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feat: add squad plugin install <owner/repo> CLI command for flat extensions #972
Description
Problem
The plugin marketplace docs (Building Extensions, Extensibility Guide) describe installing extensions with:
squad plugin install github/my-org/my-extension
But the CLI only supports squad plugin marketplace add|remove|list|browse — there is no install subcommand. This makes it impossible to install an extension into a repo via the CLI.
Current workaround
Manually clone the extension repo and copy .md files into the target repo's .squad/skills/, .squad/ceremonies/, and .squad/directives/ directories.
Expected behavior
A command like:
squad plugin install <owner/repo>Should:
- Clone or fetch the extension repo
- Detect the extension structure (skills/, ceremonies/, directives/ at root)
- Copy the
.mdfiles into the target repo's.squad/subdirectories - Log what was installed
Additional context
- Extensions like github-squad-workflows follow the flat extension structure (
skills/,ceremonies/,directives/at root) as documented in the Building Extensions guide. - The
browsecommand treats top-level directories as individual plugins, which does not work well for flat extensions — it showsskills,ceremonies,directivesas plugin names instead of meaningful entries. - Squad version: 0.9.1-build.5
Proposal
- Add
squad plugin install <owner/repo>as a CLI command - Support flat extension repos (skills/ceremonies/directives at root) in addition to marketplace-style repos (plugin subdirectories)
- Optionally track installed extensions in
.squad/plugins/installed.jsonfor upgrade/remove support
Activity
feat(plugin): add squad plugin install <repo> command
Scribe: Merge decisions inbox, append EECOM plugin work
tamirdresher commentedon Apr 25, 2026
Hey — just wanted to flag that the Copilot CLI now ships with a native plugin system (
copilot plugin install) that handles a lot of what this proposes:plugin.jsonmanifest bundles agents, skills, hooks, MCP servers, LSP serversgithub/copilot-plugins,github/awesome-copilot)This means Squad might not need its own
squad plugin installat all — it could define Squad-specific plugin conventions on top of the CLI format. Community contributions would be standard CLI plugins that happen to follow Squad conventions.I wrote up a more detailed proposal in #1037 with specific architecture recommendations. Worth considering before building a parallel plugin mechanism.
bradygaster commentedon Jun 9, 2026
Hi @sabbour — this is now tracked as part of #1070 (Plugin installer, lock file, and rollback). Closing here to consolidate.