meta-plugins

name	meta-plugins
description	How the meta plugin system intercepts and enhances commands.

Meta Plugins Skill

Meta uses a plugin system to intercept commands and provide enhanced behavior.

How Plugins Work

When you run meta <command>, meta checks if a plugin handles that command pattern:

1. Plugin matches → Plugin executes with special logic
2. No plugin → Shows help (use meta exec for arbitrary commands)

Example:

• meta git status → git plugin runs git status in all repos
• meta git clone <url> → git plugin clones parent + all children from .meta
• meta npm install → unrecognized, shows help; use meta exec npm install

Built-in Plugins

Git Plugin (meta-git)

Handles all meta git * commands with special cases:

Command	Behavior
meta git clone <url>	Clone parent, read .meta, clone all children
meta git update	Clone missing repos, pull existing ones
meta git snapshot *	Create/restore workspace state
meta git setup-ssh	Configure SSH multiplexing
meta git <other>	Pass through to all repos

Project Plugin (meta-project)

Workspace management:

meta project list      # List projects from .meta
meta project check     # Verify all repos exist
meta project sync      # Clone missing repos

Rust Plugin (meta-rust)

Cargo workspace awareness:

meta rust build        # Build with workspace detection
meta rust test         # Test with proper ordering

Plugin Discovery

Plugins are discovered from:

1. .meta-plugins/ in current directory
2. ~/.meta-plugins/ in home directory
3. Executables named meta-* in PATH

Plugin Management

# List installed plugins
meta plugin list

# Search registry for plugins
meta plugin search <query>

# Install from registry
meta plugin install <name>

# Uninstall
meta plugin uninstall <name>

Understanding Command Flow

meta git status
  │
  ├─ Is there a 'git' plugin? Yes (meta-git)
  │
  ├─ Plugin receives: command="git status", projects=[list]
  │
  ├─ Plugin returns: ExecutionPlan with commands per repo
  │
  └─ Meta executes plan via loop engine

For commands with special handling (like clone), the plugin does the work directly instead of returning an execution plan.

Why This Matters

Plugins let you:

• Extend meta with domain-specific behavior
• Intercept patterns like git clone to add meta-aware logic
• Provide help text via meta <plugin> --help

When you see a command behave "magically" (like meta git clone cloning multiple repos), a plugin is handling it.