#Plugin reference

Start with the plugin quickstart to create your first plugin.

Migrating an existing plugin? Follow the standalone runtime-entry migration guide.

Local plugins are directory sources installed into one Paseo daemon. A plugin can contribute:

• React Native surfaces and sidebar items to Paseo clients;
• workspace and agent panels opened as workspace tabs;
• global, workspace, and agent actions in the Command Center;
• slash commands in the message composer;
• transformed and daemon-pushed agent timeline rows;
• light and dark themes in Settings → Appearance;
• schema-validated RPC handlers running beside the daemon;
• normal Paseo operations through the TypeScript SDK;
• searchable external resources in the message composer.

Plugin code is trusted and unsandboxed. Client surfaces run in the Paseo app. Backend contributions run in a subprocess with access to the daemon machine, including its files, processes, credentials, and network.

#Project files

paseo plugin init /absolute/path/to/my-plugin creates:

my-plugin/
  paseo-plugin.json
  index.client.tsx
  index.server.ts
  client/greeting.tsx
  server/greeting.ts
  shared/greeting.ts
  package.json
  tsconfig.json

The required root manifest is paseo-plugin.json:

{
  "id": "my-plugin",
  "description": "Reviews changes before merge",
  "requirements": { "paseo": ">=0.8.0" }
}

Field	Required	Behavior
id	Yes	Default installation ID.
description	No	Non-empty summary shown below the plugin ID in Settings → Plugins.
requirements	No	Supported Paseo versions, described below.
build	No	Preparation commands, described in the CLI reference.

#Requirements

requirements is an optional object. Its currently supported key, paseo, accepts an npm semver range. An omitted requirements.paseo means <0.8.0: the plugin predates the first breaking plugin release. Paseo 0.8 and later reject it with a link to the migration guide. Empty strings, invalid ranges, and unknown manifest requirement keys are rejected.

Range	Compatible releases
>=0.8.0	0.8.0 and later releases, including prereleases and future breaking releases
^0.8.0	0.8.x releases, including prereleases
>=0.8.3 <0.9.0	0.8.3 through the last 0.8 patch, including prereleases

Prerelease Paseo versions also satisfy a range their stable core (major.minor.patch) satisfies, so 0.8.0-beta.1 satisfies >=0.8.0 but not <0.8.0.

paseo plugin init writes >= followed by the current CLI version and pins the matching SDK for typechecking. Raise the minimum when adopting a newer API. Add an upper bound when a later release is incompatible; a minimum alone does not promise protection from future breaking changes.

The daemon checks its version before installing, running preparation commands, or loading a plugin, and checks again on startup, enable, and reload. A rejected update keeps the installed revision. Each connected app checks its own version before evaluating client code and shows incompatibility in Settings → Plugins. A compatible daemon does not make an older app compatible. A plugin with no client entry does not require the connected app to match.

For example: Plugin "review" requires Paseo >=0.8.0. Your daemon is 0.7.2. Use a compatible plugin revision or update the named runtime. Releases before 0.8 do not understand this manifest field and cannot show this new diagnostic.

#Runtime entries

Entry	Runtime	Receives	Required
index.client.tsx	Paseo app, per client	PluginClientContext	When the plugin has any UI, callback, theme, or attachment source
index.server.ts	Daemon subprocess	PluginServerContext	When the plugin contributes handlers, hooks, settings persistence, or providers

At least one entry is required; both accept .ts or .tsx. A directory that still has only the old index.ts fails to load and points at the migration guide.

Plugin, surface, sidebar-item, workspace-panel, Command Center item, attachment-source, and slash-command IDs start with a lowercase letter and contain lowercase letters, numbers, or hyphens.

The generated package.json installs @getpaseo/plugin and the other host modules as development dependencies for local typechecking and tests. Paseo supplies their runtime instances. Consumers do not install them when adding the plugin.

Every other module lives in one of three directories. Nesting inside them is fine; a module at the plugin root is a compile error.

Directory	Compiled into	Use it for
client/	App bundle only	React, React Native, hooks, styles, surfaces, panels, and callbacks.
server/	Daemon bundle only	Node APIs, local resources, credentials, and RPC handlers.
shared/	Both	Zod RPC contracts and plain values imported by both runtimes.

#Runtime modules

Paseo builds each bundle from its matching entry. An import from client/ into the daemon bundle, from server/ into the app bundle, or of a Node module anywhere in the app bundle is a compile error. Server imports of React, React Native, or client SDK entries also fail. Shared code imports only shared code: no Node, React, runtime-specific SDK entries, or runtime-specific types.

The SDK root (@getpaseo/plugin) contains shared data, schemas, and runtime-neutral helpers only. Import client contexts and hooks from /client, server contexts and lifecycle contracts from /server, and UI from /client/react-native or /client/ui. These rules include type imports and transitive dependencies. /client/host is private to the app host; plugins cannot import it.

#Client runtime

Paseo provides these modules to client code:

Module	Use it for
@getpaseo/plugin	Shared data, defineRpc, defineSettings, defineAttachmentSource, RpcInput, and RpcOutput
@getpaseo/plugin/client/ui	Named, composable settings components
@getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native	Paseo UI components and UI hooks
@getpaseo/plugin/client	Client contribution contexts, usePaseo, useRpc, useSettings, and data hooks
@tanstack/react-query	Request state and caching
react	Components and hooks
react/jsx-runtime	Compiled JSX
react-native	Cross-platform UI
zod	Shared schemas

The host owns its paired React and renderer versions. The SDK's React peer range permits patch versions for tooling and Node consumers; it does not change the app's pinned React version or guarantee compatibility with another host's renderer.

These exact module specifiers use the host's runtime instances. A client bundle that requests another host module fails with Module "<name>" is not available in plugin client code.

Do not import lucide-react-native, react-native-svg, or DOM libraries. Set contribution icon fields to a Lucide icon name; Paseo validates the name and renders the icon.

#Cross-platform rules

Client code runs on iOS, Android, and in browsers through React Native Web. A component that works in your browser and crashes on a phone is the most common plugin bug. The rules:

Do	Do not
View, Text, Pressable, ScrollView, TextInput from react-native	<div>, <span>, <button>, or any HTML element
style objects built from theme.colors and layout.compact	className, CSS strings, or hardcoded colors
onPress	onClick, onMouseEnter, or other DOM handlers
Linking, Clipboard-style React Native APIs	window, document, localStorage, navigator, location in components

The scaffold's tsconfig.json omits the DOM library. Keep DOM globals out of cross-platform components; do not add /// <reference lib="dom" /> or "DOM" to lib. layout.platform carries the same value as React Native's Platform.OS for rendering decisions.

#External links and workspace browsers

Use ExternalLink to open documentation outside Paseo:

import { ExternalLink } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/ui";

export function DocumentationLink() {
  return <ExternalLink href="https://paseo.sh/docs">Open documentation</ExternalLink>;
}

The component has accessible link semantics and uses the same opener as openExternalUrl(url: string): Promise<void>:

import { openExternalUrl } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";

export async function openDocumentation() {
  await openExternalUrl("https://paseo.sh/docs");
}

Call the function directly from a user interaction so the browser permits a new tab.

Platform	External links	navigation.openBrowser
Electron	System browser	Available; creates a local workspace browser tab
Browser web	New tab with noopener,noreferrer	undefined
iOS / Android	OS URL handler	undefined

#ExternalLink props

Prop	Required	Behavior / default
href: string	Yes	Absolute HTTP(S) destination
children: ReactNode	Yes	Link text or inline React Native content
accessibilityLabel: string	No	Overrides the accessible name derived from the content
testID: string	No	Test identifier; unset by default
onError(error: unknown): void	No	Receives opening errors; defaults to logging them

#Open a workspace browser

Use navigation.openBrowser from a surface or panel. Check availability before rendering the action. This workspace panel chooses an external link on other platforms:

import type { PluginWorkspacePanelProps } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { ExternalLink } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/ui";
import { Pressable, Text } from "react-native";

export function DocumentationPanel({ navigation, workspaceId, theme }: PluginWorkspacePanelProps) {
  const openBrowser = navigation?.openBrowser;
  const url = "https://paseo.sh/docs";

  if (!openBrowser) {
    return <ExternalLink href={url}>Open documentation</ExternalLink>;
  }

  return (
    <Pressable accessibilityRole="button" onPress={() => openBrowser({ url, workspaceId })}>
      <Text style={{ color: theme.colors.foreground }}>Open in workspace browser</Text>
    </Pressable>
  );
}

navigation.openBrowser({ url, workspaceId, serverId? }): void creates and focuses a new tab. It never opens externally as an automatic fallback.

Option	Required	Behavior / default
url: string	Yes	Absolute HTTP(S) destination
workspaceId: string	Yes	Workspace already present in the target host's app workspace list
serverId: string	No	Defaults to the surface or panel's selected host

To target another host, pass its ID with that host's workspace ID:

openBrowser({ url, workspaceId: remoteWorkspaceId, serverId: remoteServerId });

serverId selects workspace ownership. The page runs on your local desktop, including for remote workspaces; localhost URLs refer to that desktop.

#Errors and refusal

Condition	Result
External URL is malformed or uses a non-HTTP(S) scheme	Ignored; openExternalUrl resolves without opening anything
OS opener fails	openExternalUrl rejects; ExternalLink calls onError or logs the error
Browser blocks a new external tab	Cannot be distinguished from a successful noopener open
In-app browser URL is malformed or uses a non-HTTP(S) scheme	Throws Only absolute HTTP(S) URLs are supported. before creating a tab
In-app browser workspace ID is empty	Throws workspaceId is required. before creating a tab
Target host/workspace is unknown or its workspace list has not loaded	Throws Workspace is unavailable on the requested host. before creating a tab

Use the settings API for typed host-scoped persistence across clients. Use openSettings, openSurface, and openPanel for your own registered contributions.

#Server runtime

Paseo provides @getpaseo/plugin, @getpaseo/plugin/server, @getpaseo/plugin/server/provider, @getpaseo/plugin/server/acp, and zod to server code. Backend contributions run in a daemon subprocess with Node access to the host machine. Keep filesystem, process, credential, and other machine-local work under server/. A plugin without index.server.ts starts no subprocess.

#Providers

Follow Build a provider plugin for direct and ACP implementations, session lifecycle, composer settings, timeline renderers, testing, and distribution.

Call server.registerProvider() with a ProviderRegistration from @getpaseo/plugin/server/provider. Its connection accepts inputs with send() and emits complete state snapshots through onEvent(). send() reports acceptance only; prompt disposition, turns, configuration, persistence, permissions, and failures are events.

Use the single session.prompt input for messages, structured commands, steering, and command side effects. Repeat clientMessageId on the live user timeline item and publish exactly one matching session.prompt_result. Publish provider-created children as sessions with parentSessionId.

Provider settings are toggle/select descriptors that Paseo renders in the composer. Keep provider-private JSON under providerOptions. Host tools arrive as MCP servers in the complete session config.

Paseo refreshes an agent by closing its current provider session and opening it with current configuration and persistence. Providers re-read external state during session.open.

Use runAcpProvider() from @getpaseo/plugin/server/acp to adapt a command-backed ACP. Add transformer hooks only for a vendor's discovery, configuration, notification, or tool-call differences.

ProviderRegistration.icon is a file path relative to the plugin directory, such as icon.svg. It must resolve inside that directory to a regular SVG file no larger than 64 KiB. The SVG must be self-contained: scripts, styles, foreignObject, event-handler attributes, JavaScript URLs, and external href or xlink:href references are rejected. Fragment references such as #mark are allowed. Paseo reads and sanitizes the file when the plugin starts; the string is never an inline SVG or URL.

#Entry point and cleanup

Each present entry default-exports one contribution function and returns cleanup. Client entries receive PluginClientContext; server entries receive PluginServerContext. Client registration methods return idempotent removers, except header buttons and composer pills, which return { update, remove } handles. The entry cleanup runs before Paseo removes remaining registrations.

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { Main } from "./client/main";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addSurface("main", Main);
  return () => {};
}

Cleanup can be async. Release timers, watchers, sockets, and other resources created by the plugin. Paseo also removes registrations, unmounts surfaces, rejects pending RPCs, closes the plugin's daemon session, and stops its subprocess on reload, disable, removal, disconnect, or daemon shutdown.

#Lifecycle hooks

In index.server.ts:

import type { PluginServerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  server.on("agent.turn_ended", (event) => {
    console.log(event.agent.id, event.outcome);
  });

  return () => {};
}

Register	Callback receives	Return
server.on(name, callback)	(event, { paseo, signal })	void or Promise<void>
server.before(name, callback)	({ request }, { paseo, signal })	Modified request, or undefined to keep it; async supported

Hooks run on the daemon while the plugin is enabled, even with no app connected.

#Change configuration and inject an MCP server

Add this callback inside contribute(server). Replace the placeholder URL with your MCP endpoint.

server.before("agent.create", ({ request }) => {
  if (request.config.provider !== "codex") {
    return request;
  }

  return {
    ...request,
    config: {
      ...request.config,
      providerOptions: {
        ...request.config.providerOptions,
        sandbox_mode: "workspace-write",
        approval_policy: "on-request",
      },
      mcpServers: {
        ...request.config.mcpServers,
        company: {
          type: "http",
          url: "https://tools.example.com/mcp",
        },
      },
    },
  };
});

Input	Result
providerOptions.sandbox_mode: "read-only"	"workspace-write"
providerOptions.web_search: "disabled"	Preserved by the spread
Existing mcpServers.search	Preserved by the spread
Existing mcpServers.company	Replaced with the entry above

The selected provider validates providerOptions and must support the configured MCP servers. Explicit Codex sandbox and approval options override its mode presets.

#Inject environment variables on every session opening

server.before("agent.session_open", ({ request }) => {
  return {
    ...request,
    env: {
      ...request.env,
      COMPANY_ENV: "development",
    },
  };
});

This runs on create, resume, refresh, and import. To inject only on creation, set env in an agent.create callback instead.

#Choose workspace isolation

server.before("workspace.create", ({ request }) => {
  if (request.source.kind !== "directory") {
    return request;
  }

  return {
    ...request,
    source: {
      kind: "worktree",
      cwd: request.source.path,
      action: "branch-off",
    },
  };
});

Result: an explicit directory creation request becomes a worktree request. Existing workspaces and directory lookup/import operations are unaffected.

#Send a follow-up when a turn ends

Copy server/inspect.ts into your plugin. The helper imports types from @getpaseo/protocol/agent-types; add @getpaseo/protocol at the same version as your plugin SDK to your development dependencies and install them before loading the plugin. latestOutputText joins text chunks after the latest user message.

import type { PluginServerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";
import { latestOutputText } from "./server/inspect";

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  server.on("agent.turn_ended", async (event, context) => {
    if (event.outcome.kind === "canceled") {
      return;
    }

    const text = latestOutputText(event.timeline);
    if (/out of credits/i.test(text)) {
      await context.paseo.agents.ref(event.agent.id).send("Try again.");
    }
  });

  return () => {};
}

Turn ends: "out of credits"
  → plugin sends "Try again."
  → a new turn starts

This sends a new message with the existing SDK. Persistent matches keep sending follow-ups; add limits or delays in your plugin when needed. Attachments and tool effects are not replayed.

#Answer a permission request

Using shellCommand from the same helper file:

import type { PluginServerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";
import { shellCommand } from "./server/inspect";

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  server.on("agent.permission_requested", async (event, context) => {
    const command = shellCommand(event.request);
    if (command === null) {
      return;
    }

    const agent = context.paseo.agents.ref(event.agent.id);
    if (/\brm\s+-rf\b/.test(command)) {
      await agent.respondToPermission({
        requestId: event.request.id,
        response: { behavior: "deny", message: "Recursive deletion is blocked." },
      });
      return;
    }

    if (command.trim() === "git status") {
      await agent.respondToPermission({
        requestId: event.request.id,
        response: { behavior: "allow" },
      });
    }
  });

  return () => {};
}

Request	Result
rm -rf build	Declined
git status	Approved
Other command or request	Left pending for the user
Already-resolved request	SDK response fails

The regex is an example policy, not a shell parser. Permission requests can also be questions, plans, and mode changes; requesting permission does not end the turn.

#Events

Name	Event fields	Trigger
agent.created	agent	Ordinary creation finishes; excludes import/resume
agent.turn_started	agent, turnId	Live turn starts
agent.turn_ended	agent, turnId, outcome, timeline	Live turn completes, fails, or is canceled
agent.permission_requested	agent, request	Permission or question becomes pending
agent.permission_resolved	agent, requestId, resolution	Pending request is answered or cleared
agent.archived	agent, archivedAt	Archive state is saved
workspace.created	workspace	Record created; directory available
workspace.archived	workspace	Archive state is saved

Agent events exclude internal utility agents. Archive events can precede runtime/worktree cleanup; workspace.created is not a setup barrier before agent startup.

Shared payload shapes (@getpaseo/plugin/server):

interface PluginHookAgent {
  id: string;
  workspaceId: string | null;
  parentAgentId: string | null;
  provider: string;
  cwd: string;
  title: string | null;
}

interface PluginHookWorkspace {
  id: string;
  projectId: string;
  cwd: string;
  name: string | null;
  archivedAt: string | null;
}

type PluginTurnOutcome =
  | { kind: "completed" }
  | { kind: "failed"; error: { message: string; code?: string } }
  | { kind: "canceled"; reason: string };

Field	Shape / meaning
turnId	Provider-reported string or null; can repeat after a session reopens
timeline	readonly AgentTimelineItem[]; complete snapshot including earlier conversation; text may span items
request	SDK AgentPermissionRequest; kind is tool, plan, question, mode, or other
resolution	SDK AgentPermissionResponse
archivedAt	Timestamp string

#Before hooks

Name	Request fields	Editable
agent.create	config, optional env	Public agent config except cwd; env
agent.session_open	agentId, workspaceId, provider, cwd, reason, purpose, env	Only env
workspace.create	source, optional title, firstAgentContext	Entire explicit creation request

agent.create.config uses AgentSessionConfig:

Fields	Constraint
provider, model	Separate fields; changing provider may require changing model/mode/options
modeId, thinkingOptionId, featureValues	Provider-specific selections
title, systemPrompt	Agent configuration
providerOptions	Provider-specific validated options
mcpServers, toolPolicy	MCP configuration and exact-tool preapprovals
cwd	Cannot change
internal	Daemon-owned; cannot change through this hook

agent.session_open request example:

{
  "agentId": "agent-123",
  "workspaceId": "workspace-456",
  "provider": "codex",
  "cwd": "/projects/shop",
  "reason": "resume",
  "purpose": "interactive",
  "env": { "COMPANY_ENV": "development" }
}

Field	Values
workspaceId	String or null
reason	create, resume, refresh, import
purpose	interactive, history
env	Launch override map; excludes the daemon's inherited environment. Replace the map to add, replace, or remove overrides.

#Ordering and returned values

Creation request
  → agent.create hooks (plugin-ID order; registration order within each plugin)
  → resolve defaults and validate provider configuration
  → derive launch configuration with Paseo runtime tools and daemon prompt
  → agent.session_open hooks (same ordering; env only)
  → set PASEO_AGENT_ID and PASEO_AGENT_CWD
  → open provider session and save agent configuration

Callback returns	Next callback receives
{ ...request, env: { ...request.env, REGION: "eu" } }	Prior request with REGION added/replaced
{ ...request, env: { REGION: "eu" } }	Prior request with the entire override map replaced
undefined	Unchanged request
Throws or returns invalid data	Operation fails; later callbacks do not run

No automatic deep merge. Later callbacks can overwrite earlier values. Agent configuration is saved; environment overrides are not persisted with it.

#Context and cleanup

Contract	Behavior
context.paseo	Existing SDK connected to this daemon
context.signal	Aborted on invocation timeout or plugin stop; pass to external requests
Input data	Detached snapshot; change state through returned requests or SDK commands
Registration result	Idempotent remover, e.g. const remove = server.on(...); remove();
Reload, disable, removal, shutdown	Remaining registrations removed
Unknown hook name	Registration fails
Hook timeout	30 seconds; aborts the signal. A before hook fails the pending operation; an event handler logs an error.
Event-handler error	Logged against plugin; original operation continues
Event delivery	Live, best effort; no replay, persistence, or automatic retry
Event concurrency	Different events may overlap; callback completion order is not guaranteed

#Complete examples

Plugin	Includes
lifecycle-logger	All eleven hooks; JSON logs with environment values redacted
lifecycle-actions	Follow-ups, permissions, environment, provider switching, worktree selection
agent-configuration	MCP injection and Codex sandbox/approval options

Read logger output with paseo plugin logs lifecycle-logger or the host's daemon.log.

#Surfaces and sidebar items

Register a component, then point a sidebar item at its surface ID:

client/main.tsx:

import type { PluginSurfaceProps } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { useMemo } from "react";
import { Text, View } from "react-native";

export function Main({ theme, host, layout }: PluginSurfaceProps) {
  const styles = useMemo(
    () => ({
      screen: {
        flex: 1,
        padding: layout.compact ? 16 : 24,
        backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface0,
      },
      title: { color: theme.colors.foreground },
      detail: { color: theme.colors.foregroundMuted },
    }),
    [theme, layout.compact],
  );
  return (
    <View style={styles.screen}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>{host.label}</Text>
      <Text style={styles.detail}>{layout.platform}</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

index.client.tsx:

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { Main } from "./client/main";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addSurface("main", Main);
  client.addSidebarItem({
    id: "main",
    title: "My plugin",
    icon: "Blocks",
    surface: "main",
  });
  return () => {};
}

PluginSurfaceProps contains:

Field	Meaning
theme	Typed PluginTheme color tokens for the active Paseo theme.
host	Selected host id and display label.
layout	compact and the ios, android, or web platform.
navigation	Optional client navigation. openAgent({ agentId, serverId? }) and openWorkspace({ workspaceId, serverId? }) open targets on serverId, or on the selected host when omitted. openBrowser({ url, workspaceId, serverId? }) is available only on Electron; see links and browsers.

Paseo owns the route, header, close action, host picker, error boundary, and query client. The plugin owns the surface body.

#Host UI

Import Paseo-owned UI from @getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native in client code. This example opens a controlled modal, renders a host icon, and confirms the action with a toast:

import type { PluginSurfaceProps } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { Icon, Modal, useToast } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native";
import { useState } from "react";
import { Pressable, Text, View } from "react-native";

export function IssueActions({ theme }: PluginSurfaceProps) {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
  const toast = useToast();

  function saveIssue() {
    toast.show("Issue saved", { variant: "success" });
    setOpen(false);
  }

  return (
    <View>
      <Pressable accessibilityRole="button" onPress={() => setOpen(true)}>
        <View style={{ flexDirection: "row", alignItems: "center", gap: 8 }}>
          <Icon name="Pencil" size={18} color={theme.colors.foreground} />
          <Text style={{ color: theme.colors.foreground }}>Edit issue</Text>
        </View>
      </Pressable>

      <Modal
        title="Edit issue"
        icon={<Icon name="Pencil" size={18} color={theme.colors.foreground} />}
        open={open}
        onOpenChange={setOpen}
      >
        <Modal.Content>
          <Pressable accessibilityRole="button" onPress={saveIssue}>
            <Text style={{ color: theme.colors.foreground }}>Save</Text>
          </Pressable>
        </Modal.Content>
      </Modal>
    </View>
  );
}

#Modal

Modal uses a bottom sheet on compact layouts and a centered dialog otherwise. The plugin owns the open state.

Prop	Type	Required	Behavior
title	string	Yes	Labels the modal and its visible header.
icon	ReactNode	No	Renders before the title in the header.
open	boolean	Yes	Shows the modal content when true.
onOpenChange	(open: boolean) => void	Yes	Receives false when the user dismisses it.
children	ReactNode	Yes	Contains Modal.Content.

Modal.Content owns the body below the host-rendered header:

Prop	Type	Default	Behavior
children	ReactNode	Required	Body content below the header.
style	StyleProp<ViewStyle>	—	Styles the full body viewport, including empty space. Use for backgrounds.
contentContainerStyle	StyleProp<ViewStyle>	Padding 24, gap 16	Overrides the content layout. Set padding: 0, gap: 0 for edge-to-edge rows.
scrollable	boolean	true	The host scrolls the body. Set false for a bounded body with your own scroller.

A plain Modal.Content is already padded and scrollable. Avoid adding a second padded wrapper unless you want another inset. Body styles leave the host header, drag handle, and dismissal controls intact. The host reserves bottom safe-area space on compact native layouts; setting content padding to zero removes the decorative inset, not that space. Keyboard clearance is handled separately.

With scrollable={false}, the body fills the available sheet height, and the centered dialog uses 85% of the available height. Use flex: 1, minHeight: 0 on your list. Default scrolling dialogs stay content-sized on wide layouts. Presentation follows window size, including narrow desktop windows and wide tablets.

The close button, backdrop, platform back action, web Escape key, and compact sheet gesture dismiss the modal. Dismissal calls onOpenChange(false); the plugin must update open to close it.

Modal children keep the plugin runtime context. usePaseo, useRpc, useWorkspace, and useAgent work inside them.

#Scrolling

Import ScrollView and FlatList from @getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native when content can appear in a Paseo modal. They accept React Native props and refs and integrate with the sheet's gestures. Outside a sheet they use ordinary React Native scrolling. Do not import bottom-sheet libraries directly.

Use one vertical scroll owner: either the default modal body, or your own list with scrollable={false}. A fixed-height vertical list nested inside the default scrolling body can compete with the sheet for gestures on Android. Horizontal scrolling can coexist with the host's vertical body.

Both the default body and SDK lists share native sheet gestures: drag up to expand before scrolling; drag down at the top of the list to collapse or dismiss. scrollable={false} removes the host's scroll container without changing these gestures. Expand the sheet before using list methods such as scrollToEnd; the sheet locks list offsets below its largest height.

import { FlatList, Modal } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native";
import { Text } from "react-native";

// Inside your controlled Modal:
<Modal.Content
  scrollable={false}
  style={{ backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface1 }}
  contentContainerStyle={{ padding: 0, gap: 0 }}
>
  <FlatList
    style={{ flex: 1, minHeight: 0 }}
    data={items}
    keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
    renderItem={({ item }) => (
      <Text style={{ padding: 16, color: theme.colors.foreground }}>{item.title}</Text>
    )}
  />
</Modal.Content>;

For horizontal tabs, place <ScrollView horizontal style={{ flexGrow: 0 }}>…</ScrollView> inside the default Modal.Content. Keep the content's vertical scrolling on the host.

#Copy and paste

copyText(text): Promise<void> writes to the clipboard on the device running the app. Call it from a user action and await it before reporting success. It rejects if the platform denies copying or the clipboard is unavailable; browser permissions and secure-context requirements still apply.

import { copyText, useToast } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native";

// Inside your component:
const toast = useToast();
async function copyResult() {
  try {
    await copyText(result);
    toast.show("Copied", { variant: "success" });
  } catch {
    toast.error("Could not copy. Select the text and use Copy.");
  }
}

Programmatic copying and native text selection are separate interactions. Use <Text selectable> for long-press selection and OS Copy. Import TextInput from @getpaseo/plugin/client/react-native for modal forms. It accepts React Native input props and refs, supports OS Paste, and registers focus with the native sheet so the keyboard can raise the form. Outside a sheet it uses the ordinary input. A plain React Native input supports Paste too, but does not register focus with the sheet; the keyboard can cover it. No clipboard read API is needed for OS Paste. Avoid DOM clipboard code in native plugins and the deprecated Clipboard export from react-native.

The runnable modal UI example contains a padded form, full-width rows, a virtualized list, horizontal tabs, and a copy/paste input.

#Toasts

useToast() returns two methods:

Method	Behavior
show(message, options?)	Shows a toast for 2,200 ms unless durationMs is supplied.
error(message)	Shows an error toast for 3,200 ms.

show accepts these options:

Option	Type	Default
variant	"default" | "info" | "success" | "warning" | "error"	"default"
durationMs	number	2200

Showing another toast replaces the currently visible toast. An empty message is ignored.

#Icons

Icon renders a Lucide icon from Paseo's installed icon set. Plugin bundles do not import lucide-react-native or react-native-svg.

Prop	Type	Required	Behavior
name	string	Yes	Lucide icon name. Unknown names render nothing.
size	number	No	Icon width and height.
color	string	No	Icon color. Use a plugin theme token.

#Timeline items

A plugin can replace an agent timeline entry with its own data and React Native renderer. Both registrations are client contributions. Paseo applies the transformer while building the render model, including every live streaming update.

import type { PluginClientContext, PluginTimelineItemProps } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { Text } from "react-native";
import { z } from "zod";

const schema = z.object({ label: z.string() });

function Card({ item, theme }: PluginTimelineItemProps<z.output<typeof schema>>) {
  return <Text style={{ color: theme.colors.foreground }}>{item.data.label}</Text>;
}

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addTimelineTransformer({
    id: "command-card",
    query: { itemType: "tool_call" },
    transform({ item, phase }) {
      return {
        items: [
          {
            type: "plugin",
            kind: "command-card",
            version: 1,
            data: { label: item.name, phase },
          },
        ],
      };
    },
  });
  client.addTimelineRenderer({
    kind: "command-card",
    version: 1,
    schema,
    Component: Card,
  });
  return () => {};
}

query.itemType is the stable, coarse selector. Inspect the selected item inside transform for provider- or tool-specific recognition. Returning undefined keeps the original entry. Returning items replaces it; an empty array removes it. Item data must be JSON-compatible. The phase input is "streaming" for the live assistant message, running tool calls, and loading reasoning; it is "complete" for committed or fetched messages and finished tools or reasoning. Assistant and reasoning callbacks receive the full accumulated text on each update, including paragraph separators. Paseo invokes transformers before splitting native Markdown or grouping tools in Overview. A claimed assistant message remains one source item throughout streaming; return undefined until recognizable if the first text is insufficient to identify it. Each replacement may set an optional plugin-local id; otherwise Paseo uses its index within that source item's output.

Renderers receive agentId, item, timestamp, theme, host, and layout. Paseo validates item.data with the registered schema before rendering. Keep transformers synchronous and deterministic. Paseo memoizes results by source-item reference and derives replacement identity from the source row, so updates to one streaming item do not remount its renderer. Use the exported useRevealedText(text, phase) hook when a renderer should pace streaming text like Paseo's built-in assistant rows.

#Append a timeline row from the daemon

A server handler can add a plugin-owned row to canonical history:

import type { PluginHandlerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";

async function publishReview(agentId: string, { paseo }: PluginHandlerContext) {
  await paseo.agents.ref(agentId).timeline.append({
    type: "plugin",
    id: "review",
    kind: "review-result",
    version: 1,
    data: { verdict: "ready" },
  });
}

Field	Type	Required	Behavior
type	"plugin"	Yes	Selects the plugin timeline variant.
id	string	Yes	Stable plugin-local identity. Reusing it replaces the old row.
kind	string	Yes	Selects the registered renderer.
version	positive integer	Yes	Selects the renderer contract version.
data	JSON-compatible	Yes	Renderer payload, at most 64 KiB after JSON serialization.

The daemon stamps pluginId from the calling plugin session and rejects this RPC from non-plugin sessions. The row appears live, survives timeline refetches, and keeps only the latest value for the same plugin and id. If its renderer is missing, Paseo shows the existing unavailable row. Daemons reject data over the limit rather than truncating it. Daemons that support this operation advertise server_info.features.pluginTimelineItems.

#Theme and layout

Plugin UI runs on desktop, browser, iOS, and Android, across every Paseo theme. theme is a typed PluginTheme mapped from the active host theme. Color and spacing must come from those props. Hardcoded colors and unstyled Text break when the host theme changes.

Recreate styles when theme or layout.compact changes.

Key	Required for	Use it for
theme.colors.foreground	Every primary Text	Titles and body copy
theme.colors.foregroundMuted	Secondary Text	Labels and supporting copy
theme.colors.surface0	Root view	Panel background
theme.colors.surface1	Raised surfaces	Cards and panels
theme.colors.surface2	Control surfaces	Inputs and secondary controls
theme.colors.border	Surface boundaries	Borders and dividers
theme.colors.accent	Primary action fills	Buttons and selected states
theme.colors.accentForeground	Text on an accent fill	Button labels
theme.colors.statusSuccess	Success feedback	Success messages and indicators
theme.colors.statusWarning	Warning feedback	Warning messages and indicators
theme.colors.statusDanger	Failure copy	Error messages and destructive text
layout.compact	Padding and stacking	true on mobile and narrow windows
layout.platform	Platform-specific behavior	ios, android, or web

Do not hardcode #000, #fff, or React Native's default text color. Primary copy uses foreground. Labels use foregroundMuted. Tighten padding when layout.compact is true.

Workspace and agent panels receive the same theme, layout, and optional navigation fields.

#Contribute a theme

addTheme adds a light or dark theme to Settings → Appearance, listed under the built-ins by its name. A theme is data, so it needs no component file:

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addTheme({
    id: "mocha",
    name: "Catppuccin Mocha",
    appearance: "dark",
    colors: {
      background: "#1e1e2e",
      foreground: "#cdd6f4",
      raised: "#313244",
      control: "#45475a",
      border: "#45475a",
      accent: "#cba6f7",
      mutedForeground: "#a6adc8",
      ring: "#6c7086",
    },
  });
  return () => {};
}

Every color is a hex string; anything else fails to load. Paseo expands the palette into the full token set the built-in dark themes use, so a contributed theme covers panels, menus, diffs, status colors, and the terminal without listing them.

Color	Becomes
background	App, workspace, and terminal background
foreground	Primary text, terminal foreground and cursor
raised	Cards, popovers, and hovered rows
control	Inputs, secondary fills, and the light-theme sidebar
border	Borders and the highest raised-surface tint
accent	Buttons, selection, and focus. Optional; foreground if omitted.
mutedForeground	Secondary text
ring	Focus rings, scrollbars, and terminal bright black

appearance is "light" or "dark". Paseo uses it to select the matching surface, status, diff, syntax, terminal, and shadow derivation.

Only one contributed theme is active at a time. Selecting one persists the choice; if the plugin is later disabled or removed, Paseo falls back to the default theme rather than leaving the app unpainted.

Themes need a host that supports them. A client released before addTheme cannot evaluate that client entry and reports client.addTheme is not a function. Update the client.

#Settings screens

Register a component with client.addSettingsScreen({ id, title, icon, Component }) in index.client.tsx. It appears under Settings → Plugins → your plugin on that host. id is unique within the installation; icon is a Lucide name. Registration returns an idempotent remover, and plugin teardown removes remaining screens.

Call client.openSettings(id) or a Command Center callback's openSettings(id) to open one of your own screens. Each installation has its own values and route, even when several hosts install the same plugin.

The component receives PluginSurfaceProps. Paseo owns the header, back navigation, safe areas, scrolling, and the centered settings column. Compact windows push a full-screen detail; wide windows keep the settings sidebar. Render content inside that frame using React Native components. A disabled or removed plugin leaves an unavailable screen with working Back navigation.

#Named UI components

Import settings components from @getpaseo/plugin/client/ui. They work with your own state and RPCs; no form wrapper or storage binding is required.

import { useState } from "react";
import { SettingsCard, SettingsSection, SettingsSwitch } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client/ui";

export function DisplaySettings() {
  const [visible, setVisible] = useState(true);
  return (
    <SettingsSection title="Display">
      <SettingsCard>
        <SettingsSwitch label="Show metadata" value={visible} onValueChange={setVisible} />
      </SettingsCard>
    </SettingsSection>
  );
}

Component	Props and behavior
SettingsGroup, SettingsSection	Required title, children; optional info tooltip, trailing content, testID. Own section spacing and headings.
SettingsCard	children, optional testID. Owns the card surface and dividers between direct children. Give mapped rows stable React keys.
SettingsRow	Required label; optional hint, error, children, testID. Wrap any custom control or content.
SettingsSwitch	Row props plus required value: boolean, onValueChange; optional disabled.
SettingsSelect	Row props plus required string value, options: { label, value }[], onValueChange; optional disabled. Uses Paseo's adaptive menu.
SettingsInput	Row props plus required onChangeText; optional initialValue, placeholder, disabled, secureTextEntry, ref.
SettingsAction	Row props plus required actionLabel, onPress; optional disabled.

SettingsInput owns in-progress text. initialValue seeds it when mounted. Its ref exposes focus(), blur(), getText(), and replaceText(text) for explicit programmatic changes. Keep draft text outside persisted values until the user saves. Custom previews and controls can sit beside or inside these components.

#Persisted values

Define a settings document in shared/:

import { defineSettings } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { z } from "zod";

export const preferences = defineSettings({
  id: "display",
  scope: "host",
  version: 1,
  schema: z.object({ showMetadata: z.boolean().default(true) }),
});

Register it in index.server.ts before returning cleanup. The returned handle lets server code read the document and react to changes. A screen using its own data can remain client-only.

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  const settings = server.registerSettings(preferences);

  settings.subscribe((next) => {
    if (next.status === "ready") {
      console.log("Settings changed", next.revision);
    }
  });

  return () => {};
}

Definition field	Contract
id	Lowercase identifier matching [a-z][a-z0-9_-]*; unique within the installation.
scope	Required "host". All authorized clients of that host share the document. No per-user, device-local, or cross-host synchronization.
version	Required positive integer describing the schema, independent of the write revision.
schema	Zod schema for JSON values. Supply defaults so parsing {} produces a complete document.
migrate(values, fromVersion)	Optional synchronous or asynchronous conversion from an older stored version. Its output must pass the current schema.

Call useSettings(preferences) in any contributed component. It returns a discriminated state:

status	Available data
loading	Read is pending; do not render default values as though they were saved.
ready	Typed values and an opaque revision.
invalid	error and revision; stored data is preserved.
error	error from the read/connection.

The server handle exposes read() and subscribe(). read() returns the same ready or invalid state as the client hook, including the opaque revision. subscribe() returns a cleanup function and receives a new ready state after a successful save, reset, or migration. Invalid writes and revision conflicts do not notify subscribers. Listener failures are logged without turning a committed write into a failed save.

const current = await settings.read();
if (current.status === "ready") {
  // Use current.values and current.revision.
}

Every state also exposes saving, saveError, and these actions:

• save(values, revision): Promise<boolean> validates and saves a complete document. Returns false and sets saveError on validation, conflict, or transport failure; it does not throw.
• reset(): Promise<boolean> explicitly replaces the document with schema defaults, using the revision loaded by the hook. It can recover invalid stored data.
• reload(): Promise<void> clears the save error and reads again. Your component owns its draft; reloading does not discard that draft automatically.

For an immediate toggle, pass { ...settings.values, showMetadata } and settings.revision to save. For a draft editor, capture both the values and revision when opening it. Keep that revision until a save succeeds or the user discards the draft. A stale revision rejects the save, preserving both the draft and the newer saved values.

Writes are atomic and validated on the host. Connected clients receive updates without reloading the plugin. Values survive daemon restart, plugin reload, disable, and updates. Removing an installation deletes its settings. Reinstalling that ID starts from defaults.

A missing document uses schema defaults. Invalid data, failed migrations, and unsupported newer versions produce invalid without silently resetting the file. Successful migrations persist the new version once. These documents are ordinary host-side JSON, not a credential vault. Settings RPCs use the existing daemon.manage permission for plugin execution.

See the complete settings example for immediate controls, a draft editor with validation, custom content, and Command Center navigation.

#Workspace panels

Register one panel for workspace or agent context:

client/review.tsx:

import { type PluginAgentPanelProps, useAgent, useWorkspace } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { useMemo } from "react";
import { Text, View } from "react-native";

export function ReviewPanel({ theme, layout, workspaceId, agentId }: PluginAgentPanelProps) {
  const workspaceName = useWorkspace(workspaceId, (workspace) => workspace.name);
  const agent = useAgent(agentId, ({ id, title }) => ({ id, title }));
  const styles = useMemo(
    () => ({
      screen: {
        flex: 1,
        padding: layout.compact ? 16 : 24,
        backgroundColor: theme.colors.surface0,
      },
      title: { color: theme.colors.foreground },
      detail: { color: theme.colors.foregroundMuted },
    }),
    [theme, layout.compact],
  );
  return (
    <View style={styles.screen}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>{workspaceName}</Text>
      <Text style={styles.detail}>{agent?.title ?? agent?.id}</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

index.client.tsx:

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { ReviewPanel } from "./client/review";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addWorkspacePanel({
    id: "review",
    title: "Review",
    icon: "Scan",
    context: "agent",
    locations: ["workspace", "explorer"],
    Component: ReviewPanel,
  });
  return () => {};
}

addWorkspacePanel fields:

Field	Required	Meaning
id	Yes	Plugin-local panel ID.
title	Yes	Workspace-tab title.
icon	Yes	Lucide icon name.
context	Yes	workspace or agent.
locations	No	workspace and/or explorer. Defaults to workspace.
Component	Yes	React Native component matching the selected context's props.

A workspace panel receives PluginWorkspacePanelProps: context: "workspace", theme, host, layout, and workspaceId. An agent panel receives PluginAgentPanelProps: context: "agent", the same common fields and workspaceId, plus agentId.

Read cached state with useWorkspace(workspaceId, selector) and useAgent(agentId, selector). A selector is required. Paseo compares its result shallowly, so selecting { name, status } does not re-render when unrelated fields change. Select every field the component renders in one call; do not select the whole snapshot.

Both hooks return null when the record is unavailable. Otherwise they run synchronously against normalized client state. Snapshot DTOs and their nested values are deeply readonly and frozen at runtime. Do not call plugin RPC to discover the current workspace or agent. Fetch optional or vendor-specific enrichment after the component renders.

Workspace snapshot fields:

Field	Type
id	string
projectId	string
projectDisplayName	string
projectRootPath	string
directory	string
projectKind	"git" | "non_git" | "directory"
kind	"directory" | "local_checkout" | "checkout" | "worktree"
name	string
title	string | null
status	"needs_input" | "failed" | "running" | "attention" | "done"
statusEnteredAt	ISO timestamp or null
archivingAt	ISO timestamp or null
diffStat	{ additions: number; deletions: number } | null

Agent snapshot fields:

Field	Type
id	string
workspaceId	string
provider	string
status	"initializing" | "idle" | "running" | "error" | "closed"
createdAt	ISO timestamp
updatedAt	ISO timestamp
lastActivityAt	ISO timestamp
title	string | null
cwd	string
model	string | null
currentModeId	string | null
thinkingOptionId	string | null
requiresAttention	boolean
attentionReason	"finished" | "error" | "permission" | null
parentAgentId	string | null
labels	Record<string, string>

Paseo owns tab focus, splitting, closing, persistence, query state, the API/RPC providers, and the render error boundary. A restored tab whose plugin, panel, context, workspace, or agent is unavailable stays open with an unavailable message instead of crashing the workspace.

#Command Center items

Open the Command Center with ⌘K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux, then search for the item title.

Register an action and open a panel from the callback:

import { defineRpc } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { z } from "zod";

const refreshReview = defineRpc({
  name: "review.refresh",
  input: z.object({ agentId: z.string(), scope: z.string().optional() }),
  output: z.object({ refreshed: z.boolean() }),
});

client.addCommandCenterItem({
  id: "open-review",
  title: "Open review",
  icon: "Scan",
  keywords: ["inspect"],
  context: "agent",
  async onSelect({ paseo, rpc, workspace, agent, openPanel }) {
    await paseo.workspaces.ref(workspace.id).setTitle(`Review ${agent.id}`);
    await rpc(refreshReview, { agentId: agent.id });
    openPanel("review");
  },
});

addCommandCenterItem fields:

Field	Required	Meaning
id	Yes	Plugin-local item ID.
title	Yes	Search result title.
icon	Yes	Lucide icon name.
keywords	No	Additional Command Center search terms.
context	Yes	global, workspace, or agent.
onSelect	Yes	Client-side callback for the matching context.

Global items appear on the installation's selected host. Workspace items appear only when that host has an active cached workspace. Agent items appear only when the focused workspace tab is an agent or an agent-context plugin panel whose cached record belongs to that workspace. Missing context removes the item rather than calling the plugin to discover it.

Every callback receives:

Field	Context	Meaning
context	All	Matching discriminator.
paseo	All	Selected host's existing PaseoApi.
rpc(contract, input)	All	Typed call to this installation's daemon-side plugin handler.
openSurface(id)	All	Opens one of this plugin's registered global surfaces.
workspace	Workspace and agent	Synchronous workspace snapshot.
agent	Agent	Synchronous matching agent snapshot.
openPanel(id, options?)	Workspace and agent	Opens a registered panel in the callback's current context. Pass { location: "explorer" } to target Explorer.

An agent callback may open either an agent panel or a workspace panel. A workspace callback may open only a workspace panel. Unknown surface and panel IDs fail visibly. Use paseo for normal workspace, agent, provider, and daemon-config operations. Use rpc for plugin-specific filesystem, credential, vendor, or daemon-local work.

#Slash commands

Register a command that runs in the Paseo client when the user submits /name args from the message composer. The text is never sent to the agent:

client.addSlashCommand({
  name: "review",
  description: "Run the review bot",
  argumentHint: "[scope]",
  context: "agent",
  async onSubmit({ args, agent, rpc, openPanel }) {
    await rpc(refreshReview, { agentId: agent.id, scope: args });
    openPanel("review");
  },
});

Field	Required	Meaning
name	Yes	Command name without the leading slash.
description	Yes	Composer autocomplete description.
argumentHint	Yes	Short usage hint shown after the command name.
context	Yes	"workspace" or "agent".
onSubmit	Yes	Client callback for the matching context.

onSubmit receives the matching Command Center callback context plus args. For /review src, args is "src"; Paseo trims only the remainder's leading and trailing whitespace and leaves parsing to the plugin. Paseo owns the autocomplete row, input clearing, and the error toast. It does not wait for onSubmit or show a pending state; use a composer pill or panel for that.

Precedence is built-in client commands, plugin commands, then provider commands. A lower-precedence collision is omitted. Built-in aliases also reserve their names. The first plugin in stable catalog order wins a collision between plugins. Commands do not run while the composer has attachments.

#Header buttons

Try the button example for actions, menus, custom icons and content, and visibility updates in both the header and composer. It switches one header button between modes; additional actions use a named Tools menu.

client.addHeaderButton({ id, workspaceId, button }) adds a button before the built-in actions on the workspace header's right side. It returns a registration with update(patch) and remove().

const review = client.addHeaderButton({
  id: "review",
  workspaceId,
  button: {
    title: "Open review",
    icon: "Scan",
    label: "Review",
    behavior: {
      kind: "action",
      onPress() {
        client.openPanel("review", { workspaceId });
      },
    },
  },
});

review.update({ label: "Review · 3" });
review.update({ visible: false });
review.update({ visible: true });
review.remove();

Omit label for an icon-only header button. Menus and popovers show a chevron on wide layouts. Compact header buttons use icons without labels or chevrons. Paseo moves excess contributions into a shared overflow menu. Placement and overflow are host decisions.

#Composer pills

client.addComposerPill({ id, workspaceId, agentId, button }) uses the same button descriptor and returns the same registration. It targets one agent's composer track alongside Tasks and Subagents. Composer pills always show the icon and label (or title when label is omitted). They never show a chevron, including for menus and popovers.

const pill = client.addComposerPill({
  id: "review",
  workspaceId,
  agentId,
  button: {
    title: "Open review",
    icon: "Scan",
    label: "Review",
    behavior: {
      kind: "action",
      onPress() {
        client.openPanel("review", { workspaceId, agentId });
      },
    },
  },
});

For pills that follow the agent directory, use an explicit owned list subscription. The local plugin example replaces registrations on each snapshot and aborts the observation during entry cleanup, including pending bootstrap.

#Button descriptor

These contracts are exported from @getpaseo/plugin/client.

Field	Required	Meaning
title	Yes	Non-empty accessible label, tooltip, and sheet title.
icon	Yes	Lucide name or ComponentType<PluginButtonIconProps>.
label	No	Non-empty display text. Omit to use the placement's default.
visible	No	Defaults to true. False removes the trigger and its layout space.
disabled	No	Defaults to false. Keeps the button visible and prevents interaction.
behavior	Yes	One of the three shapes below.

type PluginButtonBehavior =
  | { kind: "action"; onPress(): void | Promise<void> }
  | { kind: "menu"; items: readonly PluginButtonMenuEntry[] }
  | { kind: "popover"; Content: React.ComponentType<PluginButtonContentProps> };

An action runs on the client. Paseo marks the button busy until its promise settles, blocks repeated presses, and shows failures in a toast. A failed action can be retried. Use the client's paseo for ordinary operations and rpc for plugin-specific backend work.

Menus and popovers open anchored surfaces on wide layouts and bottom sheets on compact layouts. The whole trigger opens the surface; there is no split-button behavior.

#Menu entries

A menu contains items and separators. IDs use lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens, start with a letter, and are unique within that menu.

const behavior: PluginButtonBehavior = {
  kind: "menu",
  items: [
    {
      kind: "item",
      id: "refresh",
      title: "Refresh review",
      icon: "RefreshCw",
      behavior: { kind: "action", onPress: refreshReview },
    },
    { kind: "separator", id: "details-divider" },
    {
      kind: "item",
      id: "details",
      title: "Review details",
      behavior: { kind: "popover", Content: ReviewDetails },
    },
  ],
};

An item requires kind: "item", id, title, and behavior. Its optional icon, visible, and disabled follow the button rules. A separator contains only kind: "separator" and id. Paseo removes leading, trailing, and consecutive separators after filtering hidden items.

Items can use all three behaviors. Nested menus open flyouts on wide layouts and pages with back navigation within the same compact sheet. Custom content pages open on selection, never hover. Choosing an action closes the menu; opening another page keeps it open.

#Custom icons and popover content

PluginButtonIconProps contains theme, host, layout, size, color, and the target context. Render a React Native icon or indicator within the supplied size. Paseo bounds the icon slot and owns all pointer interaction. The icon component can use plugin hooks.

PluginButtonContentProps contains theme, host, layout, the target context, and close(). Render the body only; Paseo owns anchoring, scrolling, padding, and sheet presentation. Content can use usePaseo, useRpc, useWorkspace, useAgent, and the installation's React Query cache.

The target context is one of:

{ context: "workspace", workspaceId: string } // Header button
{ context: "agent", workspaceId: string, agentId: string } // Composer pill

#Updates and lifecycle

Each registration belongs to one plugin installation, placement, workspace, and (for pills) agent. id is plugin-local within that target and uses the same format as menu IDs. The same ID may be used in different targets or placements. Duplicate registration in the same target throws.

update(patch: Partial<PluginButton>) changes the descriptor in place, preserving identity and order. When changing behavior, supply the complete new behavior object. Invalid updates throw without changing the existing button. Subscribe to your own model or the client API and call update to publish reactive changes; mutating the original descriptor does not update the UI.

Hiding or disabling a button closes its surface. Updating its behavior also closes the surface. Hiding preserves the registration, so showing it again restores its position. It does not cancel an action already in progress.

remove() is idempotent. Updates after removal do nothing. Paseo removes outstanding buttons when the plugin installation or host connection is torn down. Return cleanup from the client entry for your subscriptions, timers, and other resources.

#Use the Paseo SDK

Use usePaseo() for ordinary Paseo operations from a surface. It borrows the selected host's existing connection; do not create another client.

import { type PluginSurfaceProps, usePaseo } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { Pressable, Text } from "react-native";

function PullRequestAction({ theme }: PluginSurfaceProps) {
  const paseo = usePaseo();

  async function createReviewWorkspace() {
    const workspace = await paseo.workspaces.create({
      title: "Review PR 42",
      source: {
        kind: "worktree",
        cwd: "/absolute/path/to/repository",
        action: "checkout",
        checkoutSource: { kind: "change_request", forge: "github", number: 42 },
      },
    });
    await workspace.agents.create({
      config: { provider: "codex/gpt-5.5" },
      prompt: "Review PR #42.",
    });
  }

  return (
    <Pressable accessibilityRole="button" onPress={() => void createReviewWorkspace()}>
      <Text style={{ color: theme.colors.foreground }}>Create review workspace</Text>
    </Pressable>
  );
}

The returned API covers projects, workspaces, agents, terminals, providers, and daemon config. See the SDK API reference for its methods. Connection lifecycle methods are intentionally absent because Paseo owns the connection.

#Discover hosts and target another host

Use useHosts() to display configured hosts and getPaseoClient(serverId) in an action callback to run SDK operations on one of them:

import { getPaseoClient, useHosts, type PluginSurfaceProps } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { useMemo, useState, type ReactElement } from "react";
import { Pressable, Text, View } from "react-native";

export function HostAgents({ theme }: Pick<PluginSurfaceProps, "theme">): ReactElement {
  const hosts = useHosts();
  const textStyle = useMemo(() => ({ color: theme.colors.foreground }), [theme]);
  const [result, setResult] = useState("");

  async function listAgents(serverId: string): Promise<void> {
    try {
      const { entries } = await getPaseoClient(serverId).agents.list();
      setResult(`${entries.length} agents`);
    } catch (error) {
      setResult(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
    }
  }

  const rows = hosts.map((host) => ({
    host,
    onPress() {
      void listAgents(host.serverId);
    },
  }));

  return (
    <View>
      {rows.map(({ host, onPress }) => (
        <Pressable key={host.serverId} accessibilityRole="button" onPress={onPress}>
          <Text style={textStyle}>
            {host.label}: {host.status}
          </Text>
        </Pressable>
      ))}
      <Text style={textStyle}>{result}</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

useHosts(): readonly PluginHostSummary[] includes offline hosts and updates when hosts, labels, or statuses change.

Summary field	Type or values	Meaning
serverId	string	ID to pass to getPaseoClient.
label	string	Host's display name.
status	"idle", "connecting", "online", "offline", "error"	Current app connection status. SDK calls require "online".

getPaseoClient(serverId: string): PaseoApi borrows the host's authenticated app connection. Call it in client entry code or callbacks; it opens no socket and does not require the plugin on the target daemon. Acquire the API when performing an action to use the current connection.

Event or condition	Result and caller action
Unknown host ID	Throws Unknown Paseo host: <id>; never falls through to another host.
Host is not online	Throws Paseo host is disconnected: <id>, including calls through a retained API. Retry when online.
Same connection reconnects	Retained APIs remain usable after reconnection; observations resume automatically.
Connection settings change or the app switches connections, including automatic failover	The old API is released. Call getPaseoClient(serverId) again and recreate subscriptions.
Host is removed	Its API is released; the removed ID is unknown.
client.dispose()	Releases that API and its observations. A later getter call returns a fresh API over the app connection. Disposing the old API again leaves the new API usable.
Originating plugin unloads	All its borrowed APIs and observations are released, including those targeting other hosts. Retained handles cannot outlive the installation.
Surface host selection changes	usePaseo() follows the selected host. An explicitly acquired API keeps its original target.

You can also release individual subscriptions through the normal SDK API.

Plugins are trusted app code; cross-host access is intentional. Summaries contain no connection URLs or credentials, and borrowed APIs provide no connection lifecycle controls. See the host agents example.

#Add plugin-specific backend behavior

Use plugin RPC only for work that is not a normal Paseo operation: reading a vendor API, accessing daemon-local resources, or keeping credentials off the client.

Define one contract with Zod, handle it in the subprocess, and call it from the surface:

shared/greeting.ts:

import { defineRpc } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { z } from "zod";

export const greeting = defineRpc({
  name: "greeting.create",
  input: z.object({ name: z.string() }),
  output: z.object({ message: z.string() }),
});

client/greeting.tsx:

import { useRpc } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { greeting } from "../shared/greeting";

export function GreetingButton() {
  const createGreeting = useRpc(greeting);
  // Call createGreeting({ name: "Ada" }) from an event or query.
  return null;
}

server/greeting.ts:

import type { RpcInput } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { greeting } from "../shared/greeting";

export function createGreeting({ name }: RpcInput<typeof greeting>) {
  return { message: `Hello, ${name}` };
}

index.client.tsx:

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { GreetingButton } from "./client/greeting";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addSurface("main", GreetingButton);
  return () => {};
}

index.server.ts:

import type { PluginServerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";
import { createGreeting } from "./server/greeting";
import { greeting } from "./shared/greeting";

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  server.handle(greeting, createGreeting);
  return () => {};
}

Inputs and outputs are validated on both sides. RPC names start with a lowercase letter and contain lowercase letters, numbers, dots, hyphens, or underscores. useRpc() returns a typed async function. Use TanStack Query for request state, caching, and mutations.

Backend handlers receive the same PaseoApi as { paseo }. Their connection belongs to the subprocess and closes when the plugin stops. It does not subscribe to timelines or catalog events until plugin code subscribes. Follow the SDK event contract for cleanup and timeline replacements. Backend code can use Node APIs and dependencies installed in the plugin directory.

#Debug backend output

Backend contributions can write to stdout and stderr with normal Node logging:

console.log("Refreshing issues");
console.error("Issue refresh failed", error);

Paseo adds [paseo] entries when the plugin starts loading, becomes ready, starts stopping, and has stopped. It records compilation and load failures as stderr entries, including failures that happen before the plugin subprocess starts. Paseo also captures output emitted during initialization, RPC handlers, cleanup, and process failure. Protocol traffic uses a separate channel, so console.log() cannot corrupt plugin RPCs.

Open Settings → Plugins → Logs for the plugin, or inspect the same recent tail from the daemon CLI:

paseo plugin logs my-plugin
paseo plugin logs my-plugin --json
paseo --host <url> plugin logs my-plugin

The command returns a snapshot rather than following live output. Refresh the settings view or run the command again for newer entries. Each entry includes its timestamp, stdout or stderr stream, sequence, and message.

Paseo retains up to 500 entries and 256 KiB per plugin in memory. Individual lines are capped at 16 KiB. Reload, disable, compilation failure, initialization failure, and process failure retain the tail. Removing the plugin clears it, and a daemon restart starts a new tail. Structured copies are also written to the daemon log at $PASEO_HOME/daemon.log.

Only daemon-side output is captured. Logs from client surfaces remain in the app runtime. Do not log credentials, access tokens, or other secrets: connected users can read the retained tail, and the daemon log persists it.

#Add a composer attachment source

An attachment source searches external resources and returns a stable text snapshot for an agent prompt. Keep credentials and vendor calls in the backend handler.

shared/issues.ts:

import { defineAttachmentSource, defineRpc } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { z } from "zod";

export const searchIssues = defineRpc({
  name: "issues.search",
  input: z.object({ query: z.string() }),
  output: z.object({
    items: z.array(
      z.object({
        id: z.string(),
        identifier: z.string(),
        title: z.string(),
        subtitle: z.string().optional(),
        url: z.string().url(),
        text: z.string(),
        resourceType: z.string(),
      }),
    ),
  }),
});

export const issues = defineAttachmentSource({
  id: "issues",
  title: "Acme issue",
  icon: "CircleDot",
  pickerTitle: "Attach Acme issue",
  searchPlaceholder: "Search by identifier or title",
  search: searchIssues,
});

server/issues.ts:

import type { RpcInput } from "@getpaseo/plugin";
import { searchIssues } from "../shared/issues";

export function search({ query }: RpcInput<typeof searchIssues>) {
  return searchAcmeIssues(query);
}

index.client.tsx:

import type { PluginClientContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/client";
import { issues } from "./shared/issues";

export default function contribute(client: PluginClientContext) {
  client.addAttachmentSource(issues);
  return () => {};
}

index.server.ts:

import type { PluginServerContext } from "@getpaseo/plugin/server";
import { search } from "./server/issues";
import { searchIssues } from "./shared/issues";

export default function contribute(server: PluginServerContext) {
  server.handle(searchIssues, search);
  return () => {};
}

Paseo owns the composer menu, search picker, selected pill, draft state, and submission. The text value is the complete snapshot sent to the agent.

#Hosts and lifecycle

Plugins are installed per daemon. When the same contribution exists on several connected hosts, Paseo shows one sidebar item and adds a host picker. The selected host supplies the bundle, Paseo API, RPC transport, and query cache. Calls never fall through to another host when the selected host is offline.

Attachment sources remain scoped to each composer's host.

Workspace panels and Command Center items stay scoped to the active host and exact cached context. Reload replaces their registrations. Disable, removal, host disconnect, and evaluation failure remove Command Center items and clear the installation's query state. An already-restored panel tab remains as unavailable until its matching contribution returns or the user closes it. Panel render failures stay inside the plugin error boundary.

#Plugin sources

Paste one of these source identifiers into Settings → Plugins, or pass it to paseo plugin install. paseo plugin add <source> and paseo plugin install <source> are aliases. Absolute host paths are recommended because relative paths resolve against the daemon's working directory. The app does not expand ~; your shell may expand it before the CLI runs.

Source	Accepted form	Example
Host directory	Absolute or relative path on the daemon host	/srv/paseo/plugins/review
GitHub repository	github:owner/repository or owner/repository	github:acme/paseo-review
Git repository	git:<URL or SCP source>; the prefix is optional for URLs and SCP sources	git:https://git.example.com/acme/review.git
npm package	npm:<name>[@<version, tag, or range>]; npm: is optional	npm:@acme/paseo-review@^1.2.0
Plugin below a source root	Append :relative/plugin/path to any source	github:acme/monorepo:plugins/review

Git URLs use https://, http://, ssh://, git://, or file://. SCP sources use user@host:path. file:// selects Git acquisition, not directory installation.

npm names are lowercase unscoped name or scoped @scope/name. Each component starts with a letter or digit and then contains letters, digits, ., _, or -. After the package name, an optional @ introduces an exact version, distribution tag, or npm semver range. Omitting it means latest. Quote shell arguments containing spaces or comparison operators. npm aliases, tarball URLs, and npm's file: specifications are not plugin source identifiers; use a directory or Git source for those locations. Use the npm: prefix for an unscoped package with both a selector and subdirectory (npm:review@1.2.0:nested); without it, user@host:path is an SCP Git source. The package registry validates the selected version, tag, or range.

Paseo resolves an identifier in this order:

1. An existing directory matching the complete identifier on the daemon host wins, including a literal directory containing :.
2. Otherwise, recognize npm:, github:, or git: before interpreting a subdirectory suffix. git:// is a Git URL scheme. An explicit prefix selects acquisition of that kind.
3. Recognize a final :relative/plugin/path only when its suffix contains no empty, . or .. segments. A lone . selects the source root. Both / and \ separate suffix segments; use / across hosts. URL ports and the separator in an SCP source stay part of the source. A suffix that does not satisfy these rules stays part of the identifier.
4. Without an explicit prefix, an existing directory matching the remaining source wins.
5. Resolve Git URLs and SCP sources as Git; expand exact owner/repository shorthand to GitHub HTTPS. github: requires that shorthand; git: accepts it as well as URLs and SCP sources.
6. Resolve a remaining npm package name with its optional selector through the host's registry. Reject anything else.

Directory lookup happens on the daemon host. The app uses the paseo-plugin.json ID; the CLI accepts --id <runtime-id> to override it. An existing installation ID is rejected without changing its enabled state or files.

paseo plugin install /srv/paseo/plugins/review
paseo plugin install github:acme/paseo-review
paseo plugin install git:https://git.example.com:8443/acme/monorepo.git:plugins/review --ref main
paseo plugin install git@git.example.com:acme/review.git
paseo plugin install file:///srv/repos/monorepo:plugins/review
paseo plugin install npm:paseo-review@1.2.0
paseo plugin install npm:@acme/paseo-review@next
paseo plugin install 'npm:@acme/paseo-review@>=1.2.0 <2.0.0' --id review-staging
paseo plugin install npm:@acme/plugins@^1.2.0:plugins/review

--ref applies only to Git and accepts a branch, tag, or commit for this installation. Without it, Paseo installs the remote's default HEAD. Installation selectors do not constrain later updates. The legacy --path relative/plugin/path option is equivalent to a subdirectory suffix, including for npm.

#npm installation and publishing

Install Node.js with npm on the daemon host and make npm available on the daemon's PATH. The daemon uses that host's npm user/global configuration and environment for registry selection and authentication, including scope-specific registries. The client does not download packages or run npm. Loading, enabling, and reloading an installed plugin do not need npm.

The daemon installs each candidate and its production dependencies in an isolated directory. It keeps the complete dependency tree and package-lock.json when activating it. The installed package and lockfile provide its current version and artifact integrity. A version, tag, or range chooses content for this installation only.

For package contents, dependencies, preparation, and private registries, see Publish a plugin.

A failed download, dependency installation, manifest check, preparation command, compilation, or activation discards the candidate. Other installed plugins keep running. Removing an npm plugin deletes its managed files; removing a directory plugin keeps your source directory.

#CLI reference

paseo plugin init /absolute/path/to/plugin
paseo plugin install /absolute/path/to/plugin
paseo plugin install /absolute/path/to/plugin --id another-runtime-id
paseo plugin add owner/repository
paseo plugin add https://git.example.com/owner/repository.git --ref main
paseo plugin add owner/monorepo:plugins/review
paseo plugin ls [id]
paseo plugin update <id>
paseo plugin update --all --check
paseo plugin update --all --yes
paseo plugin update my-plugin --version 1.2.0
paseo plugin update my-plugin --ref v2
paseo plugin reload my-plugin
paseo plugin logs my-plugin
paseo plugin disable my-plugin
paseo plugin enable my-plugin
paseo plugin remove my-plugin

ls and Settings show source identity and the current installed revision without contacting the remote. Identity includes the selected subdirectory and excludes installation selectors.

update <id> checks for an update, shows the current and proposed revision with available review links, and asks for approval. Declining leaves the installed content unchanged.

• npm checks the package's latest version. It offers only a newer version; an installed version newer than latest stays installed. Host npm registry/auth configuration governs resolution.
• Git checks the remote's current default HEAD, regardless of the branch, tag, or commit selected during installation.
• Directory plugins are skipped; edit the directory and use reload.

--check only previews, including with an explicit target or --yes. --yes skips the question. --all checks each configured plugin and reports independent results; one failure does not stop others. Neither flag permits ordinary npm downgrades.

--version <version|tag|range> or --ref <branch|tag|commit> selects one matching plugin's update content and applies it without another question. An explicit npm version can be older. The next ordinary update checks latest again. Explicit targets cannot be combined with --all. JSON and noninteractive ordinary updates require --yes.

Approval acquires exactly the reviewed commit or npm artifact. If it is unavailable or the installed plugin changed while reviewing, the update fails and asks you to check again. Failed preparation or activation retains the previous installation. Manual app update review is not available yet.

Put --host <url> before a management command when the target is not the CLI's default daemon. remove never deletes a directory source; it deletes managed files for Git and npm sources. The install-time --id is the runtime ID and allows the same directory or repository to be installed more than once.

Trust every plugin you add. paseo plugin add and paseo plugin install mean “I trust this codebase.” Server code and preparation commands run unsandboxed with the daemon user's access on the daemon host; client contributions run inside Paseo. Dependencies and future updates are part of that decision. With the global --host option, commands run on the remote daemon host.

Most plugins should omit build. Use it only when the staged checkout must install a dependency that Paseo does not provide, generate source or assets, or perform another required preparation step:

{
  "id": "review",
  "requirements": { "paseo": ">=0.8.0" },
  "build": [["npm", "ci", "--omit=dev"]]
}

build is a list of non-empty argv arrays. Paseo runs each executable directly, without a shell, from the staged plugin directory after resolving the exact commit and manifest. It never infers a package manager or commands from lockfiles. Install and update both run build before validation, compilation, activation, or replacement. A failing command reports its output, discards the candidate, and leaves the installed/running version intact. The daemon log records each command and output; with the global --host option, execution is on that daemon host.

Run npm run typecheck before install or reload. Manage plugin source entries with the CLI or Settings; see Plugin sources for install syntax.

The daemon-wide Enable plugins switch lives under Settings → Plugins. A configured plugin remains disabled until that switch and the plugin's own enabled state are both on.

The switch is the root pluginsEnabled field in config.json. After changing it, run paseo reload --json. Enabling starts every configured plugin whose own enabled value is not false; disabling tears down all plugins. No daemon restart is required. Manual edits to plugin source entries are not reloaded; use the plugin lifecycle commands for those.

#Load failures

Use paseo plugin ls to read the current status and error.

Symptom	Check
This plugin was made for an older version of Paseo	The directory has only an index.ts entry. Follow the migration guide.
Plugin entry points are missing	Neither index.client.tsx nor index.server.ts exists with that exact name.
server-only module cannot be imported into the plugin client bundle	Client code imports server/. Move the work behind an RPC and import its contract from shared/.
client-only module cannot be imported into the plugin server bundle	Server code imports client/. Register that contribution from index.client.tsx instead.
Node module cannot be imported into the plugin client bundle	Client code imports node:*. Move the operation to server/ and call it through an RPC.
Sidebar item is missing	The plugin is running, the item references an existing surface, the icon name is valid, and the client is on the installation's host.
Client module is unavailable	Import only the host-provided client modules listed above.
RPC rejects	Check both Zod schemas and the daemon-side handler error.
Edited code does not appear	Run npm run typecheck, then paseo plugin reload <id>.
Reload fails	Read paseo plugin ls and paseo plugin logs <id>, fix the source error, then reload; Paseo does not restore the previous bundle.
Plugin exits unexpectedly	Read paseo plugin logs <id> for retained initialization, cleanup, stderr, and final crash output.