Plugin Manifest Reference

The manifest.json file defines your plugin’s metadata, configuration, permissions, and integration with NetPad’s modern node system. This page details every field, validation rule, and best practice for authoring a manifest.

Example manifest.json

{
  "name": "my-custom-node",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "displayName": "My Custom Node",
  "description": "A custom node for my workflow",
  "author": "developer@company.com",
  "license": "MIT",
  "keywords": ["api", "integration", "custom"],
  "category": "integration",
  "scope": "private",
  "permissions": {
    "network": ["api.example.com"],
    "environment": ["NODE_ENV"],
    "files": []
  },
  "nodeConfig": {
    "gradientColors": ["#FF5722", "#FF8A65"],
    "primaryColor": "#FF5722",
    "badgeText": "CUSTOM",
    "description": "Custom integration node",
    "category": "integration"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "axios": "^1.0.0"
  },
  "files": {
    "runner": "./runner.js",
    "shape": "./shape.js",
    "icon": "./icon.svg"
  }
}

Manifest Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`name`	string	Yes	Plugin identifier (kebab-case, unique)
`version`	string	Yes	Semantic version (e.g. `1.0.0`)
`displayName`	string	Yes	Human-readable name
`description`	string	Yes	Short description
`author`	string	Yes	Author email
`license`	string	No	License type (default: MIT)
`keywords`	string[]	No	Search keywords
`category`	string	Yes	Plugin category (see below)
`scope`	string	Yes	`private`, `org`, or `public`
`permissions`	object	No	Security permissions (see below)
`nodeConfig`	object	Yes	Visual config for ModernNodeBase
`dependencies`	object	No	NPM dependencies
`files`	object	Yes	File paths for runner, shape, icon
`homepage`	string	No	Plugin homepage URL
`repository`	string	No	Source repository URL
`engine`	object	No	NetPad version requirements

Permissions

Declare what your plugin needs:

network: List of allowed domains for HTTP/API access
environment: List of allowed environment variables
files: List of allowed file paths
database: Database access (future)
external_api: External API calls (future)

Example:

"permissions": {
  "network": ["api.example.com"],
  "environment": ["NODE_ENV"],
  "files": []
}

nodeConfig (Visuals)

Configure your node’s appearance in the NetPad editor:

gradientColors: Array of two hex colors for background
primaryColor: Main accent color
badgeText: Short badge label (max 10 chars)
description: Node description
category: Node category

Example:

"nodeConfig": {
  "gradientColors": ["#FF5722", "#FF8A65"],
  "primaryColor": "#FF5722",
  "badgeText": "CUSTOM",
  "description": "Custom integration node",
  "category": "integration"
}

files

runner: Main logic file (required)
shape: Node shape/visual (required)
icon: SVG icon (required)

Validation Rules

All required fields must be present
name must be kebab-case, unique, and not reserved
version must follow semantic versioning
category and scope must be valid values
permissions must only declare allowed keys
nodeConfig.gradientColors must be two valid hex colors
badgeText should be ≤ 10 characters