Plugins

​

What are Plugins?

​

Plugin Capabilities

​

What Plugins Can Do

• Hook into message posting and editing lifecycle
• Create custom API endpoints
• Store data in plugin-specific databases
• Schedule background jobs and recurring tasks
• Intercept and modify messages before posting
• Add custom authentication methods
• Integrate with external services securely

• Add custom UI components and panels
• Modify the channel header and post dropdowns
• Create custom right-hand sidebar panels
• Add buttons to the channel interface
• Override existing UI behaviors
• Add custom routes and pages
• Style components with custom CSS

• Full access to Mattermost REST API
• Read and write posts, channels, users
• Manage team and channel memberships
• Access file storage
• Send WebSocket events to clients
• Create and manage bot accounts

​

Popular Plugins

​

Communication & Collaboration

• Voice calls and screen sharing
• Video conferencing within channels
• Recording and transcription
• Call notifications and presence

• Export channel messages to various formats
• Compliance and archival
• Data portability

• Start Zoom meetings from Mattermost
• Meeting notifications in channels
• Calendar integration

​

Development & DevOps

• Repository subscriptions
• Pull request and issue notifications
• Code review workflows
• Slash commands for GitHub actions
• Two-way synchronization

• Merge request notifications
• Pipeline status updates
• Issue tracking
• Slash commands for GitLab

• Issue creation and updates
• JQL subscriptions
• Webhook notifications
• Transition issues from chat

• Build notifications
• Trigger builds from chat
• Build parameter input
• Test result summaries

​

Productivity

• Task management within Mattermost
• Create todos from messages
• Daily reminders
• Team task visibility

• Meeting agenda management
• Action item tracking
• Meeting notes in channels

• Create polls in channels
• Real-time voting results
• Anonymous voting options
• Single and multiple choice

​

AI & Automation

• ChatGPT integration
• Thread summarization
• Message assistance and drafting
• Custom AI prompts
• Multiple LLM support

• Incident response workflows
• Runbook automation
• Task checklists and assignments
• Retrospectives and analytics
• Custom workflows for any process

• Visual workflow builder
• Automation triggers and actions
• Scheduled workflows
• External integrations

​

Installing Plugins

​

From the Marketplace

1. Navigate to Product menu → Marketplace
2. Browse available plugins
3. Click Install on desired plugin
4. Configure plugin settings
5. Enable the plugin

​

Manual Installation

1. Download plugin .tar.gz file
2. Navigate to System Console → Plugins → Plugin Management
3. Click Upload Plugin
4. Select the downloaded file
5. Configure and enable the plugin

# Alternative: CLI installation
mmctl plugin add plugin-file.tar.gz
mmctl plugin enable plugin-id

​

Prepackaged Plugins

• Calls - Voice and video calling
• Playbooks - Workflow automation
• NPS - User satisfaction surveys

​

Plugin Configuration

​

Plugin Settings

1. Navigate to System Console → Plugins
2. Find the plugin in the installed list
3. Click Settings
4. Configure plugin-specific options:
   • API credentials
   • Webhook URLs
   • Feature toggles
   • Permission settings
   • Bot account configuration

​

Plugin States

// From source code
type PluginState struct {
    Enable bool  // Plugin enabled/disabled
}

// Plugin activation states
- Available: Installed but not enabled
- Enabled: Configured to run but may not be active
- Active: Currently running
- Error: Failed to activate (see logs)

PluginSettings:
  Enable: true
  PluginStates:
    com.mattermost.calls:
      Enable: true
    github:
      Enable: true

​

Plugin Permissions

• System Console Access: Which plugins can modify settings
• User Permissions: Who can interact with plugin features
• Channel Restrictions: Limit plugin functionality to specific channels
• API Access: Scope of API operations allowed

​

Plugin Architecture

​

Plugin Structure

plugin-name/
├── plugin.json          # Plugin manifest
├── server/              # Backend code (Go)
│   ├── plugin.go        # Main plugin file
│   ├── api.go           # API endpoints
│   └── hooks.go         # Event hooks
├── webapp/              # Frontend code (React/TypeScript)
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── index.tsx    # Main entry point
│   │   ├── components/  # UI components
│   │   └── actions.ts   # Redux actions
│   └── webpack.config.js
└── assets/              # Images, icons, etc.

​

Plugin Manifest

{
  "id": "com.example.plugin",
  "name": "Example Plugin",
  "description": "Does something useful",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "min_server_version": "7.0.0",
  "server": {
    "executable": "server/plugin.exe"
  },
  "webapp": {
    "bundle_path": "webapp/dist/main.js"
  },
  "settings_schema": {
    "settings": [
      {
        "key": "ApiToken",
        "display_name": "API Token",
        "type": "text",
        "help_text": "Enter your API token"
      }
    ]
  }
}

​

Plugin Hooks

• MessageWillBePosted - Intercept before posting
• MessageWillBeUpdated - Intercept before editing
• MessageHasBeenPosted - React after posting
• MessageHasBeenUpdated - React after editing

• UserHasBeenCreated - New user created
• UserHasLoggedIn - User logged in
• UserWillLogIn - Before login completes

• ChannelHasBeenCreated - New channel created
• UserHasJoinedChannel - User joined channel
• UserHasLeftChannel - User left channel

func (p *Plugin) MessageWillBePosted(c *plugin.Context, post *model.Post) (*model.Post, string) {
    // Modify post before it's saved
    if strings.Contains(post.Message, "urgent") {
        post.Props["priority"] = "high"
    }
    return post, ""
}

​

Plugin Management

​

Enabling/Disabling Plugins

1. Navigate to System Console → Plugins → Plugin Management
2. Find plugin in list
3. Toggle Enable Plugin switch
4. Plugin activates immediately (no restart required)

PluginSettings:
  Enable: true
  PluginStates:
    plugin-id:
      Enable: false  # Disable specific plugin

​

Updating Plugins

1. Marketplace shows update notifications
2. Click Update next to plugin
3. Plugin updates automatically
4. Restart if required (rare)

1. Download new version
2. Upload via Plugin Management
3. Old version is replaced
4. Configuration preserved

​

Uninstalling Plugins

1. Disable the plugin first
2. Click Remove in Plugin Management
3. Confirm deletion
4. Plugin files deleted
5. Configuration data can be preserved or deleted

​

Plugin Health and Monitoring

​

Plugin Status

# Check plugin status via CLI
mmctl plugin list

# Output shows:
# - Plugin ID
# - Version
# - Status (Enabled/Disabled/Error)

• ✅ Active: Running normally
• ⚠️ Error: Failed to start (check logs)
• ⏸️ Disabled: Intentionally turned off
• 🔄 Updating: Update in progress

​

Plugin Logs

# Server logs include plugin messages
tail -f mattermost.log | grep "plugin_id"

# Common log patterns:
[INFO] Plugin activated successfully
[ERROR] Plugin failed to initialize: connection timeout
[WARN] Plugin API call rate limited

​

Health Checks

func (p *Plugin) GetPluginHealthCheck() error {
    // Return nil if healthy, error if not
    if p.apiClient == nil {
        return errors.New("API client not initialized")
    }
    return nil
}

​

Plugin Performance

​

Resource Usage

• CPU: Processing hooks and background jobs
• Memory: Storing state and caching data
• Network: External API calls
• Database: Plugin-specific data storage

​

Performance Best Practices

1. Async Processing: Don’t block message posting
2. Caching: Cache external API responses
3. Rate Limiting: Respect external API limits
4. Batch Operations: Combine multiple operations
5. Cleanup: Remove old data regularly

​

Plugin Sandboxing

• Separate from main server process
• Crashes don’t affect Mattermost
• Configurable memory and CPU limits
• Automatic restart on failure

​

Developing Plugins

​

Plugin SDK

import "github.com/mattermost/mattermost/server/public/plugin"

type Plugin struct {
    plugin.MattermostPlugin
}

func (p *Plugin) OnActivate() error {
    // Plugin initialization
    return nil
}

import {Store, Action} from 'mattermost-redux/types/actions';

export default class Plugin {
    initialize(registry: any, store: Store) {
        // Register UI components
        registry.registerRightHandSidebarComponent(
            CustomSidebar,
            'Custom Panel'
        );
    }
}

​

Plugin Template

git clone https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost-plugin-starter-template
cd mattermost-plugin-starter-template
make

​

Plugin API

// Create a post
post := &model.Post{
    UserId:    "user-id",
    ChannelId: "channel-id",
    Message:   "Hello from plugin!",
}
p.API.CreatePost(post)

// Get user
user, err := p.API.GetUser("user-id")

// Store data
p.API.KVSet("key", []byte("value"))
data, err := p.API.KVGet("key")

​

Plugin Security

​

Security Considerations

1. Code Review: Review plugin code before installation
2. Trusted Sources: Only install from Marketplace or trusted developers
3. Permissions: Limit plugin access to necessary APIs
4. Updates: Keep plugins updated for security fixes
5. Monitoring: Watch for unusual plugin behavior

​

Plugin Signatures

• Marketplace plugins are signed by Mattermost
• Signature verification prevents tampering
• Can require signed plugins via configuration

PluginSettings:
  RequirePluginSignature: true

​

Plugin Isolation

• Run in separate processes
• Limited file system access
• API permissions enforced
• Network access controllable

​

Plugin Ecosystem

​

Marketplace

• Categories: DevOps, Productivity, AI, Communication
• Filters: Free/Paid, Cloud/Self-hosted compatible
• Ratings: Community reviews and ratings
• Support: Official and community support

​

Community Plugins

• GitHub: github.com/mattermost-community
• Forum: forum.mattermost.com
• Integrations directory: integrations.mattermost.com

​

Custom Development

1. Identify need: Feature or integration required
2. Design: Plan UI and functionality
3. Develop: Use plugin SDK and template
4. Test: Validate on test instance
5. Deploy: Install on production
6. Maintain: Update and monitor

​

Related Features

• Integrations - Webhooks and slash commands
• Workflows - Automation with Playbooks
• Calls - Voice and video powered by plugin
• Messaging - Core messaging features