Skill

create-plugin

Name: create-plugin
Author: Red Hat Developer

scaffold and package RHDH dynamic plugins

Published by Red Hat Developer Updated Jul 16

Covers Plugin Development Deployment

Description

Full lifecycle for RHDH dynamic plugins — scaffold, implement, export, package, and configure. Use when asked to "create RHDH plugin", "bootstrap dynamic plugin", "create backend plugin", "create frontend plugin", "export dynamic plugin", "package plugin as OCI", "generate frontend wiring", "create plugin container image", "configure mount points", "create dynamic route", "add entity card", "scaffold RHDH plugin", "publish plugin to registry", "create tgz archive", or mentions creating, exporting, packaging, or wiring a Backstage plugin for Red Hat Developer Hub. Also use when asked to "build a plugin from scratch", "dynamic plugin tutorial", "RHDH plugin from scratch", or "build Backstage plugin for RHDH". Covers backend plugins (APIs, scaffolder actions, processors), frontend plugins (pages, cards, themes), export/packaging (OCI, tgz, npm), and frontend wiring configuration (mount points, routes, entity tabs, themes).

SKILL.md

<essential_principles>

Prerequisites

Node.js 22+ and Yarn
Container runtime (podman or docker) for OCI packaging
Access to a container registry (e.g., quay.io) for publishing

</essential_principles>

What would you like to do?

#	Category	Command	Description
1	Create	`backend`	Scaffold and implement a backend dynamic plugin
2	Create	`frontend`	Scaffold and implement a frontend dynamic plugin
3	Package	`export`	Export, package, and push a plugin for RHDH deployment
4	Configure	`wiring`	Analyze a frontend plugin and generate wiring config

Single source of truth for command descriptions: scripts/command-metadata.json

Wait for response before proceeding.

Response	Reference
1, "backend", "create backend", "API plugin", "scaffolder action"	references/backend.md
2, "frontend", "create frontend", "page", "card", "theme"	references/frontend.md
3, "export", "package", "OCI", "tgz", "publish", "push"	references/export.md
4, "wiring", "mount points", "routes", "entity tabs"	references/wiring.md
First word doesn't match	Infer intent from context. "Create a new API plugin" → `backend`. "Package my plugin as OCI" → `export`. "Generate mount points" → `wiring`.

Shared Knowledge

Script paths: All scripts/ and references/ paths below are relative to this SKILL.md file's directory. Resolve them against the skill directory before invoking.

RHDH Version Resolution

Before scaffolding, determine the target RHDH version. Consult ../rhdh/references/versions.md for the compatibility matrix. If that file is not found (skill installed standalone), ask the user for the target RHDH version directly.

Scaffold Script

Both backend and frontend plugins use a unified scaffold script:

python scripts/scaffold.py \
  --type backend \
  --rhdh-version 1.9 \
  --plugin-id my-plugin

Run python scripts/scaffold.py --help for all options (--type, --path, --with-theme, --create-app-version, --json).

Export Script

Automates the full export → package → push pipeline:

python scripts/export-plugin.py \
  --plugin-dir plugins/my-plugin \
  --tag quay.io/ns/my-plugin:v0.1.0 \
  --push --clean

Run python scripts/export-plugin.py --help for all options (--format, --shared-package, --embed-package, --json).

Plugin Lifecycle

The typical workflow chains these commands:

backend or frontend — Scaffold and implement
export — Build, export, package, push
wiring (frontend only) — Generate dynamic-plugins.yaml config

Each reference file is self-contained. Load only the one you need.

<reference_index>

Reference Index

Command References

File	Load when...
`references/backend.md`	Creating a backend plugin (API, scaffolder action, processor)
`references/frontend.md`	Creating a frontend plugin (page, card, theme)
`references/export.md`	Exporting, packaging, or publishing a plugin
`references/wiring.md`	Generating frontend wiring configuration

Deep-Dive References

File	Load when...
`references/export-options.md`	Need details on `--shared-package`, `--embed-package`, dependency categories
`references/packaging-formats.md`	Comparing OCI vs tgz vs npm, multi-plugin bundles, private registries
`references/integrity-hashes.md`	Generating or verifying SHA-512/SHA-256 integrity hashes
`references/frontend-wiring.md`	Complete mount point, route, binding, entity tab reference
`references/entity-page.md`	Entity page customization — tabs, cards, conditions, grid layout

Examples

File	Contents
`examples/dynamic-plugins.yaml`	Backend, frontend, multi-plugin, tgz, npm, and local config patterns
`examples/frontend-wiring.yaml`	All frontend wiring patterns — tabs, cards, search, themes, scaffolder

</reference_index>

Common Issues

Plugin Not Loading

Backend: Verify new backend system (createBackendPlugin) with default export
Frontend: Verify scalprum.name matches key under dynamicPlugins.frontend.<key>
Both: Check version compatibility with target RHDH

Build/Export Failures

Run yarn tsc to check TypeScript errors before export
Clear stale artifacts: rm -rf dist dist-dynamic && yarn build
Missing deps: yarn add -D <missing-package>

MUI v5 Styles Missing (Frontend)

Add class name generator to src/index.ts:

import { unstable_ClassNameGenerator as ClassNameGenerator } from '@mui/material/className';
ClassNameGenerator.configure(componentName =>
  componentName.startsWith('v5-') ? componentName : `v5-${componentName}`
);

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