Wox Plugin Creator

Quick Start

• Scaffold a Node.js plugin (clones template repo):
  • python3 scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py --type nodejs --output-dir ./MyPlugin --name "My Plugin" --trigger-keywords my
• Scaffold a Python plugin (clones template repo):
  • python3 scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py --type python --output-dir ./MyPlugin --name "My Plugin" --trigger-keywords my
• Scaffold a single-file SDK plugin (uses local templates; plugin-id auto-generated; writes one file into the live user plugin directory so a running Wox instance can load it immediately). Omit --output-dir; default is ~/.wox/wox-user/plugins/single-file/ (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.wox\wox-user\plugins\single-file\):
  • Auto-detect this machine: python3 scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py --type singlefile --name "Weather" --trigger-keywords weather
  • Explicit Node.js: python3 scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py --type singlefile-nodejs --name "Weather" --trigger-keywords weather
  • Explicit Python: python3 scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py --type singlefile-python --name "Weather" --trigger-keywords weather

Choose a plugin type

• Single-file SDK plugin: one .py or CommonJS .js file with full Public API, loaded into the existing Python/Node runtime host. No extra process per query. Create and edit only ~/.wox/wox-user/plugins/single-file/Wox.Plugin.<Name>.js (or .py); Wox watches that directory and reloads on save. Requires Wox 2.4.2+; header MinWoxVersion must be "2.4.2".
• SDK plugin (.wox): multi-file package with dependencies, resources, TypeScript, and plugin.json.

Node.js first version must stay CommonJS (module.exports.plugin) and must not import @wox-launcher/wox-plugin.

Choose a runtime language

Honor an explicit Python or Node.js request from the user, including a .py or .js output filename.

When the user does not specify a language, detect this machine before scaffolding. Do not default to Python.

1. Run python3 scripts/detect_local_runtime.py (use python if python3 is missing). It prints nodejs, python, or none.
2. If that script cannot run, check the floors yourself: node --version for Node.js 20+, and python3 --version for Python 3.10+. On Windows also try py -3 --version and python --version.
3. Decision:
   • Only one runtime meets the floor → use that runtime
   • Both meet the floor → use Node.js
   • Neither meets the floor → ask the user which language they want
4. Map the choice to --type: singlefile-nodejs / singlefile-python, or nodejs / python. --type singlefile applies the same detection inside the scaffold.

Workflow

1) Scaffold plugin files

• Use scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py for nodejs, python, singlefile, singlefile-python, or singlefile-nodejs.
• Pass --name and --trigger-keywords for every runtime. The scaffold exits without them. --output-dir is required for packaged SDK plugins; omit it for single-file SDK plugins so the file lands in ~/.wox/wox-user/plugins/single-file/.
• For Node.js and Python packages, the scaffold clones the official template repos and replaces placeholders like {{.ID}}, {{.Name}}, {{.Description}}, {{.TriggerKeywordsJSON}}, {{.Author}}.
• Before starting work in a new SDK plugin project, run make init in the project root when the project has not been initialized yet.
• Single-file SDK plugins are single-file host-loaded plugins. Prefer filenames like Wox.Plugin.<Name>.js or Wox.Plugin.<Name>.py.
• Single-file SDK destination: create and implement the plugin as one file in ~/.wox/wox-user/plugins/single-file/ (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.wox\wox-user\plugins\single-file\). That directory is what a running Wox instance loads; saving reloads after about 500ms, so the user can query the trigger keyword immediately. Omit --output-dir when using the scaffold, or write the file there directly from assets/single_file_plugin_templates/. Do not also create a copy under the current repository (plugins/, workspace root, or a new folder). Pass --output-dir only when the user asks for a different path.
• Do not put companion files (*.test.js, README, extra modules) in the live directory. Wox loads every .js and .py there as a plugin.
• Single-file SDK plugins must set header MinWoxVersion to "2.4.2". The scaffold applies this default when --min-wox-version is omitted. Do not lower it; Wox 2.4.2 is the first release that can load this plugin type, and store/CI reject older floors.
• For single-file SDK plugins, the scaffold copies templates from ~/.wox/ai/skills/wox-plugin-creator/assets/single_file_plugin_templates/ (or the repo .agents/skills/wox-plugin-creator/assets/single_file_plugin_templates/ fallback).
• Prefer standard library features; avoid third-party dependencies unless absolutely necessary. Single-file SDK plugins cannot use pip/npm packages.
• For SDK usage and API details, read references/sdk_nodejs.md or references/sdk_python.md.
• Result previews: default to markdown for information display (headings, lists, links, images, metadata). Use text or image when that is all the result needs. Use webview HTML only after markdown cannot express the preview, such as syntax highlighting, folding, or interactive custom layout. HTML is the last option because the webview can steal query focus, miss launcher theme colors, and hit layout bugs. There is no separate html preview type; HTML uses webview with a JSON-encoded html field and no local HTTP server. See the HTML preview examples in the SDK references.
• Do not rasterize documents as SVG/image previews; those scale as pictures, cannot select text, and do not follow theme colors.
• When HTML is required, follow the current Wox theme. Call GetThemeColors / get_theme_colors (Wox >= 2.4.5) when building the HTML and paint opaque Background, Text, SecondaryText, Border, Accent, AccentText, and Selection. Use Dark to choose a light or dark syntax palette. Do not hardcode only a dark page, and do not rely on transparent or prefers-color-scheme as a substitute for the launcher palette. Include a theme color in cacheKey so the preview refreshes after a theme change. If the API is missing, fall back to a dark and a light default.
• For inline command arguments or atomic query blocks, read QueryHint. Command declarations contain suffix templates; ChangeQuery contains a complete instance. Keep legacy text parsing when structure is absent.
• For query-scoped filters or sort controls, return QueryResponse.Refinements and read references/refinements.md before assigning hotkeys.
• For plugin.json, SettingDefinitions, QueryRequirements, validators, dynamic settings, and feature flags, read references/plugin_json_schema.md first.
• When implementing an SDK or single-file SDK plugin, also register Plugin Tools in init() for capabilities other plugins should be able to call. Query results and actions stay for the user; tools expose the same work as structured operations. Read references/plugin_tools.md first. Requires Wox >= 2.4.5 (MinWoxVersion "2.4.5" or newer). Do not declare tools in plugin.json.
• SDK and single-file SDK plugins should support MRU unless the plugin is clearly unsuitable. Declare the mru feature, put restore identity on action ContextData, and register OnMRURestore / on_mru_restore in init(). Skip MRU only for context-dependent, one-shot, diagnostic, or inbox-style plugins, and say why in the implementation notes.
• SDK and single-file SDK plugins must persist and read settings through the Public API setting methods (GetSetting / SaveSetting / OnSettingChanged, or Python get_setting / save_setting / on_setting_changed). These values participate in Wox cloud sync and can follow the user across machines. Do not store plugin settings in local files, custom JSON, or other side storage unless the value is truly machine-local and cannot live in settings.

Cache files first: use the plugin cache folder

If a plugin needs to cache anything on disk, put it under the Wox plugin cache folder. Do this before inventing a local cache/, tmp/, downloads/, or data/ directory.

• SDK and single-file SDK: call GetCacheFolder(ctx) / get_cache_folder(ctx) in init(), keep the path, then write files under it (downloads/, thumbs/, query JSON, and so on).
• Wox creates the folder if needed and deletes it when the plugin is uninstalled. That is why cache must live here, not beside the plugin file, not under user data, and not under a hardcoded name such as my-plugin-cache.
• Settings are not cache. User preferences, API keys, and favorites go through the setting APIs so they can sync. Downloads, thumbnails, and search-result files go in the cache folder.
• When authoring SettingDefinitions, always decide whether each setting is platform-specific before shipping it. Wox cloud sync replicates normal plugin settings across devices, so local paths, executable paths, shell commands, hotkeys, system integrations, browser profiles, and application paths should usually set IsPlatformSpecific: true. Account IDs, API keys, remote service hosts, and cross-platform user preferences should usually keep IsPlatformSpecific: false.
• Use DisabledInPlatforms only to disable a setting on selected platforms. It does not isolate stored values; use IsPlatformSpecific when the value must differ per platform after cloud sync.
• When a plugin cannot run a query without required settings such as access keys, declare those requirements in metadata QueryRequirements instead of returning ad hoc setup results from query().
• Query refinements (type filters, sort modes, and similar query-scoped chips) belong on QueryResponse.Refinements, not in command syntax. Every refinement Hotkey must use the platform primary modifier: cmd+<key> on macOS and ctrl+<key> on Windows/Linux (for example cmd+t / ctrl+t). Detect the OS at runtime and emit the matching string.
• For ready-to-copy patterns such as validated textbox/select fields, editable tables, AI model selectors, and dynamic preview settings, read references/settings_patterns.md.
• For Python settings APIs, note that helper builders are limited; advanced settings are often created by constructing PluginSettingDefinitionItem and value objects directly.

2) Author result and action icons

• Read references/icons.md before choosing any glyph. Result-row and plugin-identity icons may be colorful; Action Panel leading icons must not.
• Prefer a bundled monochrome verb from assets/iconify/action/ (copy, open, execute/lightning, delete, edit, paste, add, search, settings). These SVGs already use var(--wox-theme-icon-color) so the Action Panel can tint them to the row label.
• Do not use emoji, brand logos, the plugin mark, or mixed-color result art as the leading action icon. The panel only tints SVGs that contain the theme variable; anything else stays authored and looks inconsistent next to system actions.
• Execute actions use the lightning verb (action/execute.svg), not a gear or play triangle. Settings actions use the gear.
• For a new action metaphor, fetch a monochrome Iconify outline with scripts/search_iconify.py (it rewrites currentColor to the theme variable by default). Use --no-wox-theme only for colorful result icons.
• Single-file SDK plugins cannot use relative image paths. Inline the SVG for actions; emoji/URL/base64 are acceptable for result identity only.

3) Package and submit plugin

• For SDK plugins cloned from templates, run make package inside the template repo.
• Single-file SDK plugins embed JSON metadata in the file header. Keep MinWoxVersion as "2.4.2".
• Publish a single-file SDK plugin on a public GitHub gist. That is the simplest store host. Reference: https://gist.github.com/qianlifeng/04a9609de66eaa582a473f5852450ede
  1. Create one public gist file named Wox.Plugin.<Name>.js or Wox.Plugin.<Name>.py. The store DownloadUrl path must end with .js or .py (a gist URL without that suffix will not install). Example: gh gist create --public --desc "Wox.Plugin.YouTube" Wox.Plugin.YouTube.js
  2. Upload the screenshot and icon to GitHub (drag them onto the gist page or a gist comment). Copy the resulting https://gist.github.com/user-attachments/assets/<id> URLs, for example https://gist.github.com/user-attachments/assets/7502acdc-1ea5-4ef6-a3fb-31875353dabe.
  3. Then follow wox-plugin-submit2store: clone Wox and add a store-plugin.json entry. Website is the gist HTML URL, DownloadUrl is the gist raw URL including the filename (https://gist.githubusercontent.com/<user>/<gist-id>/raw/Wox.Plugin.<Name>.js), IconUrl and ScreenshotUrls are the user-attachments URLs. Runtime is nodejs or python. Do not ship a .wox for this plugin type.
• For packaged SDK plugins, use wox-plugin-submit2store with a GitHub repository and .wox release. Ask the user before submitting to the store.

QueryHint

QueryHint is optional semantic background guidance for input queries. It can carry actual argument values, but must never turn continuous input into a mandatory form. Preserve normal caret movement, cross-element selection, deletion, clipboard, undo and IME behavior. Tab is optional. When editing invalidates a semantic boundary, keep the user's text and discard unreliable metadata rather than blocking input.

• Declare suffix elements in Commands[].QueryHint; Aliases use the same trigger. Wox inserts the matched command prefix with reserved ID command. Static metadata and RegisterQueryCommands / register_query_commands use the same model.
• ChangeQuery always requires QueryType and complete QueryText for input, or complete QuerySelection for selection. QueryHint is optional visual enhancement, never a replacement for query content. An input hint must describe exactly the supplied text, including trigger keyword, command, separators and values. An invalid or mismatching hint is ignored; the supplied QueryText is used unchanged. Explicit QueryText: "" remains valid for clearing. Python uses ChangeQueryParam(query_type=QueryType.INPUT, query_text="set volume 50", query_hint=QueryHint(elements=[...])); QueryHint and QueryElement are SDK exports.
• Elements have nonempty, unique Id values. text uses Text (including explicit separators); argument uses Value, optional Placeholder and Required; block uses atomic Value. A highlighted argument remains freely editable.
• Placeholders support i18n: and never enter the query value or clipboard. Required is descriptive: validate empty values and business constraints before offering or executing actions. Querying itself must not perform the action.
• Read values by ID from query.QueryHint.Elements (Node.js) or query.query_hint.elements (Python). Keep legacy Search / search parsing when the hint is absent; an empty argument is not an absent hint. Wox supplies a lossy plain-text projection in existing query fields; do not reconstruct boundaries from it.
• Complete commands preview hints; space or Tab activates the template. Whole-command paste into ordinary text is not parsed into arguments. Reopening selects the entire query for replacement; undo and history preserve hints when possible.
• Keep the list flat; no nested elements, dropdowns, custom rendering or inline markup. Hints never carry plugin identity or create a scope. Routing uses the normal query text and explicit QueryScope; complete instances must include the trigger keyword when needed (for example gh issues ). If both text and a hint are passed to ChangeQuery, the explicit query text remains authoritative; the hint must match it.
• Use SDK or single-file SDK APIs. Verify the first supporting Wox/SDK release before setting distribution requirements; the single-file runtime version floor alone is insufficient.
• Validate blank/valid/invalid arguments, multiple arguments, whole-query replacement after reopen, undo and the legacy path. Set Volume is the first built-in example.

Example command suffix (Wox adds the command text):

{
  "Command": "set-volume",
  "Aliases": ["set volume", "volume"],
  "QueryHint": {
    "Elements": [
      { "Id": "volume", "Kind": "argument", "Placeholder": "Volume (0–100)", "Required": true }
    ]
  }
}

Runtime Requirements

Wox enforces the same interpreter floors for SDK plugins and single-file SDK plugins. Store install fails, and queries show a setup result, when the machine is below these versions:

• Python: 3.10 or later
• Node.js: 20 or later

Do not target older interpreters. Single-file SDK plugins run inside Wox's existing Python/Node runtime host and require Wox 2.4.2 or later (MinWoxVersion: "2.4.2").

Resources

• scripts: scripts/scaffold_wox_plugin.py, scripts/detect_local_runtime.py, scripts/search_iconify.py
• references: references/plugin_overview.md, references/scaffold_nodejs.md, references/scaffold_python.md, references/sdk_nodejs.md, references/sdk_python.md, references/plugin_json_schema.md, references/settings_patterns.md, references/plugin_i18n.md, references/icons.md, references/refinements.md, references/plugin_tools.md
• assets: assets/single_file_plugin_templates/, assets/iconify/action/