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Three defects, all found on printedparts_label_prefix, all one root cause: nothing in the framework knew that setting existed. The parts kiosk runs logged out. An unauthenticated read of a setting is limited to an allowlist, the key was not on it, so the kiosk got a 404 and fell back to no prefix. An admin previewing the same page while logged in saw the prefix, which is why it looked like it worked. The same setting also looked like it would not save. The row did not exist on a site that installed the plugin before the setting was added, so the first save created it - under the placeholder category the settings API uses for keys it does not recognise, where the plugin's settings page, which lists by category, could no longer see it. The value was in the database the whole time. And the row was missing in the first place because seeding ran from on_install / on_enable, which fire only on a state transition. Neither runs again on an upgrade, so a setting added in a later plugin version never reached a site that installed an earlier one. The comment claiming enable ran every upgrade cycle was simply wrong. A plugin now declares the settings it owns in get_settings_defaults(): key, default, type, category, description, and whether a logged-out page may read it. The framework seeds declared keys at install, at enable, and on every flask plugin upgrade-all; files a first-time write under the declared category; re-homes any row left in the placeholder category, value untouched; and answers an anonymous read for keys marked public. Core carries no list of any plugin's keys. Contract 0.16.0 (additive optional hook). printedparts and printers move to the hook and floor their core_version at 0.16.0. The dev database had two rows in the misfiled state (printedparts_alert_email, employee_db_host); the first repairs itself on the next upgrade pass.
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Path to contract 1.0
This page is an honest read of how stable the plugin contract is today, for a sister site deciding how much to build on it. It is derived from the ADRs and the live code, not aspiration. The authoritative hook reference is PLUGIN-HOOKS.md; the versioning rules are in ADR-002.
Current version
The plugin contract is at 0.16.0, declared in shopdb/__init__.py as
__contract_version__. It is pre-1.0, which under semver means any 0.x minor
bump is allowed to break the contract, and this project has used that latitude.
The product release version (__version__, currently 0.7.0) is a separate
series with its own bump rules; see ADR-007.
Do not pin against it for compatibility - pin against __contract_version__.
0.x history
Recorded in the comment block in shopdb/__init__.py:
| Version | Change | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3.0 | shopdb.api expanded to the full plugin import surface (db, cache, model bases, core models, response + pagination helpers, employee_connection) so plugins stop importing internal core paths |
additive (minor) |
| 0.4.0 | Removed the never-implemented get_searchable_fields hook (search is a core concern over the asset model) and wired get_dashboard_widgets to a real consumer (/api/dashboard/widgets) |
pre-1.0 contract reduction |
| 0.6.0 | Added the get_reports hook, consumed by GET /api/reports to merge plugin report cards into the Reports hub |
additive optional hook (minor) |
| 0.7.0 | Added the four ADR-010 frontend-contribution hooks (get_settings_cards, get_asset_panels, get_map_overlays, get_asset_presentation), consumed by the GET /api/pluginui/* endpoints |
additive optional hooks (minor) |
| 0.9.0 | Exposed the dualpath pair-resolution helpers on shopdb.api for the machines plugin |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.10.0 | Added the get_permissions hook so plugins declare their own RBAC permissions; the catalog is resolved dynamically from core + enabled plugins |
additive optional hook (minor) |
| 0.11.0 | Added service_token_authorized(scope) to shopdb.api so a plugin's unattended endpoints (e.g. the GE-Enforce fetch API) can authorize a scoped managed service token without importing core token internals |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.12.0 | Added the mailer helpers (send_email, send_alert) to shopdb.api |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.13.0 | Added the User model to the shopdb.api surface |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.14.0 | Added send_webhook to the shopdb.api surface |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.15.0 | Added authorized_service_token / the SupportTeam model to the shopdb.api surface |
additive surface (minor) |
| 0.16.0 | Added the get_settings_defaults hook so a plugin declares the Setting rows it owns; the framework seeds them at install, at enable, and on flask plugin upgrade-all, files a first-time write under the declared category, and honours public: True for pages that render before login |
additive optional hook (minor) |
The source comment block documents 0.3.0, 0.4.0, 0.6.0, 0.7.0, 0.9.0, 0.10.0, 0.11.0, and
0.16.0; 0.12.0 through 0.15.0 are recorded in this table only. Earlier points
(0.1.x / 0.2.x) predate that recorded rationale; PluginMeta's fallback
core_version default of >=0.2.0,<1.0.0 is the only remaining trace of the
0.2 baseline.
Settled surface
These are unlikely to break before 1.0. A plugin can depend on them with reasonable confidence; a breaking change to any would be a major bump and would land with a new or amended ADR.
| Surface | What it is |
|---|---|
meta / manifest schema |
PluginMeta fields and manifest.json (ADR-002 single source of truth) |
get_blueprint |
Flask Blueprint registration at the manifest api_prefix |
get_models |
SQLAlchemy model classes the plugin owns |
init_app |
Custom init after blueprint + models are known |
get_cli_commands |
Click commands added to the Flask CLI |
get_services |
Named service classes, consumed by plugin_manager.get_service |
| Lifecycle hooks | on_install, on_uninstall, on_enable, on_disable |
get_navigation_items |
Sidebar menu entries |
get_dashboard_widgets |
Dashboard widgets, consumed by /api/dashboard/widgets |
get_reports |
Report cards, consumed by /api/reports (added 0.6.0) |
get_permissions |
Plugin RBAC permissions, merged into the catalog for roles and token scopes (added 0.10.0) |
| Frontend-contribution hooks | get_settings_cards, get_asset_panels, get_map_overlays, get_asset_presentation, consumed by /api/pluginui/* (added 0.7.0, ADR-010) |
| Collector pair | get_collector_schema + apply_collector_payload per ADR-006 |
| Settings helpers | get_setting / set_setting, namespaced to the plugin |
get_provisioning_note |
Setup-wizard transparency note for extra tables |
get_config_schema |
Setup-wizard config field declarations |
shopdb.api import surface |
The only core module plugins may import (plus shopdb.plugins.base); adding a name is minor, removing one is major |
The asset model itself - Asset, AssetType, AssetStatus,
AssetRelationship, and the shared reference models - is the platform contract
locked in ADR-001.
Expected churn before 1.0
Known-unstable areas. Building on these means expecting rework.
| Area | Status | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend renderers (residual) | The four data-only hooks and their /api/pluginui/* consumers are settled (0.7.0). The generic core renderers are landing incrementally: the settings-cards rail/landing renderer ships with 0.7.0; the asset-panel, map-overlay, and search-presentation renderers are wired opt-in per the ADR adoption plan. Real component-backed panels (bespoke charts, custom overlays) remain deferred to Option C (build-time glob discovery). |
ADR-010 (ACCEPTED) |
| Per-plugin migrations | Brand new. The per-plugin Alembic engine exists and every bundled plugin now carries a chain, but the pattern has one release of production mileage, not years. | ADR-008 (2026-07-10) |
| Pip distribution | Deferred to v2. External plugins install by clone / submodule / symlink; there is no entry-point discovery and no automatic update path yet. | ADR-003 |
Bump rules
From ADR-002, applied to __contract_version__:
| Bump | Trigger |
|---|---|
| major | Breaking change to the BasePlugin ABC, the PluginMeta schema, or any model in the platform contract (Asset, AssetType, AssetStatus, AssetRelationship, Vendor, Location, BusinessUnit, Model, OperatingSystem). Removing a name from shopdb.api is major. |
| minor | Additive change: a new optional hook, a new field on a contract model with a default, a new name added to shopdb.api. |
| patch | Bug fix with no change to the contract surface. |
Deprecation policy
ADR-002 defines the bump classification above but is silent on any
deprecation window or notice period for pre-1.0 removals. In practice a removal
is simply a major (or, pre-1.0, a breaking minor) bump: the hook or name is
gone, and the loader fails loud in dev or excludes the mismatched plugin in prod
(see the load-time table in PLUGIN-EXTERNAL-REPO.md).
Because the ADR says nothing about a grace period, this document proposes none;
the honest guidance for sister sites is the mitigation that already exists - pin
a tight core_version range and re-test before widening it.
Criteria for declaring 1.0
Provisional. This is the maintainer's working list, not a committed checklist,
and it will move. ADR-002's own open question ("When does the framework declare
1.0.0?") ties 1.0 to the Machine retirement from ADR-001 and the framework
being "ready for sister sites"; the items below expand that intent.
- Frontend hook contract defined via its own ADR (asset-detail panels, map markers, search results), closing the biggest churn item above.
Machine/ legacy-model retirement complete per ADR-001, so the asset model is the only contract.- At least two external plugins running in production at a second site - the bar ADR-003 already sets before pip distribution and sister-site readiness are considered justified.
- The per-plugin migration pattern (ADR-008) proven across real upgrades, not just fresh installs.
- No contract bump needed for N consecutive product releases (N to be fixed when the list is firmed up), showing the surface has actually settled.
Until then: pre-1.0, pin tight, re-test on every framework bump.