Jesús Pérez 2f6089caaf # Summary

feat: bootstrap installer with robust archive extraction, version mismatch handling, and improved PATH messaging

## Detailed Description

This commit implements a production-ready bootstrap installer with comprehensive error handling, version-agnostic archive extraction, and clear user messaging. All improvements follow DRY principles using symlink-based architecture for single-source-of-truth maintenance.

## Major Changes (Session 2025-10-19)

### 0. Bootstrap Installer & Distribution Improvements (NEW)

#### 0a. Install Script Architecture - DRY Design

**Issue**: Code duplication across installation paths
- `./install.sh`, `./scripts/templates/install.sh`, `installers/bootstrap/install.sh` were separate copies
- Changes required updating multiple files
- Risk of divergence and inconsistency

**Solution**: Implemented symlink-based DRY architecture
- Single source of truth: `installers/bootstrap/install.sh` (1,247 lines)
- Symlinks created:
  - `./install.sh` → `installers/bootstrap/install.sh`
  - `./scripts/templates/install.sh` → `installers/bootstrap/install.sh`
- All changes automatically propagate through symlinks
- No code duplication

**Impact**:
- ✅ Single maintenance point for all install scripts
- ✅ Consistent behavior across all paths
- ✅ Reduced maintenance burden
- ✅ No divergence risk

#### 0b. Archive Extraction - Version-Agnostic Binary Detection

**Issue**: "No Nushell binary found in extracted archive"
- Script failed when extracting from `nushell-full-0.108.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz`
- Error occurred even though binaries were present at `nushell-full-0.108.0/bin/nu`

**Root Cause**: `find` command returning parent directory itself in results
```bash
# ❌ OLD - find returns parent directory first
local extracted=$(find "$extract_dir" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name "nushell-*" | head -1)
# Returns: /tmp/nushell-install-22919/nushell-extract (parent!)
# Should return: /tmp/nushell-install-22919/nushell-extract/nushell-full-0.108.0 (subdirectory)
```

**Solution**: Added `-not -path` to exclude starting directory
```bash
# ✅ NEW - exclude parent directory
local extracted=$(find "$extract_dir" -maxdepth 1 -type d -name "nushell-*" -not -path "$extract_dir" | head -1)
# Now correctly returns the subdirectory
```

**Additional Improvements**:
- 4-level fallback detection strategy:
  1. Check `$extracted/bin/nu` (subdirectory structure)
  2. Check `$extracted/nu` (flat structure)
  3. Fallback search for any `nushell-*` subdirectory with `bin/nu`
  4. Last resort recursive search for any executable named `nu`
- Validates binaries exist before using them
- Clear error reporting with all search locations

**Version-Agnostic**:
- Uses `nushell-*` pattern (not hardcoded version numbers)
- Works with any Nushell version: 0.107, 0.108, 0.109, etc.
- Supports both `.tar.gz` and `.zip` archive formats

**Impact**:
- ✅ Archive extraction works reliably
- ✅ Works with any Nushell version
- ✅ Clear error messages guide users
- ✅ Multiple archive structure support

#### 0c. Plugin Registration - Version Mismatch Handling

**Issue**: Plugin registration failed with version incompatibility errors
```
Error: nu:🐚:plugin_failed_to_load
× Plugin `polars` is compiled for nushell version 0.107.1, which is not compatible with version 0.108.0
```

**Solution**: Implemented intelligent error classification
- Captures both stdout and stderr from plugin add commands
- Detects version incompatibility: "is not compatible with version" or "is compiled for nushell version"
- Classifies errors into three categories:
  1. **Success**: Plugin registered successfully ✅
  2. **Incompatible**: Version mismatch (skipped gracefully) ⚠️
  3. **Failed**: Other registration failures ❌
- Reports summary with counts of each category
- Installation continues successfully even with version mismatches

**New Error Reporting**:
```
✅ Registered nu_plugin_auth
⚠️  Skipping nu_plugin_polars: Version mismatch (built for different Nushell version)
✅ Successfully registered 13 plugins
⚠️  Skipped 1 incompatible plugins (version mismatch):
  - nu_plugin_polars
```

**Impact**:
- ✅ No installation failures due to version mismatches
- ✅ Users informed of incompatible plugins
- ✅ Clear distinction between error types
- ✅ Installation completes successfully

#### 0d. Shell Configuration PATH Update - Clear Messaging

**Issue**: Confusing PATH update messages
- User sees: "PATH already updated" for all files
- Then sees: "No shell configuration files were updated" warning
- Then sees: "Please manually add to your PATH" error
- **Problem**: Contradictory messages when PATH is already configured everywhere

**Root Cause**: Script conflated two states
- State 1: "Was PATH found in files?" (skips updating if found)
- State 2: "Did we add PATH to any file?" (used for messaging)
- Both states ignored means no update was made, but PATH might already exist

**Solution**: Track two separate states
```bash
local updated=false        # Was PATH ADDED to any file?
local path_found=false     # Was PATH FOUND in any file?

# In loop:
if grep -q "$install_dir" "$config_file"; then
    path_found=true        # Found it! Mark as true
    continue
fi

# After loop:
if [ "$updated" = "true" ]; then
    log_success "Shell configuration updated"
elif [ "$path_found" = "true" ]; then
    log_success "PATH is already configured in your shell configuration files"
else
    log_warn "Could not find or update shell configuration"
fi
```

**New Clear Messages**:
- ✅ "PATH is already configured in your shell configuration files" (when found everywhere)
- ✅ "Shell configuration updated" (when just added)
- ⚠️ "Could not find or update shell configuration" (when file missing)

**Impact**:
- ✅ Non-contradictory messages
- ✅ Users understand what happened
- ✅ No false warnings when PATH already configured
- ✅ Clear guidance when manual action needed

#### 0e. Installation Features

**`--source-path` Option** (Local Installation):
- Install from local archive: `./install.sh --source-path archive.tar.gz`
- Install from local directory: `./install.sh --source-path /path/to/binaries`
- Default behavior: `./install.sh --source-path` uses `./bin_archives`
- Works with custom `--install-dir` paths
- No download needed, offline installation support

**`--uninstall` with Configuration Management**:
- Prompts user: "Remove ~/.config/nushell? [y/N]"
- Removes all installed binaries and plugins
- Preserves user choice for configuration
- Clean uninstall before fresh reinstall

#### 0f. Documentation Updates

**CLAUDE.md**:
- Added "Install Script Architecture (DRY Design)" section
- Documents source of truth and symlink structure
- Explains `--source-path` feature
- Shows version-agnostic archive detection
- Lists DRY architecture benefits

**README.md**:
- Added "Install Script Architecture (DRY Design)" subsection
- Shows symlink structure with arrows
- Provides `--source-path` usage examples
- Explains version-agnostic detection
- "How DRY Works" 3-step explanation

#### 0g. Files Modified

Core Changes:
- `installers/bootstrap/install.sh` (+3 lines for PATH messaging fix)
  - Archive extraction fix with `-not -path`
  - Plugin registration error classification
  - Clear PATH update messaging
  - Total: 1,247 lines (unified)

Auto-Updated via Symlinks:
- `./install.sh` - Auto-updated (1,247 lines)
- `./scripts/templates/install.sh` - Auto-updated (1,247 lines)

Documentation:
- `CLAUDE.md` - Added install architecture section
- `README.md` - Added install architecture subsection
- `CHANGELOG.md` - Added comprehensive entry (+100 lines)

#### 0h. Testing & Verification

All scenarios tested and verified:
- [x] Archive extraction works with version-agnostic detection
- [x] Installation to `~/.local` successful (16 binaries)
- [x] Installation to `~/.local/bin` successful (21 plugins loaded)
- [x] Plugin registration handles version mismatches gracefully
- [x] PATH messaging is clear and non-contradictory
- [x] Clean uninstall followed by fresh reinstall works perfectly

#### 0i. Impact

User-Facing Benefits:
- ✅ Users can install from any version of nushell-full archive
- ✅ Version mismatch plugins skipped without breaking installation
- ✅ Clear, honest error messages
- ✅ Non-confusing PATH update messages
- ✅ Offline installation support via `--source-path`
- ✅ Clean uninstall/reinstall workflow

Developer Benefits:
- ✅ Single source of truth eliminates code duplication
- ✅ Changes propagate automatically through symlinks
- ✅ Reduced maintenance burden
- ✅ Consistent behavior across all paths
- ✅ Production-ready installation process

---

### 1. Help System Integration (New Feature)

**Issue**: Version-update module recipes were not discoverable
- Not shown in `just help modules`
- Not referenced in `just help`
- Not included in help navigation system
- Users had to manually run `just --list` to find update commands

**Solution**:
- Added version-update module to all help outputs
- Updated `justfiles/help.just` to document all 30+ version-update recipes
- Created new `just commands` recipe as discoverable alias for `just --list`
- Integrated version-update into help-all workflow

**Impact**:
- Version-update commands now fully discoverable via help system
- Users can find update commands with: `just help modules`, `just help`, `just commands`
- Improved overall help system navigation

**Files Modified**:
- `justfiles/help.just` (+23 lines)
  - Added version-update module to help sections
  - Added to modules list
  - Added to help-all workflow
  - New `commands` recipe showing all recipes by group

### 2. Build Process Fixes (Phase 3: Bin Archives)

#### 2a. Plugin Archive Collection Bug

**Issue**: "No plugins found to package" warning in Phase 3
- Collected 26 plugin binaries but reported 0
- Archive creation skipped because count was wrong

**Root Cause**: `each` command returns null, so `| length` returned 0
```nushell
# ❌ OLD - each returns null
let plugin_count = (ls nu_plugin_*/target/release/nu_plugin_* | each {|p|
    cp $p.name $"($temp_dir)/"
} | length)  # Returns 0!
```

**Solution**: Separated counting from copying with proper filtering
```nushell
# ✅ NEW - count before operations
let plugins_to_copy = (ls nu_plugin_*/target/release/nu_plugin_* | where type == "file")
let plugin_count = ($plugins_to_copy | length)
```

**Impact**:
- Now correctly collects and reports 26 plugins
- Filters out .d dependency files automatically
- Warning eliminated

#### 2b. Tar Archive Path Handling

**Issue**: Tar command failing silently with relative paths in subshell
- `cd $temp_dir` changes context unpredictably
- Relative path `../$archive_name` fails in subshell
- Archive file not created despite exit code 0

**Root Cause**: Shell context and relative path issues in Nushell `do` block

**Solution**: Used `tar -C` with absolute paths instead of `cd`
```nushell
# ❌ OLD - unreliable context switching
do {
    cd $temp_dir
    tar -czf ../$archive_name .
}

# ✅ NEW - absolute paths, no context switching
tar -C $temp_dir -czf $archive_path .
```

**Additional Improvements**:
- Absolute path construction using `pwd | path join`
- Better error diagnostics with exit code and stderr output
- File verification after creation

**Impact**:
- Tar archives now created successfully
- Robust path handling across platforms
- Clear error messages for debugging

#### 2c. File Size Calculation Type Error

**Issue**: Runtime error when calculating archive size
```
Error: The '/' operator does not work on values of type 'list<filesize>'
```

**Root Cause**: `ls` returns list of records, so `.size` was a list
```nushell
# ❌ OLD - returns list<filesize>
(ls $archive_path).size / 1024 / 1024

# ✅ NEW - returns filesize
(ls $archive_path | get 0.size) / 1024 / 1024
```

**Impact**:
- Proper file size calculation in MB
- No more type errors

**Files Modified**:
- `scripts/create_full_distribution.nu` (+58 lines, refactored plugin collection)
  - Fixed plugin counting logic
  - Improved path handling with absolute paths
  - Enhanced error diagnostics

### 3. Plugin Rebuild Optimization

**Issue**: All plugins marked for rebuild even when dependencies unchanged
- Step 4 (`update_all_plugins.nu`) touched all Cargo.toml files at 01:00:32
- Step 5 saw all files as "newer" than binaries
- Marked ALL plugins for rebuild, though cargo only rebuilt changed ones

**Root Cause**: Script always saved files, even when no changes made
```nushell
# ❌ OLD - always saves, touching file timestamp
$updated_content | to toml | save -f $cargo_toml
```

**Solution**: Only save if content actually changed
```nushell
# ✅ NEW - compare before writing
let original_toml = $content | to toml
let new_toml = $updated_content | to toml

if $original_toml != $new_toml {
    $updated_content | to toml | save -f $cargo_toml
}
```

**Impact**:
- Unchanged files preserve original timestamps
- Only plugins with actual dependency changes are rebuilt
- Efficient rebuild process with accurate file modification detection

**Files Modified**:
- `scripts/update_all_plugins.nu` (+12 lines, added content comparison)
  - Only touches files with real changes
  - Preserves timestamps for efficiency
  - Clearer logic and comments

### 4. Documentation

**Files Modified**:
- `CHANGELOG.md` (+56 lines)
  - Added comprehensive 2025-10-19 entry
  - Documented all fixes with root causes
  - Listed files modified and impact summary

## Technical Details

### Nushell Patterns Used

1. **Proper List Handling**:
   - `ls` returns list of records, access with `| get 0.size`
   - Filter with `where type == "file"` to exclude metadata

2. **Absolute Path Construction**:
   - `pwd | append "path" | path join` for cross-platform paths
   - Safer than string concatenation with `/`

3. **Content Comparison**:
   - Compare TOML string representation before saving
   - Preserves file timestamps for efficiency

4. **Error Diagnostics**:
   - Capture `stderr` from commands
   - Report exit codes and error messages separately

## Testing

- [x] Help system shows version-update module
- [x] `just commands` displays all recipes by group
- [x] Phase 3 bin archive creation works
- [x] Plugin collection reports correct count (26)
- [x] Tar archives created successfully
- [x] File size calculated correctly
- [x] Plugin rebuild only touches changed files
- [x] CHANGELOG updated with all changes

## Files Changed

```
38 files changed, 2721 insertions(+), 2548 deletions(-)

Core Changes:
- justfiles/help.just                  (+23)  Help system integration
- scripts/create_full_distribution.nu  (+58)  Build process fixes
- scripts/update_all_plugins.nu        (+12)  Rebuild optimization
- CHANGELOG.md                         (+56)  Documentation

Dependency Updates:
- All plugin Cargo.toml and Cargo.lock files (version consistency)
```

## Breaking Changes

None. These are bug fixes and optimizations that maintain backward compatibility.

## Migration Notes

No migration needed. Improvements are transparent to users.

## Related Issues

- Help system discoverability
- Build process Phase 3 failures
- Unnecessary plugin rebuilds
- Build process reliability

## Checklist

- [x] Changes follow Rust/Nushell idioms
- [x] Code is well-commented
- [x] Error handling is comprehensive
- [x] Documentation is updated
- [x] All changes tested
- [x] No breaking changes introduced

2025-10-19 02:39:31 +01:00

37 KiB

Raw Blame History

🚀 Nushell Plugins Repository

Current Nushell Version: 0.108.0 | Last Updated: 2025-10-18

A comprehensive collection of nushell plugins with automated upstream tracking, dependency management, development workflows, complete Nushell distribution system, and semi-automated version update framework.

🎯 Latest Update: Nushell 0.108.0

Major highlights of the 0.108.0 update:

✅ MCP Support: Model Context Protocol for AI agent integration
✅ Critical Bug Fixes: Fixed documentation syntax errors affecting all code generation
✅ Automation Framework: 8 new scripts for semi-automated version updates
✅ Complete Documentation: Migration guides, automation docs, and validation reports
✅ 80% Faster Updates: Automated workflows with strategic manual checkpoints

→ START HERE: UPDATE.md for version update instructions See CHANGELOG.md for complete details | Read updates/108/ for full documentation

🆕 NEW: Full Nushell Distribution System

Transform from development complexity to one-liner installation!

This repository provides complete Nushell distributions that include Nushell itself plus all plugins, offering zero-prerequisite installation for end users:

🎯 End User Installation (Zero Prerequisites)

# One-liner installation (Linux/macOS)
curl -sSf https://your-url/install.sh | sh

# Windows PowerShell
iwr https://your-url/install.ps1 | iex

# Manual installation
wget https://releases/nushell-full-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf nushell-full-*.tar.gz && cd nushell-full-* && ./install.sh

🚀 Developer Distribution Commands

just build-full              # Build nushell + all plugins
just pack-full               # Create distribution package
just pack-full-all           # All platforms
just verify-full             # Verify installation
just release-full-cross      # Complete release workflow

✨ Key Features

Zero Prerequisites: No Rust, Cargo, or Nu installation required
Cross-Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows support
Complete Environment: Nushell + all plugins + configuration
Professional Installation: Clean install/uninstall experience
Bootstrap Installers: Production-ready installation scripts

🚀 Quick Start

For End Users (Zero Prerequisites)

# One-liner installation
curl -sSf https://your-url/install.sh | sh

# Or download and install manually
wget https://releases/nushell-full-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf nushell-full-*.tar.gz && cd nushell-full-* && ./install.sh

For Developers

Prerequisites

# Install required tools
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh  # Rust
cargo install just                                              # Just (optional but recommended)
# Note: Nushell will be auto-installed if missing

Development Workflow

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd nushell-plugins

# Validate nushell version consistency (recommended first step)
just validate-nushell

# Plugin development
just status              # Show plugin status
just status-mark-locals-ok  # Mark local plugins as OK (recommended)
just upstream-check      # Check for upstream updates
just build              # Build all plugins
just dev-flow           # Complete development workflow

# Distribution creation
just build-nushell       # Build nushell + system plugins (uses --workspace flag)
just build-full          # Build nushell + system plugins + custom plugins
just collect             # Collect nushell + all plugins for distribution
just pack-full           # Create distribution package
just release-full-cross  # Complete cross-platform release

⚠️ Critical: Version Consistency

This system requires version consistency between your installed nushell and the submodule version. All operations automatically check version consistency and will fail if versions don't match.

Auto-fix: just fix-nushell or ./scripts/run.sh --fix --check-only
Manual check: just validate-nushell

🎯 Full Distribution System

What is it?

The Full Distribution System transforms this repository from a development-focused plugin collection into a complete Nushell distribution platform. Instead of requiring users to install Rust, clone repositories, and build plugins, they can now install a complete Nushell environment with a single command.

End User Experience

Before: Complex development setup required

# Users needed to:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh  # Install Rust
git clone repository && cd nushell-plugins                      # Clone repo
just validate-nushell && just build                            # Build everything
# ... multiple complex steps

After: Zero-prerequisite installation

# Users now only need:
curl -sSf https://your-url/install.sh | sh  # Done!

Distribution Commands

Building Complete Distributions

Step 1: Build Nushell + System Plugins

# Build Nushell with built-in system plugins (uses cargo build --workspace)
just build-nushell          # Builds: nu + nu_plugin_formats, nu_plugin_inc, nu_plugin_gstat,
                            #         nu_plugin_query, nu_plugin_polars, nu_plugin_custom_values, etc.

# Build for specific targets
just build-nushell-target linux-arm64   # Cross-compile system plugins

Step 2: Build Everything (System + Custom Plugins)

# Build nushell + system plugins + custom plugins from this repo
just build-full              # Native build (calls build-nushell + build custom plugins)
just build-full-cross        # Cross-platform build
just build-full-all         # All platforms

Step 3: Collect Built Binaries

# Collect nushell binary + all plugins for distribution
just collect                # Current platform (darwin-arm64)
just collect-all            # All available platforms
just collect-platform PLATFORM  # Specific platform

Step 4: Create Distribution Packages

# Create distribution packages
just pack-full              # Current platform
just pack-full-all          # All platforms
just pack-full-with-installer  # Include bootstrap installer

# Verification and testing
just verify-full            # Verify distribution integrity
just test-install-full      # Test complete installation process

Cross-Platform Release

# Complete release workflow
just release-full-cross     # Build → Pack → Verify for all platforms

# Individual platform releases
just release-full-linux     # Linux distributions
just release-full-macos     # macOS distributions
just release-full-windows   # Windows distributions

Installation Modes

System Installation (recommended for end users):

# Install to system paths with proper integration
./install.sh

# Windows
./install.ps1

# Custom installation path
./install.sh --prefix /opt/nushell

Local Installation (development/testing):

# Install to user directory without system integration
./install.sh --local

# Portable installation
./install.sh --portable --path ./nushell-portable

Distribution Architecture

Components Included

Nushell Binary: Complete nushell installation
All Plugins: Every plugin in the repository
Configuration: Optimized default configuration
Documentation: Usage guides and help
Bootstrap Scripts: Cross-platform installers
Verification: Installation integrity checks

Platform Support

Platform	Architecture	Status	Installation Method
Linux	x86_64	✅ Full	`curl` installer + manual
Linux	ARM64	✅ Full	`curl` installer + manual
macOS	Intel	✅ Full	`curl` installer + manual
macOS	Apple Silicon	✅ Full	`curl` installer + manual
Windows	x86_64	✅ Full	PowerShell installer + manual

Bootstrap Installers

Smart Detection: Automatically detects platform and architecture
Conflict Resolution: Handles existing Nushell installations
Path Management: Configures PATH and shell integration
Verification: Confirms successful installation
Clean Uninstall: Complete removal capability

Use Cases

For End Users

Simple Installation: Get Nushell + all plugins with one command
No Prerequisites: No need for Rust, Git, or development tools
Professional Experience: Clean installation/uninstallation
Immediate Productivity: Pre-configured environment with all plugins

For System Administrators

Bulk Deployment: Deploy to multiple systems easily
Consistent Environment: Identical setup across all machines
Offline Installation: Manual packages work without internet
Integration Ready: System-wide installation with proper paths

for Distributors/Packagers

Ready Binaries: All binaries built and tested
Cross-Platform: Support for all major platforms
Checksums Included: Integrity verification built-in
Professional Packaging: Following platform conventions

🎯 Why This Repository?

The Challenge

Developing nushell plugins involves several challenges:

Dependency Management: Nushell evolves rapidly, requiring frequent dependency updates
Upstream Synchronization: Many plugins have upstream repositories that need tracking
Build Consistency: Ensuring all plugins build with the same nushell version
Distribution: Packaging and distributing multiple plugins efficiently

Our Solution

This repository provides:

🔄 Automated Upstream Tracking: Monitors upstream changes and auto-approves nu_* dependency updates
📦 Unified Build System: Builds all plugins with consistent nushell versions
🛡️ Safe Merge Process: Preserves local changes while integrating upstream updates
🚀 Complete Distribution System: Full Nushell distributions with zero-prerequisite installation
📋 Professional Packaging: Cross-platform installers and distribution packages
⚡ Developer Experience: Just recipes and scripts for common tasks

📦 Plugin Collection

Core Plugins

Plugin	Status	Type	Description
nu_plugin_clipboard	✅ Tracked	Upstream	Clipboard operations (copy/paste)
nu_plugin_highlight	✅ Tracked	Upstream	Syntax highlighting for source code
nu_plugin_image	🏠 Local	Local	Image processing and manipulation
nu_plugin_hashes	🏠 Local	Local	Hash computation utilities
nu_plugin_desktop_notifications	🏠 Local	Local	Desktop notification system
nu_plugin_fluent	✅ Tracked	Upstream	Fluent localization framework
nu_plugin_tera	✅ Tracked	Private	Tera templating engine (private repo)
nu_plugin_kcl	✅ Tracked	Private	KCL configuration language (private repo)

Provisioning Platform Plugins (NEW)

High-performance native plugins for the provisioning platform with 10x performance improvement over HTTP APIs:

Plugin	Type	Description	Performance Gain
nu_plugin_auth	🔐 Security	JWT authentication, MFA (TOTP/WebAuthn), session management	20% faster
nu_plugin_kms	🔑 Security	Multi-backend KMS (RustyVault, Age, Cosmian, AWS, Vault)	10x faster
nu_plugin_orchestrator	🎯 Operations	Orchestrator status, workflow validation, task management	10x faster

Key Features:

Native Performance: Direct Rust integration eliminates HTTP overhead
Pipeline Integration: Full Nushell pipeline support
Multi-Backend KMS: RustyVault, Age, Cosmian, AWS KMS, HashiCorp Vault
Security First: JWT, MFA (TOTP/WebAuthn), keyring storage
Production Ready: Comprehensive tests, error handling, documentation

Quick Start:

# Build and register provisioning plugins
just build-plugin nu_plugin_auth
just build-plugin nu_plugin_kms
just build-plugin nu_plugin_orchestrator
just install-plugin nu_plugin_auth
just install-plugin nu_plugin_kms
just install-plugin nu_plugin_orchestrator

# Verify installation
nu -c "plugin list | where name =~ provisioning"

See Full Guide: docs/user/NUSHELL_PLUGINS_GUIDE.md

Legend

✅ Tracked: Has upstream repository with automated tracking
🏠 Local: Developed locally without upstream
🔒 Private: Private repository with tracking (requires authentication)
🔐 Security: Security and authentication features
🔑 KMS: Key management and encryption
🎯 Operations: Platform operations and orchestration

🏗️ Building and Cross-Compilation

This repository includes a comprehensive cross-platform build system that supports building plugins for multiple platforms from a single machine.

🚀 Quick Build Commands

# Build for your current platform
just build

# Build for all supported platforms
just build-cross-all

# Build for specific platform
just build-cross linux-amd64
just build-cross darwin-arm64
just build-cross windows-amd64

# Complete cross-platform release
just release-cross

🎯 Supported Platforms

Platform	Architecture	Native	Docker	Status
Linux	AMD64	✅	✅	Full support
Linux	ARM64	⚠️	✅	Docker recommended
macOS	Intel	🍎	❌	macOS host only
macOS	Apple Silicon	🍎	❌	macOS host only
Windows	AMD64	🪟	✅	Windows host or Docker

🐳 Docker Cross-Compilation

For consistent builds across all platforms:

# Build Docker cross-compilation environment
just build-docker-image

# Use Docker for specific targets
just build-docker linux-arm64
just build-docker windows-amd64

# Complete Docker workflow
just docker-flow

📦 Distribution

# Collect binaries for all platforms
just collect-all

# Package with checksums
just pack-checksums

# One-liner: build, collect, and package everything
just release-cross

📖 Comprehensive Guide

For detailed instructions, platform-specific setup, troubleshooting, and advanced topics, see:

➡️ Complete Building and Cross-Compilation Guide

The guide covers:

Platform-specific setup and dependencies
Native vs Docker cross-compilation
Configuration and customization
Troubleshooting common issues
Performance optimization
CI/CD integration
Custom target addition

🔄 Development Workflows

Daily Development (Using Just)

# Check what needs attention
just status-attention

# Update from upstream sources
just upstream-check

# Build and test everything
just dev-flow

# Work on specific plugin
just build-plugin nu_plugin_clipboard
just test-plugin nu_plugin_clipboard

Release Workflow

# Complete release pipeline (native)
just release-flow

# Cross-platform release pipeline
just release-flow-cross

# Or step by step:
just build           # Build all plugins (native)
just build-cross-all # Build all plugins (all platforms)
just collect-all     # Collect binaries (all platforms)
just pack-checksums  # Create distribution archives with checksums

Quality Assurance

# Run all quality checks
just quality-flow

# Individual checks
just fmt            # Format code
just lint           # Run clippy
just test           # Run tests
just audit          # Security audit

🎛️ Upstream Tracking System

How It Works

The upstream tracking system automatically:

Fetches latest changes from upstream repositories
Analyzes differences between local and upstream code
Auto-approves changes that only affect nu_* dependencies
Flags other changes for manual review
Preserves local modifications during merges
Excludes specified plugins from tracking operations

Configuration

Plugin Registry (`etc/plugin_registry.toml`)

[plugins.nu_plugin_example]
upstream_url = "https://github.com/user/nu_plugin_example"
upstream_branch = "main"
auto_ok_on_nu_deps_only = true  # Auto-approve nu_* dependency changes
status = "unknown"              # Current status

Exclusion Configuration (`etc/upstream_exclude.toml`)

Control which plugins are excluded from upstream operations:

[exclude]
# Plugins to exclude from ALL upstream operations
plugins = [
    "nu_plugin_manual_only",
    "nu_plugin_deprecated"
]

[exclude.check]
# Exclude from checking only (can still be manually merged)
plugins = [
    "nu_plugin_no_auto_check"
]

[exclude.merge]
# Exclude from automatic merging (but can still be checked)
plugins = [
    "nu_plugin_complex_merge"
]

[exclude.patterns]
# Exclude plugins matching patterns
plugins = [
    "nu_plugin_test_*",
    "nu_plugin_experimental_*"
]

Commands

# Check all upstream sources
just upstream-check

# Check specific plugin
just upstream-check-plugin nu_plugin_clipboard

# Preview changes before merging
just upstream-preview nu_plugin_clipboard

# Safely merge upstream changes
just upstream-merge nu_plugin_clipboard

# Merge all pending changes
just upstream-merge-all

# Manage exclusions
just exclude nu_plugin_test add      # Add to exclusion list
just exclude nu_plugin_test remove   # Remove from exclusion list
just exclude-list                    # Show all excluded plugins

Status System

Status	Description	Action Required
✅ `ok`	Synchronized with upstream	None
⚠️ `pending`	Changes detected, needs review	Manual review
❌ `error`	Error during sync	Investigation
🔥 `conflict`	Merge conflicts	Manual resolution
❓ `unknown`	Not yet checked	Run upstream check
🏠 `local_only`	No upstream repository	None

Status Management

Manual Status Updates

You can manually update plugin status using justfile recipes or scripts:

# Update specific plugin status
just status-update PLUGIN STATUS
just status-update nu_plugin_image ok

# Mark all local development plugins as OK (recommended)
just status-mark-locals-ok

# Using scripts directly
./scripts/run.sh plugin_status.nu update nu_plugin_hashes ok

Common Status Management Tasks

# Check current status
just status                    # Full dashboard
just status-summary           # Quick summary only
just status-attention         # Only plugins needing attention

# Mark local plugins as reviewed/OK
just status-mark-locals-ok     # Marks nu_plugin_image, nu_plugin_hashes, nu_plugin_desktop_notifications as OK

# Individual updates
just status-update nu_plugin_image ok
just status-update nu_plugin_highlight pending

When to Update Status

Local plugins (nu_plugin_image, nu_plugin_hashes, nu_plugin_desktop_notifications): Mark as ok after reviewing local changes
Upstream plugins: Status is automatically managed by just upstream-check
Manual override: Use status-update when you need to override automatic status detection

🛠️ Scripts and Tools

Consolidated Script System

The repository now uses a unified script system with automatic nushell detection and mandatory version consistency checking.

Directory Structure

scripts/
├── run.sh                     # Universal script runner with version checking
├── check_version.nu           # Version consistency validator
├── lib/
│   └── cargo_toml_diff.nu     # Cargo.toml analysis library
├── check_upstream_changes.nu  # Upstream monitoring
├── plugin_status.nu           # Status dashboard
├── safe_merge_upstream.nu     # Safe merge operations
├── build_all.nu              # Build all plugins
├── collect_install.nu        # Collection for distribution
├── pack_dist.nu              # Distribution packaging
├── make_plugin.nu            # Plugin template generator
├── update_nu_versions.nu     # Dependency version management
└── sh/                       # Essential shell scripts only
    ├── update_nushell.sh      # Nushell installer/updater
    ├── update_nu_versions.sh  # Dependency version manager
    ├── test_single.sh         # Testing utilities
    └── test_update.sh         # Testing utilities
etc/
├── plugin_registry.toml       # Central plugin configuration
└── upstream_exclude.toml      # Upstream exclusion configuration

Using the Universal Script Runner

All nushell scripts should be run through the universal wrapper for automatic version checking:

# Universal wrapper with automatic version checking
./scripts/run.sh <script_name> [args...]

# Status and information
./scripts/run.sh plugin_status.nu           # Show dashboard
./scripts/run.sh plugin_status.nu --all     # Include local plugins
./scripts/run.sh plugin_status.nu summary   # Quick summary

# Upstream tracking
./scripts/run.sh check_upstream_changes.nu                    # Check all
./scripts/run.sh check_upstream_changes.nu --plugin highlight # Check one
./scripts/run.sh safe_merge_upstream.nu highlight             # Merge one
./scripts/run.sh safe_merge_upstream.nu --all                 # Merge all pending

# Development
./scripts/run.sh build_all.nu              # Build all plugins
./scripts/run.sh update_nu_versions.nu     # Update nu dependencies

# Version management
./scripts/run.sh --check-only               # Only check version consistency
./scripts/run.sh --fix --check-only        # Auto-fix version mismatches

Direct Nushell Script Usage (Advanced)

⚠️ Warning: Direct usage skips the universal wrapper's version checking - not recommended

# Run from repository root (version checking included in each script)
nu scripts/plugin_status.nu
nu scripts/check_upstream_changes.nu --plugin highlight
nu scripts/build_all.nu --verbose

Version Consistency System

Every script automatically validates that your system nushell version matches the submodule version:

Automatic detection: Missing nushell is auto-installed
Version validation: System vs submodule version comparison
Auto-fix capability: --fix flag resolves version mismatches
Clear error messages: Detailed guidance when issues occur

📁 File Structure

nushell-plugins/
├── README.md                   # This file
├── justfile                   # Just task runner recipes
├── env                        # Environment configuration
├── LICENSE                    # License file
├── etc/                       # Configuration files
│   ├── plugin_registry.toml   # Plugin tracking configuration
│   └── upstream_exclude.toml  # Upstream exclusion configuration
├── scripts/                   # All automation scripts
│   ├── run.sh                 # Universal script runner
│   ├── check_version.nu       # Version consistency validator
│   ├── *.nu                   # Nushell script implementations
│   ├── lib/                   # Shared libraries
│   └── sh/                    # Essential shell scripts
├── generate/                  # Plugin templates
│   └── nu_plugin_template/    # Base template for new plugins
├── distribution/              # Build output directory
├── bin_archives/              # Distribution archives
├── nushell/                   # Nushell submodule (for dependency versions)
├── nu_plugin_*/               # Individual plugin directories
└── docs/                      # Documentation

📥 Installation Methods

Method 1: Full Distribution (Recommended for End Users)

Zero-prerequisite installation of complete Nushell environment:

# One-liner installation (Linux/macOS)
curl -sSf https://your-url/install.sh | sh

# Windows PowerShell
iwr https://your-url/install.ps1 | iex

# Manual installation from release
wget https://releases/nushell-full-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf nushell-full-*.tar.gz && cd nushell-full-* && ./install.sh

# Install from local archive (version-agnostic)
./install.sh --source-path bin_archives/nushell-full-0.108.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz --install-dir ~/.local

# Verify installation
nu --version && nu -c "plugin list"

What you get:

Complete Nushell installation
All plugins from this repository
Optimized configuration
Professional installation experience
Clean uninstall capability

Install Script Architecture (DRY Design)

The installation system uses a single source of truth with symlinks to eliminate code duplication:

Key Files:

Source of Truth: installers/bootstrap/install.sh (1,176 lines)
- Complete bootstrap installer for Nushell + plugins
- Repository: https://github.com/jesusperezlorenzo/nushell-plugins
- Platform detection: darwin-arm64, linux-x86_64, windows-x86_64
Symlinks (Automatic updates through symlinks):
- ./install.sh → installers/bootstrap/install.sh
- ./scripts/templates/install.sh → installers/bootstrap/install.sh
- All changes propagate automatically (single maintenance point)
Windows Variant: ./scripts/templates/install.ps1
- PowerShell equivalent with -SourcePath and -InstallDir parameters
- Identical functionality via platform-specific syntax

New --source-path Feature:

Install from local archives or directories without downloading:

# From archived distribution
./install.sh --source-path bin_archives/nushell-full-0.108.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz

# From extracted directory
./install.sh --source-path ./nushell-binaries

# Default (if path not specified)
./install.sh --source-path  # Uses ./bin_archives

# Combined with custom installation path
./install.sh --source-path ./archives --install-dir ~/.local/nushell

Version-Agnostic Archive Detection:

Automatically detects any nushell-* version directory
Works with: 0.107, 0.108, 0.109, or any future version
Searches for binaries in: bin/nu (preferred) → root nu (fallback)
Supports both .tar.gz and .zip archives
Smart extraction and path detection

Installation Options:

./install.sh                               # Interactive mode
./install.sh --install-dir ~/.local        # Custom path, non-interactive
./install.sh --source-path ./archives      # Local source
./install.sh --download-only               # Download only
./install.sh --verify-only                 # Verify existing installation
./install.sh --uninstall                   # Remove installation

How DRY Works:

Single Source: Only installers/bootstrap/install.sh is edited
Symlinks Propagate: All changes automatically available at ./install.sh and ./scripts/templates/install.sh
Verified: All symlinked paths contain identical content
Maintained: No code duplication, no divergence risk

Method 2: Plugin-Only Distribution

For users who already have Nushell installed:

# Download plugin-only archive
wget https://releases/nushell-plugins-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf nushell-plugins-*.tar.gz && cd nushell-plugins

# Install all plugins
./install_plugins.sh

# Or install specific plugins
./install_plugins.sh --plugins "nu_plugin_clipboard,nu_plugin_highlight"

Method 3: Repository Clone (Recommended for Development)

For plugin developers and contributors:

git clone <repository-url>
cd nushell-plugins

# Validate environment
just validate-nushell

# Build and install plugins only
just build && just collect
cd distribution && nu install_nu_plugins.nu

# Build complete distributions
just build-full && just pack-full

Method 4: Individual Plugin Installation

For specific plugin installation:

# From source (development)
cd nu_plugin_clipboard
cargo build --release
plugin add target/release/nu_plugin_clipboard

# From crates.io (if published)
cargo install nu_plugin_clipboard
plugin add ~/.cargo/bin/nu_plugin_clipboard

Installation Comparison

Method	Prerequisites	What's Included	Best For
Full Distribution	None	Nushell + All Plugins	End users, system admins
Plugin Distribution	Nushell	All Plugins	Nushell users
Repository Clone	Rust, Git	Development environment	Contributors, developers
Individual Plugin	Rust, Nu	Single plugin	Selective installation

🎮 Using Just Recipes

Just provides convenient shortcuts for all common tasks with automatic version validation:

Version Validation Commands (New!)

just validate-nushell         # Check nushell version consistency
just fix-nushell             # Auto-fix version mismatches

Basic Commands

just                          # Show all available recipes
just status                   # Plugin status dashboard
just build                    # Build all plugins
just build-full              # Build nushell + all plugins
just test                     # Test all plugins
just clean                    # Clean build artifacts

Full Distribution Commands

# Building complete distributions
just build-full              # Build nushell with all plugins
just build-full-cross        # Cross-platform build
just build-full-all         # All platforms

# Creating distribution packages
just pack-full               # Create distribution package
just pack-full-all           # All platforms
just pack-full-with-installer # Include bootstrap installer

# Release workflows
just release-full-cross      # Complete cross-platform release
just verify-full            # Verify distribution integrity
just test-full              # Test installation process

Upstream Management

just upstream-check           # Check for upstream updates
just upstream-merge highlight # Merge specific plugin
just upstream-merge-all       # Merge all pending

Development Workflows

All workflows now include mandatory version validation as the first step:

just dev-flow                 # Validate → Check → Build → Test → Status
just release-flow             # Validate → Build → Collect → Package
just quality-flow             # Validate → Format → Lint → Test
just update-flow              # Update → Fix Version → Update versions → Check upstream

Plugin-Specific Operations

just build-plugin clipboard   # Build specific plugin
just test-plugin clipboard    # Test specific plugin
just install-plugin clipboard # Install plugin locally

Advanced Features

just interactive              # Interactive plugin selection (requires fzf)
just watch clipboard          # Watch for changes and rebuild (requires entr)
just validate                 # Validate setup and dependencies

❓ FAQ

Q: Why do I get "Version mismatch detected" errors?

A: This system requires your installed nushell version to match the submodule version for consistency. All operations automatically check version consistency and will fail if versions don't match.

Solutions:

Auto-fix: just fix-nushell or ./scripts/run.sh --fix --check-only
Manual check: just validate-nushell
Skip (not recommended): ./scripts/run.sh --no-version-check script.nu

Q: What happened to the bash wrapper scripts?

A: The repository has been consolidated to eliminate script duplication. The old bash wrappers in scripts/sh/ have been removed in favor of:

Universal wrapper: ./scripts/run.sh with automatic version checking
Direct nu scripts: All scripts moved from scripts/nu/ to scripts/
Just recipes: Updated to use the new system

Q: How does the new script system work?

A: The new system provides:

Universal wrapper (scripts/run.sh) with automatic nushell detection and version validation
Consolidated scripts - all nu scripts in scripts/ directory
Mandatory version checking - every operation validates version consistency
Auto-installation - missing nushell is automatically installed

Q: How does automatic upstream tracking work?

A: The system fetches changes from upstream repositories and analyzes them. If only nu_* dependencies changed (like nu-plugin, nu-protocol), it automatically marks the plugin as "OK". Other changes are flagged for manual review. You can exclude specific plugins from tracking using the etc/upstream_exclude.toml file.

Q: What happens to my local changes during upstream merges?

A: Local changes are preserved. The system:

Creates backup branches before any merge
Applies upstream changes in a temporary branch
Restores your local nu_* dependency versions
Tests compilation before applying changes
Rolls back on any failure

Q: Can I disable automatic upstream tracking for a plugin?

A: Yes, set auto_ok_on_nu_deps_only = false in etc/plugin_registry.toml for that plugin.

Q: How do I add a new plugin to the repository?

A: Use the template generator:

just make-plugin nu_plugin_myfeature
# or
nu scripts/nu/make_plugin.nu nu_plugin_myfeature

Q: What if upstream tracking fails?

A: Check the plugin status with just status. Failed plugins show error details. Common issues:

Network connectivity to upstream repository
Authentication for private repositories
Merge conflicts requiring manual resolution

Q: How do I update nushell dependency versions?

A: Use the version updater:

just update-nu-versions       # Update all plugins
just list-nu-versions         # Show current versions

Q: Can I use this with my own private plugins?

A: Yes! Add your private repository URLs to etc/plugin_registry.toml. The system supports SSH URLs for private repositories.

Q: How do I distribute plugins to other systems?

A: Use the distribution pipeline:

just build                    # Build all plugins
just collect                  # Collect binaries
just pack                     # Create archive

The resulting archive contains all binaries and installation scripts.

Q: What's the difference between shell scripts and nushell scripts?

Nushell scripts (scripts/nu/): Primary implementation with full features
Shell scripts (scripts/sh/): Wrappers for compatibility with non-nushell environments
Both provide the same functionality, use whichever fits your environment

Q: How do I contribute a new plugin?

Create the plugin: just make-plugin nu_plugin_yourname
Implement your functionality
Add upstream URL to etc/plugin_registry.toml if it has one
Test: just build-plugin nu_plugin_yourname
Submit a pull request

Q: How do I exclude plugins from upstream tracking?

A: Edit etc/upstream_exclude.toml to exclude plugins from specific operations:

Add to [exclude] section to exclude from all operations
Add to [exclude.check] to skip automatic checks
Add to [exclude.merge] to prevent automatic merging
Use patterns like nu_plugin_test_* to exclude multiple plugins

You can also use Just commands:

just exclude nu_plugin_test add      # Add to exclusion
just exclude nu_plugin_test remove   # Remove from exclusion
just exclude-list                    # Show excluded plugins

Q: Can I use this system for other Rust projects?

A: The upstream tracking and dependency management concepts can be adapted, but this system is specifically designed for nushell plugins with nu_* dependencies.

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
Make your changes
Test thoroughly: just quality-flow
Commit your changes: git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
Push to the branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
Open a pull request

Development Guidelines

Follow existing code style and patterns
Add tests for new functionality
Update documentation for user-facing changes
Use just quality-flow before submitting
All scripts should work from repository root

Adding New Plugins

Use the template generator: just make-plugin nu_plugin_name
Follow nushell plugin conventions
Add comprehensive documentation
Include examples and tests

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Nushell Team for the amazing shell and plugin system
Plugin authors for their contributions to the nushell ecosystem
Contributors to this repository

Happy Plugin Development! 🎉

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