cate-extensions

July 26, 2026 · View on GitHub

Extensions for Cate. One folder per extension under extensions/, published to the catalog Cate ships by default.

Extensions

  • AI — cate.aisession (session file viewer), cate.mcp (MCP server manager), cate.usage (agent usage and cost)
  • Data — cate.sqlite (read-only SQLite browser)
  • Design — cate.excalidraw (whiteboard), cate.mermaid (diagram editor)
  • Development — cate.frontendkit, cate.kitchensink (reference apps, "dev": true, sideload only)

Layout

  • extensions/<id>/ — one extension
  • kit/ — shared UI kit: tokens, theme bridge, host typings, ServiceConnection, proxy api-client, server scaffolding (see kit/README.md)
  • scripts/sync-kit.mjs — copies kit/ into consumers' src/_kit/
  • scripts/gen-catalog.mjs — builds dist/catalog/index.json
  • build.sh — sync-kit, npm builds, tars artifacts, generates the catalog

Development

  • ./build.sh, then add the absolute path of dist/catalog/index.json as a catalog source in Cate. Local entries re-provision on panel open.
  • Single extension: sideload its folder via Settings, Extensions, "Add local folder...".

Contributing

Authoring (manifest, scopes, window.cate API, server contract) lives in the Cate repo: docs/extensions.md, skills/cate-extension/SKILL.md. Here:

  • extensions/<id>/ with manifest.json; a README's first line is the catalog description fallback.
  • category in the manifest: ai, development, data, design, productivity, communication, sales, other. Pick by what it is for, not how it is built. The list stays short; use other rather than adding one.
  • With a build script, the artifact ships manifest.json + dist/; otherwise the folder as-is.
  • Kit consumers: add the id in scripts/sync-kit.mjs, run it, commit src/_kit/ (never edit it directly). --check reports stale copies.
  • Not meant for users yet: "dev": true keeps it out of the catalog.
  • ./build.sh must pass; bump version for every published change.

Publishing

PR CI runs ./build.sh; merging to main rebuilds and uploads index.json plus the artifact tarballs to the rolling catalog release.