Use and extend OpenAgent

Learn the desktop workflow first, then extend it with reusable Skills, MCP tools, commands, or a scoped sidebar. Choose a guide for the task you want to complete.

Using OpenAgent

Install & start Choose a package, connect a model service, and complete your first task.

Conversations, files & recovery Give useful context, read tool results, and review branches and edits.

Models, permissions & extensions Configure Chat/Flash, understand approval, and use plugins or MCP.

Common problems Diagnose connection, attachment, permission, plugin, update, and history issues.

Plugin development

OpenAgent installs Agent Plugins 1.0 packages; its additional capabilities live under extensions.openagent.

Start with a working Skill package, add only the components you need, then verify the installed candidate before publishing. You need an installed OpenAgent, Git, and Bun for authoring; you do not need a desktop source build or access to the private SDK. All commands use your project root unless a step says otherwise.

Build and connect

01 · Your first plugin Scaffold a Skill, validate it, and install the local package.

02 · Package contract Understand identity, compatibility, data, and optional components.

03 · MCP tools Connect a stdio server and choose Direct or Relay mounting.

04 · Configuration & authorization Declare settings, bind private values, and connect OAuth services.

05 · Commands & hooks Write a portable entry point and handle completion or cancellation.

06 · Sidebar & languages Choose scoped panels or persisted conversation UI and follow host locale.

Orchestrate and deliver

07 · Host Bridge workflows Learn from Goal, Graph, and Chat Groups; keep state and branches explicit.

08 · Local development & debugging Refresh source-associated installs, diagnose failures, and qualify a candidate.

09 · Publish & update Declare compatibility, verify release bytes, and test replacement and recovery.

Choose a starting point

What you want to add	Plugin Kit template
Reusable instructions	minimal or skill-pack
Tools from an MCP server	mcp-tools
A slash command	slash-commands
A scoped side panel	sidebar-panel
Lifecycle hooks	automation-hooks
Tool leases or a supervised process	mcp-lifecycle or daemon
Validated appearance tokens	theme
Host-rendered integration setup	integration

Use bun tools/openagent-plugin-kit/scripts/new-plugin.mjs --list after cloning the kit to see the templates available at your checked-out revision. full-kit combines several surfaces; start smaller when learning so each failure has a clear owner.

Learn from current packages

Plugin Developer is both the public toolchain and an installable development assistant. Chat Groups, Goal, Graph, Cua Driver, and Message Board are independently installed packages. The workflow chapter maps their designs to concrete authoring needs. Multi-Agent V2 is a Runtime capability; Goal and Graph add package-owned workflows through the shared Host Bridge.

What “ready to publish” means

A validator pass proves package structure. Also exercise real installed tools/commands, persistence and failure paths, declared languages and themes, and any authenticated service operation. Keep the tested revision and evidence. Local source refresh, developer acceptance, and public release publication are separate steps; the debugging chapter walks through them.

These tutorials follow the current public Plugin Kit templates and validator. An installed older Runtime may lack optional bridge operations even if it admits plugin protocol 1; detect support before using them. Public field-by-field references stay in the Plugin Kit documentation.

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