Plugin Registration Points

Registration points are the specific places in the Forge platform where plugins can inject custom functionality. Each registration point defines what your plugin can render, what data it receives, and how it interacts with the rest of the platform.

Registration point APIs are in active development. The interfaces below represent the current design direction and may change before release.

Site Tab

The Site Tab registration point adds a custom tab to the Site Detail view in the Forge dashboard. This is the primary extension point for plugins that need to present information or tools in the context of a specific site.

Expected Interface

plugin.register(SiteTab, {
  title: 'Analytics',
  icon: 'chart',
  render: (context) => {
    // context.site -- current site data (name, URL, settings)
    // context.user -- current user info and permissions
    // context.sdk  -- SDK methods for storage, events, modals
    return <div class="analytics-panel">...</div>;
  },
  onActivate: (context) => {
    // Called when the tab becomes visible
  },
  onDeactivate: (context) => {
    // Called when the user switches away from this tab
  },
});

The above is an illustrative example. The final API may differ.

Context Object

The context object passed to your render function provides:

Use Cases

• Embedded documentation: Surface project-specific docs alongside the site dashboard
• Analytics dashboards: Display custom analytics, performance metrics, or monitoring data
• Collaboration tools: Embed whiteboards, kanban boards, or communication tools
• AI assistants: Integrate AI-driven tools for content analysis, code review, or suggestions
• Third-party integrations: Connect external services with a custom UI inside Forge

Additional Registration Points

The following registration points are planned for future releases:

Build Pipeline Hooks

Insert custom steps into the build and deployment process:

• Pre-build: Run checks, generate assets, or validate configuration before builds
• Post-deploy: Trigger external services, run tests, or send notifications after deployment

Dashboard Widgets

Add widgets to the Forge dashboard home screen for at-a-glance information and quick actions.

Form Processors

Process form submissions with custom logic before they reach Forge Forms storage.

Development Guidelines

When building plugins for any registration point:

• Performance: Plugins should load quickly and not block the Forge UI. Lazy-load heavy dependencies.
• Responsive design: Ensure your plugin renders correctly at all viewport sizes within the Forge dashboard.
• Security: Never expose API keys or sensitive data in client-side plugin code. Use the SDK's storage API for secrets.
• Accessibility: Follow WCAG guidelines -- use semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, and ARIA attributes.
• Error handling: Gracefully handle API failures and network issues. Show clear error states rather than blank panels.