pluginBase/README.md

# exteraGram Plugin Base

A build toolchain and ADB automation for writing [exteraGram](https://exteragram.app) plugins
as ordinary multi-file Python projects instead of hand-maintaining one giant `.py` file.

## How exteraGram plugins actually work

A plugin, as exteraGram loads it, is exactly **one Python file** on the device:
`/data/user/0/com.exteragram.messenger/files/plugins/<plugin_id>.py`. The distribution
convention names the same content `<id>.plugin`.

The app reads plugin metadata **statically via AST** — it looks for top-level constant
assignments (`__id__`, `__name__`, `__description__`, `__author__`, `__version__`,
`__icon__`, `__app_version__`, `__sdk_version__`, `__requirements__`) without executing the
file. Only `__id__` and `__name__` are required.

The file must define exactly one class inheriting `BasePlugin` (`from base_plugin import
BasePlugin`). Lifecycle methods (`on_plugin_load`, `on_plugin_unload`, `create_settings`) and
hooks (`on_send_message_hook`, `pre_request_hook`, `post_request_hook`, `on_update_hook(s)`,
`on_app_event`) are all called by the host; hooks must be registered inside
`on_plugin_load` (e.g. `self.add_on_send_message_hook()`). A hook returns a
`HookResult(strategy=HookStrategy.MODIFY, params=params)` to apply changes, or a bare
`HookResult()` to pass through. Settings rows returned from `create_settings` come from
`ui.settings` (`Header`, `Input`, `Switch`, `Text`, `Selector`, `Divider`) and persist through
`self.get_setting`/`self.set_setting`. Logging goes through `android_utils.log`; Chaquopy also
redirects `sys.stdout`/`sys.stderr` to the logcat tags `python.stdout`/`python.stderr`.

This repo does not use the official Elyx/ElyxBuilder archive format — see
`docs/sdk-notes.md` for why.

## Repo layout

```
plugin.json         single source of truth for plugin metadata
src/                the plugin, written as an ordinary Python package
  main.py           entry module — exactly one BasePlugin subclass, absolute imports only
  greeting/         sample package (proves relative + cross-module imports survive bundling)
  textutil.py       sample top-level sibling module
tools/
  bundle.py         compiles plugin.json + src/ into dist/<id>.plugin
  devclient.py      speaks the on-device dev-server protocol (127.0.0.1:42690)
  verify_bundle.py  offline harness that proves a built bundle behaves correctly, no phone needed
  release.py        publishes a built bundle to a Gitea release (used by CI)
.gitea/workflows/   CI that builds, verifies and publishes the .plugin to Releases
scripts/            bash automation for the ADB debug loop (see below)
docs/sdk-notes.md   condensed SDK API surface gathered from the official docs
```

## The three commands that matter

```bash
python3 tools/bundle.py --release          # compile src/ -> dist/<id>.plugin
python3 tools/verify_bundle.py dist/<id>.plugin   # offline proof the bundle works, no device needed
bash scripts/deploy.sh --enable            # build (--dev) + push to a connected device + enable + reload
```

`bundle.py` walks `src/` recursively, embeds every `.py` file's source and dotted module name
into a compressed, base64-encoded payload, and appends a small runtime preamble that installs
a private import hook (scoped to a per-module `__builtins__` dict, never touching
`sys.modules`) so cross-module and cross-package imports resolve exactly as they would if the
files were still on disk. `--dev` (the default) embeds absolute local paths so a debugger
resolves breakpoints against your real source files; `--release` embeds repo-relative paths
for distribution. Both modes produce byte-reproducible output for a given `src/` + `plugin.json`.

## Device prerequisites

- exteraGram 12.5.1+.
- In-app: Preferences → Plugins → enable the plugin engine, then enable developer mode.
- USB debugging enabled, device authorized (`adb devices`).

Release-build APKs disallow `adb run-as`, so you cannot `adb push` a file straight into the
app's private plugin directory. The on-device **dev server** (`tools/devclient.py`,
`scripts/deploy.sh`) is the actual install path — it talks to the running app over a TCP
socket forwarded with `adb forward`, and the app writes the file into its own storage.

## ADB automation

All scripts live in `scripts/`, are runnable from any working directory, and honor the
standard `ANDROID_SERIAL` env var for device selection.

- `scripts/adb-connect.sh [--debug]` — starts adb, waits for the device, (re)creates the
  `tcp:42690` port forward (and `tcp:5678` with `--debug`), pings the dev server.
- `scripts/deploy.sh [--release] [--enable] [--no-connect]` — bundles, connects, writes the
  plugin to the device, optionally enables it, reloads it.
- `scripts/watch.sh [deploy args…]` — watches `src/` and `plugin.json`, redeploys on change
  (uses `inotifywait` if available, otherwise polls).
- `scripts/logs.sh [-c] [-t] [-g PATTERN]` — streams logcat for the running app (`-t` for the
  raw Chaquopy stdio tags, `-g` to grep, `-c` to clear first).
- `scripts/debug.sh start|stop [--platform vscode|pycharm]` — forwards the debugger port and
  tells the dev server to start/stop the in-app debugger. Requires `debugpy` (vscode) or
  `pydevd-pycharm` (pycharm) present in the app's Python runtime — add it to `requirements` in
  `plugin.json` if it's missing.
- `scripts/fetch-sdk-stubs.sh [--beta]` — downloads the latest SDK type stubs into `stubs/`
  for editor autocomplete.

## Publishing a release

`.gitea/workflows/release.yml` builds, verifies and publishes the `.plugin` to the repo's
Releases tab on every push to `main`. `dist/` is gitignored, so the artifact is always built
by CI rather than committed. Nothing in the workflow is plugin-specific — it reads the id and
version straight out of `plugin.json`, so it keeps working after you rename the plugin.

The `version` field in `plugin.json` is the single source of truth:

| Push to `main` with… | Result |
| --- | --- |
| a new `version` | creates tag `v<version>` and a new release |
| the same `version` | rebuilds the existing release, replacing its attachment |

So every push leaves a downloadable build attached to the current version, and bumping
`version` is what cuts a new release. Pushing a `v*` tag by hand still works and uses that
tag verbatim, as does a manual run (Actions → Publish plugin → Run workflow).

Every path runs `--check`, builds with `--release`, and gates the upload on
`verify_bundle.py`, so a bundle that fails verification is never published. A rebuild
replaces the attachment rather than piling up duplicates, and refreshes the release notes to
name the commit it came from. The tag itself is never moved: it keeps pointing at the commit
that first introduced that version.

Authentication uses `secrets.API_TOKEN`, an organisation-level Actions secret holding a user
token with the `write:repository` scope (which covers releases). Set it once under
**Org → Settings → Actions → Secrets** and every repo in the organisation inherits it; a
repo-level secret of the same name takes precedence if one repo ever needs different
credentials.

The workflow passes it to `release.py` as `RELEASE_TOKEN`, **not** `GITEA_TOKEN`. The Actions
runner injects its own `GITEA_TOKEN` into every step, and that value overrides a step-level
`env:` entry of the same name, so the org secret would be silently ignored.

If the org secret does not reach a repository the publish still works: `release.py` tries
`RELEASE_TOKEN` first and then falls back to the runner's `GITEA_TOKEN`, which can publish
releases in its own repository, and prints which one it used. An organisation secret is only
exposed to a repository that has Actions enabled, so check **Repo → Settings → Actions** if a
repo unexpectedly falls back.

If you would rather not manage a token at all, that injected `GITEA_TOKEN` can create
releases in its own repo: pass `--token-env GITEA_TOKEN` and drop the org secret. It is
scoped to the single job and expires with it, so it is the safer default; `API_TOKEN` is what
you want when publishing needs to reach beyond this repo.

## Writing your own plugin

1. Edit `plugin.json` (id, name, description, etc.).
2. Write your plugin under `src/`, with `src/main.py` as the entry module (absolute imports
   only — it's executed at plugin-module top level, not inside a package).
3. `python3 tools/bundle.py --release && python3 tools/verify_bundle.py dist/<id>.plugin`
   (substitute your `id` from `plugin.json`).
4. `bash scripts/deploy.sh --enable` with a device connected.