Create Uploader Plugin

Create Uploader Plugin

Use this skill to add a new desktop uploader plugin that matches the current XerahS plugin architecture.

For a concrete native-API example, see docs/proposals/xip/XIP0048-nextcloud-native-plugin-design.md.

Workflow

1. Audit existing support before writing code.
   • Search the repo for the service name, old uploader code, prior docs, and compatibility layers.
   • Determine whether this should be a new plugin, a replacement for an old uploader, or an extension of an existing plugin.
2. Research the service's official API and auth model using primary sources.
   • Use references/service-research-template.md.
   • Prefer the service's native API over generic compatibility endpoints when the native path materially improves auth, chunking, sharing, explorer actions, capability discovery, or reliability.
3. Inspect the nearest existing plugin before writing code.
   • Read references/pattern-map.md.
   • Pick the closest starting point:
     • Simple token/manual config: Bitly.Plugin
     • Browser login or OAuth: Dropbox.Plugin
     • File storage + explorer: AmazonS3.Plugin or Nextcloud.Plugin
4. Scaffold the plugin with scripts/new-uploader-plugin.ps1.
5. Replace scaffold placeholders with service-specific logic.
6. Keep secrets in ISecretStore, not in settings JSON.
7. Add explorer support only if the destination can browse/list remote files with stable semantics.
8. Add or refine the Avalonia config UI when the property-grid experience would be weak.
   • For Avalonia control, binding, and styling rules, read ../avalonia-guidelines/SKILL.md.
   • For visual redesign of a plugin config view, read ../design-ui-window/SKILL.md and set its target_view_path to src\desktop\plugins\<Name>.Plugin\Views\ConfigView.axaml.
   • Treat uploader config UI as Avalonia AXAML work, not a web frontend workflow.
9. Build the new plugin project, then build src/desktop/XerahS.sln.

Scaffold Command

Run:

.ai\skills\create-uploader-plugin\scripts\new-uploader-plugin.ps1 `
  -PluginName "MyService" `
  -PluginId "myservice" `
  -DisplayName "MyService Uploader" `
  -AddToSolution

This creates:

• src/desktop/plugins/MyService.Plugin/
• XerahS.MyService.Plugin.csproj
• plugin.json
• config model, provider, uploader
• Avalonia config view + viewmodel

Required Conventions

1. Keep the plugin under src/desktop/plugins/<Name>.Plugin/.
2. Target net10.0.
3. Reuse src/desktop/plugins/Directory.Build.props.
4. Use ShareX.<Name>.Plugin namespaces and XerahS.<Name>.Plugin assembly/project names.
5. Exclude Avalonia/runtime-shared dependencies from plugin output with ExcludeAssets=runtime.
6. Copy plugin.json to output.
7. If credentials are needed, store them through ISecretStore.
8. If importing legacy plaintext settings, implement IInstanceSecretMigrator.
9. Keep upload logic inside the plugin uploader/provider, not in core app code.

Implementation Decisions

Use these rules when filling in the scaffold:

1. Use UploaderProviderBase unless there is a strong reason not to.
2. Return a concrete Uploader or GenericUploader from CreateInstance.
3. Override CreateConfigView() and CreateConfigViewModel() for non-trivial configuration.
4. Implement IUploaderExplorer only when the service supports remote listing/content actions.
5. Make ValidateSettings reflect real minimum runtime requirements.
6. Keep plugin.json metadata aligned with ProviderId, class namespace, and assembly name.
7. If the service exposes both generic and native endpoints, document why the chosen path is correct for this plugin.
8. If the service has staged login or capability discovery, surface that in the config UI instead of hiding it behind a flat settings form.
9. If the service already had legacy plaintext settings, add secret migration rather than silently abandoning stored credentials.

Verification

Run both:

dotnet build src\desktop\plugins\<Name>.Plugin\XerahS.<Name>.Plugin.csproj -m:1
dotnet build src\desktop\XerahS.sln -m:1

Use references/review-checklist.md before finishing.