an instant trust signal.
phase b — open self-publish
publishers log in with github oauth and upload .kern files directly through the browser. the worker validates + writes to r2/d1, and the plugin goes live immediately (or after review). star ratings and reviews arrive in this phase.
phase a’s pr path stays as the "verified/official" tier.
the kern:// deep link
the website’s "install in kern" buttons fire:
kern://install?url=<https-url-to-.kern>&id=<plugin-id>&v=<version>if kern is installed, it opens and installs. if not, the site falls back to "download kern first".
// danger
kern plugins run with full local privileges. only install plugins from authors you trust. surface author identity (github), check install counts and ratings, and read the readme before installing.