Client installation¶

Marketplace configuration is a one-time client setup. Refresh its snapshot after a new plugin merges, then install that plugin.

VS Code automatically discovers plugins installed by GitHub Copilot CLI under ~/.copilot/installed-plugins/. Users of both clients can install with Copilot CLI once and manage the same plugin from VS Code.

For the public Forge:

• MARKETPLACE_SOURCE is MiguelElGallo/agent-plugin-forge;
• MARKETPLACE_NAME is agent-plugin-forge;
• use agent-plugin-forge as PLUGIN_NAME to install the Forge itself.

For Chat: Install Plugin from Source, use the public repository URL https://github.com/MiguelElGallo/agent-plugin-forge. VS Code reviews the source, asks for trust, and clones it without a manual settings edit. If the marketplace contains multiple plugins, select agent-plugin-forge from the picker.

Source forms depend on the client. Public GitHub repositories accept owner/repo shorthand. Full HTTPS Git URLs are suitable for GitHub Enterprise Server, private repositories, and mirrors. VS Code also documents SCP-style SSH remotes and file:/// marketplace sources. Use forms that resolve to the intended repository; automated publication is limited to GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server origins.

Manual Visual Studio Code marketplace registration¶

Use settings only when you need to register a marketplace without installing the Forge immediately, or when an administrator supplies the setting. chat.plugins.marketplaces is a user setting. Merge these entries into the existing user settings object:

{
  "chat.plugins.marketplaces": ["MARKETPLACE_SOURCE"]
}

chat.plugins.enabled defaults to enabled in current VS Code. Check that setting only when plugins were explicitly disabled or an organization manages the feature.

Do not use chat.pluginLocations for a marketplace installation. That setting loads a local package during development and requires a filesystem path.

Update an installed plugin¶

Refresh and update an existing installation with the client-specific operation:

Upgrade Forge to 1.1.0¶

Once 1.1.0 is available in the marketplace, refresh and update agent-plugin-forge with the commands above, then verify that its installed version is 1.1.0. Start a new chat so the agent loads the updated package.

Version 1.1.0 adds forge update for reviewed replacement of an existing skill. Update plans include file removals and executable changes, and apply preserves other skills, shared metadata, and checked MCP references. YAML frontmatter now rejects duplicate or non-string mapping keys; correct invalid source in a separately reviewed change. forge doctor --json returns structured checkout diagnostics even when called outside a Forge repository.

Destination snapshots now include directory paths. Generate, review, and approve fresh plans for existing plugins after upgrading; an older approval hash does not authorize the expanded plan.

Earlier upgrade changes¶

Version 1.0.1 fixes two low-severity issues: inconsistent file snapshots during import approval and control characters in terminal diagnostics. It adds the exact source file map to the approval hash. Plans created by older versions need to be generated, reviewed, and approved again; do not substitute a new hash without review. File bytes, filenames, and decoded JSON values are not rewritten by diagnostic escaping.

Version 1.0.0 removes the automatic public publication target. The first publication asks for your destination and confirms whether to remember it across projects. An existing AGENT_PLUGIN_FORGE_ORIGIN remains an explicit override; the agent shows it and confirms whether to save it. A bare bootstrap command with no configured destination now stops before cloning. Automated callers must supply --origin, set the environment override, or save a confirmed default. See destination settings.

Installing or updating the Forge does not select a publication repository. Register the repository where you publish separately if you want to install its resulting plugins.

Availability boundary¶

A plugin becomes available through a marketplace only after its pull request merges and the client refreshes its marketplace snapshot. A branch or open pull request is not a marketplace release.

See client compatibility evidence for the dated qualification scope. The current upstream references are VS Code agent plugins, GitHub Copilot CLI plugins, and Codex plugin commands.