chapterEditorCLI: Quick Start Guide for Writers

chapterEditorCLI Plugins & Integrations: Extend Your Writing Toolchain

What it is

A plugins & integrations system lets chapterEditorCLI extend core functionality (formatting, linting, export) and connect with external tools (version control, CI, cloud storage, editors, converters).

Key plugin types

• Formatters: auto-format chapters to Markdown, LaTeX, or custom templates.
• Linters / style guides: enforce consistency (spelling, grammar, style rules, section order).
• Exporters: convert chapters to EPUB, PDF, HTML, or manuscript submission formats.
• Sync / storage: integrate with Git, Dropbox, Google Drive, or S3 for backups and collaboration.
• Editor integrations: connect with VS Code, Neovim, and CLI editors for in-place editing and command palettes.
• CI / automation: run builds, tests, and pre-publish checks in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or local hooks.
• Collaboration: integrate with review tools or comment systems (e.g., PR comments, review boards).
• Analytics / metadata: collect readability metrics, word counts, chapter-level metadata, and change history.

How plugins are structured (recommended)

• Plugin manifest (name, version, commands, hooks, config schema).
• Command entry points (CLI subcommands).
• Hook types: pre-save, post-save, pre-export, post-export, pre-commit.
• Config file (YAML/JSON) in project root to enable/disable plugins and set options.
• Sandboxed execution to avoid crashing the core CLI.

Example workflows

1. Local writing + Git: Auto-lint on save → commit hooks run tests → GitHub Actions export EPUB on push.
2. Collaborative editing: Chapters saved to S3 → webhook triggers CI to build proof PDFs → reviewers attach comments to PR.
3. Publishing pipeline: Convert Markdown → apply publisher template plugin → upload to submission API.

Example plugin manifest (YAML)

yaml
Copy CodeCopied
name: chapter-wordcount version: 1.0.0 description: Adds per-chapter and book-level word counts. commands:
- name: wordcount     args: [--json, --min-length]
hooks:
  - pre-export config:
  show_progress: true
  exclude_sections: [“appendix”]

Best practices for plugin developers

• Provide clear docs and examples.
• Use semantic versioning and compatibility tags.
• Make configuration minimal with sane defaults.
• Expose both CLI and programmatic APIs.
• Keep plugins focused and composable.
• Test plugins in sandboxed environments and CI.

Security & performance

• Run untrusted plugins in read-only or restricted environments.
• Limit network access unless explicitly allowed.
• Cache expensive operations and allow opt-out.
• Monitor plugin resource usage and provide timeout settings.

Recommendations for users

• Start with official or well-rated plugins for core tasks (formatting, export).
• Use CI to enforce plugin-driven checks before publishing.
• Keep plugin list small and purpose-driven to reduce complexity.
• Backup config and lock plugin versions for reproducible builds.

If you want, I can draft a plugin manifest and example implementation for a specific integration (e.g., GitHub Actions exporter or VS Code extension).