@tabularis/create-plugin

Scaffold a new Tabularis database driver plugin in seconds.

npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest my-driver

(Works the same with pnpm create @tabularis/plugin@latest my-driver or yarn create @tabularis/plugin my-driver.)

What you get

A runnable Rust project with:

• manifest.json aligned with the Tabularis plugin schema.
• 33 JSON-RPC handlers pre-wired — metadata methods return empty arrays (plugin loads cleanly), query/CRUD/DDL methods return -32601 until you implement them.
• test_connection placeholder that returns success, so your driver appears in the connection picker immediately after just dev-install.
• Working utilities: quote_identifier, paginate — with unit tests — ready to use from your handlers.
• Cross-platform GitHub Actions release workflow for Linux x64/arm64, macOS x64/arm64, and Windows x64.
• Local REPL (just repl) for debugging without restarting Tabularis.
• Optional UI extension subworkspace (--with-ui) pre-configured with Vite IIFE + @tabularis/plugin-api.

Usage

npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest [--] [options] <name>

-- separates the package name from the flags so they reach the CLI instead of npm. If you prefer the direct form:

npx @tabularis/create-plugin [options] <name>

Options

| Flag | Values | Default | Purpose | |------|--------|---------|---------| | --db-type | network | file | folder | api | network | Shapes the connection form and capabilities | | --quote | " | ` | " | SQL identifier quote character | | --with-ui | boolean | off | Also scaffold a ui/ subworkspace using @tabularis/plugin-api | | --no-git | boolean | off | Skip git init | | --dir | path | ./<name> | Target directory |

Examples

# Network driver (host/port/user/pass connection form)
npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest my-pg-like

# File-based driver (SQLite, DuckDB shape)
npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest duckdb-clone -- --db-type=file

# API-based plugin (no connection form; public REST-ish data source)
npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest my-api -- --db-type=api

# With UI extension scaffold
npm create @tabularis/plugin@latest mine -- --with-ui

Next steps after scaffolding

cd my-driver
just dev-install              # builds and installs into ~/.local/share/tabularis/plugins/my-driver
# open Tabularis → your driver is in the connection picker

From there, fill in handlers in src/handlers/metadata.rs, then query.rs, then the rest. The generated README.md includes a feature-by-feature roadmap.

Layout of the generated project

my-driver/
├── Cargo.toml
├── manifest.json
├── README.md
├── justfile            # just build / test / dev-install / repl / lint / fmt
├── rust-toolchain.toml
├── .github/workflows/release.yml
└── src/
    ├── main.rs         # stdio JSON-RPC loop
    ├── rpc.rs          # method dispatch
    ├── client.rs       # TODO: your DB client
    ├── error.rs
    ├── models.rs
    ├── handlers/{metadata,query,crud,ddl}.rs
    ├── utils/{identifiers,pagination}.rs
    └── bin/test_plugin.rs

With --with-ui:

my-driver/ui/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── vite.config.ts
└── src/index.tsx     # defineSlot("data-grid.toolbar.actions", …)

Requirements

• Node 18.17 or newer.
• Rust stable (for building the generated plugin).
• just (optional but recommended — the generated justfile wraps the common tasks).

Related

• Plugin guide — authoritative reference for JSON-RPC methods, capabilities, slots.
• @tabularis/plugin-api — TypeScript types + hooks for UI extensions.
• Tabularis repo — the host app.

License

Apache-2.0