2933 Research Findings Ec512f8b

Research Findings: dasel Plugin

Date: 2026-02-19

1. Dasel Tool (Researcher 1)

• What: Single-binary CLI for querying/modifying/converting structured data (JSON, YAML, TOML, XML, CSV, HCL, INI)
• Current: v3.2.2 (2026-02-13), major rewrite from v2 with breaking syntax changes
• Key v3 changes: put/delete subcommands removed; modifications via inline assignment with --root
• Binary distribution: GitHub Releases, no separate checksums file — SHA256 in API digest field
• Asset naming: dasel_{os}_{arch} (e.g., dasel_linux_amd64, dasel_windows_amd64.exe)
• Version check: dasel --version
• Core syntax: dasel -f file.json 'selector', supports filter/map/each/search/conditionals/variables
• Full CLI reference: ./research-dasel-cli.md

2. Existing Skill Patterns (Researcher 2)

• 23 plugins, 101 skills in repository
• Two archetypes for dasel: Tool/CLI Reference (like uv, gitlab-skill) and Data Processing (like summarizer)
• Plugin skills MUST NOT have name: field (Claude Code bug prevents slash command registration)
• Token-based complexity thresholds from plugin_validator.py
• Progressive disclosure: SKILL.md (~2000 tokens) + references/ for detail
• Agent frontmatter requires name + description; skills do not need name
• Study models: plugins/python3-development/skills/uv/SKILL.md (Tool/CLI pattern)

3. Schema Requirements (Researcher 3)

• Agent frontmatter: name (required), description (required), optional tools, model, color, permissionMode, maxTurns, skills
• Model aliases: haiku, sonnet, opus, inherit
• All comma-separated strings — tools, disallowedTools, skills (NOT YAML arrays)
• agents in plugin.json: MUST be array of individual file paths, NOT directory string
• All plugin paths start with ./
• Full schema: ./research-schema.md

4. Install Script Patterns (Researcher 4)

• Approach: Python PEP 723 with httpx + typer (repo convention: 27+ PEP 723 scripts)
• Platform detection: platform.system() + platform.machine() + /proc/version for WSL2
• Install dirs: ~/.local/bin (Linux/WSL2), %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\dasel (Windows)
• SHA256 from GitHub API assets[].digest field (format: sha256:<hex>)
• Version comparison: tuple-based semver compare
• Full patterns: ./research-install-patterns.md

Synthesis

Plugin Architecture

• 3 agents: data-explorer (haiku), dasel-guide (haiku), data-analyst (sonnet)
• 3-4 skills: dasel-reference (v3 syntax), data-exploration (query patterns), data-transformation (format conversion, mutations), tool-setup (install/update)
• 1 install script: Python PEP 723, cross-platform (Linux x86_64/ARM64, Windows native/WSL2)
• 1 optional hook: SessionStart to check dasel availability

Key Design Decisions

1. v3-only (no v2 backward compatibility — v3 is current stable)
2. Sonnet for analyst (user confirmed), Haiku for explorer/guide agents
3. Skills use progressive disclosure with references/ subdirectories
4. Install script follows repo convention: PEP 723 with typer + httpx
5. No macOS support initially (user chose Linux + Windows)