> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aikeedo.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plugin manifest reference

> Every composer.json field Aikeedo reads from a plugin or theme package, with validation rules and examples.

A plugin's `composer.json` is both a Composer manifest and Aikeedo's metadata. `Plugin\Domain\Context` parses it at boot, and the `heyaikeedo/composer` installer reads it during installation.

## Complete example

```json composer.json theme={null}
{
  "name": "acme/hello",
  "description": "A starter plugin for Aikeedo",
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "type": "aikeedo-plugin",
  "homepage": "https://acme.test",
  "time": "2026-09-15",
  "license": "proprietary",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Acme",
      "email": "dev@acme.test",
      "homepage": "https://acme.test",
      "role": "Owner"
    }
  ],
  "support": {
    "docs": "https://docs.acme.test",
    "email": "support@acme.test",
    "issues": "https://github.com/acme/hello/issues",
    "source": "https://github.com/acme/hello"
  },
  "require": {
    "heyaikeedo/composer": "^1.0.0"
  },
  "extra": {
    "entry-class": "Acme\\Hello\\Plugin",
    "title": "Hello",
    "tagline": "Say hello to your users",
    "description": "A starter plugin for Aikeedo",
    "logo": "https://acme.test/logo.svg",
    "icon": "https://acme.test/icon.svg",
    "default_url": "/admin/settings/hello",
    "compatibility": ">=5.0.0",
    "status": "inactive",
    "public": ["assets"]
  },
  "autoload": {
    "psr-4": {
      "Acme\\Hello\\": "src/"
    }
  }
}
```

## Required fields

A package that breaks any of these rules is rejected with `InvalidPluginComposerJsonFileException` and never boots.

<ParamField path="type" type="string" required>
  Either `aikeedo-plugin` or `aikeedo-theme`. It decides where the installer puts the package and how Aikeedo treats it.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="name" type="string" required>
  The Composer package name, `vendor/package`. **It must match the installation directory**, `extra/extensions/{vendor}/{package}`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="require.heyaikeedo/composer" type="string" required>
  Every plugin and theme must require the installer package, normally `"^1.0.0"`. Use `"^1.2.0"` if you rely on object entries in `extra.public`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.entry-class" type="string" required>
  Fully qualified name of the class that implements `Plugin\Domain\PluginInterface`. Escape backslashes in JSON: `"Acme\\Hello\\Plugin"`. The legacy spelling `extra.entry_class` is still accepted; prefer `entry-class`. Required for plugins, optional for themes.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="autoload.psr-4" type="object" required>
  Maps your namespace to `src/`, so Composer can load the entry class. Required whenever the package ships PHP.
</ParamField>

## Metadata

<ParamField path="version" type="string">
  Semantic version, for example `1.2.0`. Installing from an archive runs `composer require <name>:<version>`, so keep it accurate and raise it with every release.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="description" type="string">
  Shown in the admin plugins list. Aikeedo reads the **top-level** `description`, not `extra.description`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="homepage" type="string">
  Your product or documentation URL.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="time" type="string">
  Release date, for example `2026-09-15`, parsed as the package's release timestamp.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="license" type="string | string[]">
  SPDX identifier or your own license name.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="authors" type="object[]">
  Each entry may have `name`, `email`, `homepage` and `role`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="support" type="object">
  Any of `chat`, `docs`, `email`, `forum`, `irc`, `issues`, `rss`, `source` and `wiki`. They're shown as support links.
</ParamField>

## The `extra` block

<ParamField path="extra.title" type="string">
  Display name in the admin panel. Falls back to the package name.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.tagline" type="string">
  Short one-line summary.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.logo" type="string">
  URL of a logo image.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.icon" type="string">
  URL of an icon image.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.default_url" type="string">
  Where the plugin's name links to in the admin plugins list, for example `/admin/settings/hello`. The link appears only while the plugin is active. Point it at your settings page.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.status" type="string" default="inactive">
  `active`, `inactive` or `failed`. **Aikeedo owns this value**: installing sets it to `inactive`, and activating or deactivating writes the new value back into this file. Ship your package with `inactive`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.public" type="array">
  Files and directories to publish to the web root. See [Public assets](/development/plugins/public-assets) for the entry formats.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="extra.compatibility" type="string">
  The Aikeedo versions your plugin supports, for example `">=5.0.0"`. This is informational: the application doesn't enforce it, so check the version yourself if your code depends on it.
</ParamField>

## Dependencies

Declare third-party libraries in `require` as usual:

```json theme={null}
"require": {
  "heyaikeedo/composer": "^1.0.0",
  "league/flysystem-aws-s3-v3": "^3.0"
}
```

Installing the plugin runs Composer in the installation root, so your dependencies are resolved against the packages Aikeedo already ships.

<Warning>
  Requiring a library that Aikeedo already depends on at an incompatible version makes the install fail. Keep constraints wide, and prefer libraries that are already present, such as `psr/http-client`, `firebase/php-jwt` and `league/flysystem`.
</Warning>

## Themes

Themes use the same file with two differences: `type` is `aikeedo-theme`, and `extra.entry-class` is optional, since a theme can be templates only. `extra.status` has no effect for themes, because the active theme is the one selected in the admin panel. See the [theme manifest](/development/themes/manifest).

## Validation checklist

<div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>The directory path matches `name`.</span></div>
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>`type` is `aikeedo-plugin`.</span></div>
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>`require` includes `heyaikeedo/composer`.</span></div>
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>`extra.entry-class` points at a class that implements `PluginInterface`.</span></div>
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>`autoload.psr-4` maps that namespace to `src/`.</span></div>
  <div className="flex gap-2 items-start"><span className="flex h-[1lh] shrink-0 items-center"><Icon icon="square-rounded-check" size="18" /></span><span>`version` is set and increases with each release.</span></div>
</div>

## Related

* [Lifecycle and hooks](/development/plugins/lifecycle-and-hooks)
* [Public assets](/development/plugins/public-assets)
* [Packaging and distribution](/development/plugins/packaging-and-distribution)