tabularis-plugin-driver

name	tabularis-plugin-driver
description	Use when creating or updating a Tabularis database driver plugin in Rust. Covers modern manifest fields, JSON-RPC over stdio, modular plugin layout, MySQL-level feature coverage targets, optional UI extensions, and validation against Tabularis repo rules.

Tabularis Plugin Driver

Use this skill when building or updating a database plugin for Tabularis.

The skill is optimized for this repository. Follow AGENTS.md, the files in .rules/, and the current plugin-system behavior in src-tauri/src/plugins/ and src/types/plugins.ts.

Goals

• Build a Rust plugin that speaks Tabularis JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout
• Use the modern plugin manifest, not the old minimal format
• Aim for broad feature coverage comparable to the built-in MySQL driver where the target database supports it
• Keep the plugin modular instead of concentrating logic in a single main.rs
• Add unit tests for pure utilities and SQL generation

Default Repo Layout

Prefer this structure for a new plugin repository:

plugin-root/
├── Cargo.toml
├── manifest.json
├── README.md
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs
│   ├── rpc.rs
│   ├── client.rs
│   ├── error.rs
│   ├── models.rs
│   ├── handlers/
│   │   ├── mod.rs
│   │   ├── metadata.rs
│   │   ├── query.rs
│   │   ├── crud.rs
│   │   └── ddl.rs
│   └── utils/
│       ├── mod.rs
│       ├── identifiers.rs
│       ├── values.rs
│       ├── types.rs
│       └── pagination.rs
├── src/bin/
│   └── test_plugin.rs
└── tests/                # only if integration tests are worth the overhead

Keep src/main.rs thin. It should mostly parse requests, dispatch methods, and serialize responses.

Required Research Before Coding

1. Read the current plugin manifest shape in:
   • plugins/manifest.schema.json
   • src/types/plugins.ts
   • src-tauri/src/plugins/manager.rs
2. Read the JSON-RPC expectations in:
   • plugins/PLUGIN_GUIDE.md
   • src-tauri/src/plugins/driver.rs
   • src-tauri/src/plugins/rpc.rs
3. Read a built-in driver with broad coverage to understand expected behaviors:
   • src-tauri/src/drivers/mysql/mod.rs
4. Read plugin-loading behavior and modern feature flags in:
   • src/hooks/useDrivers.ts
   • src/utils/connectionStringParser.ts
   • src/utils/driverCapabilities.ts

Implementation Workflow

1. Define plugin scope

Decide which capabilities are truly supported by the target database and driver library:

• schemas
• views
• routines
• file_based
• folder_based
• connection_string
• connection_string_example
• identifier_quote
• alter_primary_key
• alter_column
• create_foreign_keys
• manage_tables
• readonly
• no_connection_required

Do not advertise support you cannot back with working handlers.

2. Create a modern manifest

At minimum define:

• id
• name
• version
• description
• default_port
• executable
• capabilities
• data_types
• default_username
• color
• icon

Use modern optional fields when useful:

• settings
• ui_extensions

See references/manifest-checklist.md.

3. Build a modular RPC surface

Implement the request loop in main.rs, but move logic out immediately:

• rpc.rs: request parsing, success/error helpers, method routing support
• client.rs: connection config, client creation, pooling or reuse key logic
• handlers/metadata.rs: databases, schemas, tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys, views, routines
• handlers/query.rs: test_connection, ping, execute_query, count_query, explain_query_plan if possible
• handlers/crud.rs: insert_record, update_record, delete_record
• handlers/ddl.rs: SQL generation helpers and DDL RPC methods
• utils/*: quoting, escaping, value formatting, type normalization, pagination math

4. Target broad feature coverage

Use the built-in MySQL driver as the feature benchmark, not as text to copy.

For each feature area, classify it:

• supported: implement fully
• partially_supported: implement with explicit limitations
• unsupported: return an accurate error or empty result as appropriate

Prioritize these methods:

• test_connection
• get_databases
• get_schemas
• get_tables
• get_columns
• get_foreign_keys
• get_indexes
• get_views
• get_view_definition
• get_view_columns
• get_routines
• get_routine_parameters
• get_routine_definition
• execute_query
• insert_record
• update_record
• delete_record
• get_schema_snapshot
• get_all_columns_batch
• get_all_foreign_keys_batch
• get_create_table_sql
• get_add_column_sql
• get_alter_column_sql
• get_create_index_sql
• get_create_foreign_key_sql
• drop_index
• drop_foreign_key

If a method is not safe to emulate, fail explicitly instead of faking success.

Optional routine-management methods

When the manifest declares "routine_management": true, the host shows run / create / edit / drop actions for routines. The backing RPC methods are optional: if the plugin does not implement one, the host answers the JSON-RPC "method not found" error (-32601) with a dialect-neutral fallback (CALL name(args) / SELECT name(args), generic DROP, the raw definition as edit script). Implement only what the dialect needs:

• build_routine_call_sql({ params, routine_name, routine_type, args, schema }) -> string — args is an ordered list of { name, mode, value: string|null, is_raw: bool }; return an executable invocation script (it is opened in the editor, so multi-statement scripts are fine — e.g. MySQL's SET @out / CALL / SELECT @out).
• routine_create_template({ routine_type, schema }) -> string — starter script for a new PROCEDURE/FUNCTION in the plugin's dialect.
• get_routine_edit_script({ params, routine_name, routine_type, schema }) -> string — re-runnable script to alter the routine (e.g. DROP + CREATE, or CREATE OR REPLACE).
• drop_routine({ params, routine_name, routine_type, schema }) -> null — drop the routine; resolve overloads yourself if the dialect has them.

5. Add settings only when they solve a real problem

Typical useful settings:

• DSN name
• driver/library path
• default schema
• TLS mode
• extra connection properties

Keep settings in the manifest and resolve them in a dedicated config path, not inline in handlers.

6. Add UI extensions only when the database needs them

Examples of good reasons:

• a custom connection helper for DSN-based setup
• an advanced settings panel for database-specific options
• contextual UI for unsupported-but-important caveats

Avoid UI extensions that only decorate the product without improving DB-specific workflows.

Testing Strategy

Always add unit tests for pure logic:

• identifier quoting
• SQL builders
• type normalization
• pagination helpers
• value serialization
• capability-driven helper decisions

Prefer pure utility modules so tests stay fast and deterministic.

If the plugin includes a JSON-RPC smoke binary like src/bin/test_plugin.rs, use it to simulate Tabularis requests over stdio.

Validation Checklist

Before finishing:

• cargo test
• cargo build --release
• smoke test at least one JSON-RPC request through stdin/stdout
• verify manifest.json matches current Tabularis schema and capabilities
• verify any advertised capability has corresponding handler behavior
• verify unsupported operations return clear errors

Tabularis-Specific Rules

• Comments and docs must be in English
• Keep code split by responsibility; avoid a monolithic main.rs
• Add unit tests for extracted utility logic
• When updating this repo itself, follow AGENTS.md requirements including GitNexus impact analysis before editing existing symbols
• Use pnpm for frontend-side validation in this repo and cargo for plugin validation

Common Mistakes

• copying old plugin manifests that omit modern fields
• putting connection logic, SQL generation, RPC parsing, and metadata extraction in one file
• advertising manage_tables or alter_column without implementing the related methods
• returning fake empty success for operations that should surface unsupported behavior
• skipping tests for identifier quoting and SQL generation

References

• Manifest details: references/manifest-checklist.md