Plugins¶
Hydron ships with the workflows most firmware teams need. Plugins cover the rest.
A plugin extends Hydron with capabilities built for a specific workflow: a vendor toolchain, a board bring-up routine, an internal review standard, a protocol decoder. Install one and it becomes available to Hydron the same way built-in tools are, in both the CLI and the VS Code extension.
Install plugins from the Hydron Marketplace inside VS Code, or with /plugins in the CLI. Install them globally so they follow you into every project, or per project so they stay scoped to one board.
Install from VS Code¶
Open the Hydron Marketplace from the chat pane, browse or search for a plugin, and click Install.
Before installing, pick the scope from the dropdown on the install button:
- Global — available in every project you open.
- This project — available only in the current workspace.
Installed plugins appear under Installed in the marketplace, where you can enable, disable, update, or remove them.
Tip
Not sure which scope to pick? Start with This project. Anything that turns out to be useful everywhere can be promoted to global later without reinstalling.
Install from the CLI¶
Run /plugins in a Hydron session to open the plugin manager.
Then at the prompt:
From the picker you can:
- Browse and search the marketplace
- Install a plugin at global or project scope
- Enable or disable an installed plugin
- Update a plugin to its latest version
- Remove a plugin
/plugins is also reachable from the command palette. Press Ctrl+Shift+P and search for plugins.
Global vs project scope¶
Both scopes install from the same marketplace. The only difference is where the plugin is available.
| Global | Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Available in | Every project on this machine | The current project only |
| Best for | Toolchains and habits you carry across boards | Board- or product-specific workflows |
| Shared with teammates | No — local to your machine | Yes, when the project config is committed |
| Typical example | Your compiler or debugger integration | A bring-up checklist for one flight controller |
When a plugin is installed at both scopes, the project version wins. That lets a project pin a specific version without disturbing your global setup.
Tip
Commit your project-scoped plugin config alongside your firmware. A teammate who clones the repo and runs hydron gets the same plugin set you do — same as they inherit your Project Dashboard datasources.
Managing plugins¶
| Action | VS Code | CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Browse the marketplace | Marketplace panel | /plugins |
| Install | Install button | /plugins → Install |
| Enable / disable | Installed tab | /plugins → toggle |
| Update | Update button | /plugins → Update |
| Remove | Uninstall button | /plugins → Remove |
Disabling a plugin keeps it installed but hides its capabilities from Hydron. Use it to narrow what the agent can reach during a focused debug session.
Tip
Plugins add to the context Hydron carries. If a session starts feeling slow or unfocused, disable the plugins you are not using for that task, then run /compact. See Best Practices for more on session hygiene.
Review before you install¶
Plugins run as part of your Hydron session and can reach your project files and tools. Treat installing one the way you would treat adding a dependency to your firmware build:
- Check the publisher and the plugin's stated permissions before installing.
- Prefer project scope for anything you are still evaluating.
- Remove plugins you no longer use rather than leaving them disabled indefinitely.
See Privacy & Security for how Hydron handles your code and project data.
Your workflow is wired in. Head back to the VS Code Extension or CLI and put it to work.