OIE / Mirth plugin development
Build a plugin (extension) for the Open Integration Engine (OIE), the open-source fork of Mirth Connect.
The detail lives in reference/, loaded on demand. This file is the map. Read the
reference for the task at hand rather than pulling in the whole guide.
Credit: this skill is adapted from the OIE Plugin Development Guide by
@pacmano1. The hard-won knowledge here is his. Thank you.
First, the thing that surprises people
Plugins build with Maven (root POM plus module POMs), even though the engine itself builds with
Gradle. It migrated off Ant in June 2026, so older guides still say Ant. Use the Maven workflow below
for plugin work. You never build the engine to build a plugin, because its artifacts come from a Maven
repo. See reference/maven-poms.md.
Shape of a plugin
A plugin is a multi-module Maven project that produces an installable .zip:
- server module, the classes the engine instantiates: services, REST servlets, migrators.
- client module, the classes the Administrator GUI instantiates: panels, settings.
- shared module, types used by both.
- a
plugin.xml descriptor wiring it together, and a packaging/assembly step that zips it.
Where to go
Numbered in the order a new plugin usually needs them. Jump straight to a row if you already know the
task. Read gotchas-and-example.md early rather than at the end.
| # |
I am trying to |
Reference |
| 1 |
Scaffold a new plugin, understand the layout, check prerequisites |
project-structure.md |
| 2 |
Write or fix the root and module POMs, or find the build command |
maven-poms.md |
| 3 |
Configure plugin.xml: classes, resources, version |
plugin-descriptor.md |
| 4 |
Add a server service, a REST endpoint, permissions, or event logging |
server-plugin.md |
| 5 |
Add an Administrator-GUI panel or a shared type |
client-and-shared.md |
| 6 |
Add or alter a table (Migrator), or a query (MyBatis) |
database.md |
| 7 |
Build the .zip, sign it including the Administrator Launcher signing wall, or serialize with XStream |
packaging-signing-serialization.md |
| 8 |
Debug a weird build or runtime problem, or read a full tiny example |
gotchas-and-example.md |
|
Build a source or destination connector: subclass a stock one, settings panel, TLS-plugin compatibility, live testing |
connector-plugins.md |
A connector has no number because it is a different shape rather than a step in the sequence. It brings
its own descriptor, its own settings panel, and its own lessons about styling and live testing.
Notes
- Most references are pacmano1's guide text split by topic, and each has a footer linking back to the source.
connector-plugins.md and the Administrator-Launcher signing section are field notes from building a
connector, additions to the original guide rather than from it.
- This skill covers building the plugin. JavaScript that runs inside a channel, meaning transformers,
filters and code templates, is a different runtime (Rhino) with different rules. That is the companion
oie-channel-code-review skill.
It is working if
mvn package produces a .zip the Administrator installs without a signing complaint, the plugin
appears in the extension list after a server restart, and its server and client classes both load, which
you confirm in the server log rather than by the install succeeding. If the plugin runs a migrator, the
table exists at the new schema version.
1---2name: oie-plugin-development3description: Develop, scaffold, and build a plugin/extension for Open Integration Engine (OIE) or Mirth Connect. Use when creating a new OIE/Mirth plugin, setting up its Maven project (root/module POMs), writing the plugin.xml descriptor, implementing server-side or client-side (Administrator GUI) plugin classes, building a source/destination connector (subclassing a stock connector, settings panel, TLS-plugin compatibility), adding a REST servlet endpoint, doing database migrations (Migrator + MyBatis), handling permissions/event logging/XStream serialization, or packaging/signing the plugin .zip. NOT for engine-core changes or for channel/template JavaScript.4---56# OIE / Mirth plugin development78Build a plugin (extension) for the Open Integration Engine (OIE), the open-source fork of Mirth Connect.9The detail lives in [`reference/`](./reference/), loaded on demand. This file is the map. Read the10reference for the task at hand rather than pulling in the whole guide.1112> **Credit:** this skill is adapted from the **OIE Plugin Development Guide by13> [@pacmano1](https://github.com/pacmano1)**. The hard-won knowledge here is his. Thank you.1415## First, the thing that surprises people1617Plugins build with **Maven** (root POM plus module POMs), even though the **engine itself builds with18Gradle**. It migrated off Ant in June 2026, so older guides still say Ant. Use the Maven workflow below19for plugin work. You never build the engine to build a plugin, because its artifacts come from a Maven20repo. See [`reference/maven-poms.md`](./reference/maven-poms.md).2122## Shape of a plugin2324A plugin is a multi-module Maven project that produces an installable `.zip`:2526- **server** module, the classes the engine instantiates: services, REST servlets, migrators.27- **client** module, the classes the **Administrator** GUI instantiates: panels, settings.28- **shared** module, types used by both.29- a **`plugin.xml`** descriptor wiring it together, and a **packaging/assembly** step that zips it.3031## Where to go3233Numbered in the order a new plugin usually needs them. Jump straight to a row if you already know the34task. Read [`gotchas-and-example.md`](./reference/gotchas-and-example.md) early rather than at the end.3536| # | I am trying to | Reference |37|---|---|---|38| 1 | Scaffold a new plugin, understand the layout, check prerequisites | [`project-structure.md`](./reference/project-structure.md) |39| 2 | Write or fix the root and module POMs, or find the build command | [`maven-poms.md`](./reference/maven-poms.md) |40| 3 | Configure `plugin.xml`: classes, resources, version | [`plugin-descriptor.md`](./reference/plugin-descriptor.md) |41| 4 | Add a server service, a REST endpoint, permissions, or event logging | [`server-plugin.md`](./reference/server-plugin.md) |42| 5 | Add an Administrator-GUI panel or a shared type | [`client-and-shared.md`](./reference/client-and-shared.md) |43| 6 | Add or alter a table (Migrator), or a query (MyBatis) | [`database.md`](./reference/database.md) |44| 7 | Build the `.zip`, sign it including the Administrator Launcher signing wall, or serialize with XStream | [`packaging-signing-serialization.md`](./reference/packaging-signing-serialization.md) |45| 8 | Debug a weird build or runtime problem, or read a full tiny example | [`gotchas-and-example.md`](./reference/gotchas-and-example.md) |46| | Build a **source or destination connector**: subclass a stock one, settings panel, TLS-plugin compatibility, live testing | [`connector-plugins.md`](./reference/connector-plugins.md) |4748A connector has no number because it is a different shape rather than a step in the sequence. It brings49its own descriptor, its own settings panel, and its own lessons about styling and live testing.5051## Notes5253- Most references are pacmano1's guide text split by topic, and each has a footer linking back to the source.54 `connector-plugins.md` and the Administrator-Launcher signing section are field notes from building a55 connector, additions to the original guide rather than from it.56- This skill covers building the plugin. JavaScript that runs *inside a channel*, meaning transformers,57 filters and code templates, is a different runtime (Rhino) with different rules. That is the companion58 [`oie-channel-code-review`](../oie-channel-code-review/) skill.5960## It is working if6162`mvn package` produces a `.zip` the Administrator installs without a signing complaint, the plugin63appears in the extension list after a server restart, and its server and client classes both load, which64you confirm in the server log rather than by the install succeeding. If the plugin runs a migrator, the65table exists at the new schema version.
MichaelLeeHobbs