> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://collabase.ch/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Collabase documentation. Interface labels are quoted in English, as they appear in the product.
> Features marked Enterprise need the Collabase Enterprise Edition licence.

# Build plugs

> A plug adds triggers and actions to Automation. Learn what a plug is made of, how it runs in the sandbox and the path from an empty folder to an installed plug.

A plug connects Automation to a system that the catalog does not cover: your ERP, an internal service, a supplier's API. It adds **triggers**, which start flows, and **actions**, which flows run as steps. Developers write plugs in TypeScript with the plug framework and upload them with the command line tool.

> [!NOTE]
>
> The Plug SDK, with its npm packages and the command line tool, is published from Q4 2026. See [Plug SDK](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plug-sdk.md).

## What a plug is made of

| Part | Purpose |
| - | - |
| **Plug definition** | The name, logo, authentication, actions and triggers. See [Plug definition](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/definition.md). |
| **Authentication** | What credentials the plug needs from a connection. See [Authentication](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/authentication.md). |
| **Actions** | Steps a flow can run. See [Actions](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/actions.md). |
| **Triggers** | Events that start a flow, by polling or by webhook. See [Triggers](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/triggers.md). |
| **Properties** | The inputs of an action or trigger. The editor draws a form from them. See [Properties](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/properties.md). |

## How a plug runs

A plug that Collabase did not write runs in the **sandbox service**, never in the application:

* Each call runs in a locked-down process with its own memory and time limits. A process that failed is discarded.
* The process has no route to your database or other internal services. It can reach the internet, and an address filter blocks private ranges.
* The process gets one token for one workspace and the connection of the step that is running. It never sees application secrets or the connections of another workspace.
* A step may run for up to 10 minutes.

## The path to a running plug

**1. Create the plug**

`collabase-plug init` creates a folder with a manifest and a sample action. See [Get started](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/get-started.md).

**2. Write actions and triggers**

Describe the inputs and write the code that calls the other system.

**3. Build and check**

`collabase-plug build` bundles the plug into one file and checks the licence of everything in it.

**4. Upload**

`collabase-plug publish` uploads the package to your instance. The instance checks it again and installs it. See [Publish and versions](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/publish.md).

**5. Use it in a flow**

The plug appears in the step list, marked as an own plug. Test an action, then build flows with it.

## Plugs from the catalog

You may not need to build anything. The catalog lists hundreds of core and community plugs that an administrator can install. See [Plugs](https://collabase.ch/docs/automation/plugs.md) and the [plug reference](https://collabase.ch/docs/automation/plug-reference.md).

## Related

* [Get started](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/get-started.md)
* [Plug definition](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/definition.md)
* [Test a plug](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/testing.md)
* [Limits of the sandbox](https://collabase.ch/docs/developer/plugs/sandbox.md)
* [Automation plugs administration](https://collabase.ch/docs/admin/automation-plugs.md)


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