add-pluginpack-target

name	add-pluginpack-target
description	Use when extending pluginpack itself with support for a new AI app or plugin format — i.e. adding a target adapter to the pluginpack codebase. This is for contributors hacking ON pluginpack, not for end users packaging their plugins.

Adding a pluginpack target

A target adapter owns one app's native layout, manifests, and validation.

First: get the real format, do not guess

Find the app's actual plugin format from official docs or a real published plugin repo (the way the existing adapters were derived from github/copilot-plugins, gleanwork/cursor-plugins, and the Claude plugins reference). Capture an external oracle you can validate against — a published JSON Schema, the app's own validator CLI, or a real repo to diff against. Record it in CONFORMANCE.md.

Touch points

Adding a target currently means editing ~5 places:

1. src/types.ts — add the name to the TargetName union.
2. src/cli.ts — add it to the targets array and parseTarget.
3. src/build.ts — add it to allTargets.
4. src/targets.ts — add an emitFoo and register it in the emitters map, plus a manifest builder. Reuse the emitPlugins engine if the target has a per-plugin manifest + a marketplace (like cursor/claude); write a bespoke emitter otherwise (like copilot).
5. src/validate.ts — add a branch and a validateFoo.

Because the touch points are spread across five files, consider introducing a single target registry (one object per target carrying its emitter, validator, and defaults) before or as part of adding the target. The cost of the registry is repaid immediately by the target you are adding.

Wire MCP

If the app supports MCP servers, decide whether it reads a .mcp.json file (reference it from the manifest, like cursor/copilot, or rely on auto-discovery, like claude), a target-specific config file (like Antigravity's mcp_config.json), or another native shape. resolveMcpServers already merges a plugin's servers; thread the result into your emitter.

Verify

Add conformance tests in tests/ against the external oracle, extend CONFORMANCE.md, then run npm run check.