# Writing a third-party Adom Desktop bridge

> **Public version of this guide:** [`apps/adom-desktop-bridges` on the Adom Wiki](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/wiki/apps/adom-desktop-bridges). The wiki page is the canonical user-facing copy and is what the GUI's "+ Bridge" install modal links to (the adom-inc GitHub repo is private). When you update this file with breaking schema changes or new lifecycle commands, also republish the wiki page via `adom-wiki page edit apps/adom-desktop-bridges --field content --body-md <this file>`.

v1.8.0+ supports dynamic bridges: any zip with a `bridge.json` at its root can be installed via `adom-desktop bridge_install --manifestUrl <wiki-or-github-url>`. This lets community authors ship bridges for Altium, MATLAB, Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscopes, Keysight, OrCAD, anything — without coordinating with the Adom Desktop release cycle.

## Try it now — the `hello-python` and `hello-rust` sample bridges

Two parallel reference bridges are hosted on the Adom Wiki, one per language. Both expose the same two verbs (`*_ping` / `*_echo`) under different prefixes (`hellopy_` / `hellors_`), so they can be installed simultaneously for a side-by-side demo. Both use `port: 0` (dynamic OS-assigned ports — v1.8.31+) so no collision is possible.

| Flavor | Manifest URL | Verb prefix | Port | When to fork |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Python** (stdlib only, ~80 lines) | `…/hello-python-bridge-manifest.json` | `hellopy_` | 8890 | Vendor has Python bindings, fast dev iter, I/O-bound work |
| **Rust** (`tiny_http` + serde, single static binary, ~120 lines) | `…/hello-rust-bridge-manifest.json` | `hellors_` | 8891 | No Python runtime on user's machine, CPU-bound, type safety |

Both manifest URLs are under `https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/static/apps/adom-desktop/`.

### Install from the GUI

1. Click **+ Bridge** in Adom Desktop's bridge bar
2. Paste one (or both) of the manifest URLs into the dialog, click **Install**
3. New chips appear ~2 seconds later with a small ✦ marker (third-party indicator)

### Install both from the CLI

```bash
# Install the Python flavor
adom-desktop bridge_install '{"manifestUrl":"https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/static/apps/adom-desktop/hello-python-bridge-manifest.json"}'
adom-desktop hellopy_ping
# → {"success":true,"output":"Hello from the Python sample bridge v1.1.0!","language":"python",...}

# Install the Rust flavor (can coexist with hello-python)
adom-desktop bridge_install '{"manifestUrl":"https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/static/apps/adom-desktop/hello-rust-bridge-manifest.json"}'
adom-desktop hellors_ping
# → {"success":true,"output":"Hello from the Rust sample bridge v1.1.0!","language":"rust",...}

# Echo through both
adom-desktop hellopy_echo '{"message":"world"}'
# → {"success":true,"output":"echo (python): world",...}
adom-desktop hellors_echo '{"message":"world"}'
# → {"success":true,"output":"echo (rust): world",...}

# Both appear in bridge_list
adom-desktop bridge_list
# → bundled three + "hello-python" + "hello-rust"
```

### Uninstall

```bash
adom-desktop bridge_uninstall '{"name":"hello-python"}'
adom-desktop bridge_uninstall '{"name":"hello-rust"}'
```

Each bridge's cache dir + registry entry are removed; the chips disappear from the bar.

The sources live at:
- [`scripts/sample-bridges/hello-python/`](https://github.com/adom-inc/adom-desktop/tree/main/scripts/sample-bridges/hello-python) — `bridge.json` + `server.py` (~120 lines of `http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler`)
- [`scripts/sample-bridges/hello-rust/`](https://github.com/adom-inc/adom-desktop/tree/main/scripts/sample-bridges/hello-rust) — `bridge.json` + `Cargo.toml` + `src/main.rs` (~140 lines of `tiny_http`) + pre-built `hello-rust.exe` (~300 KB)

Fork whichever flavor matches your target's natural ecosystem.

## Directory layout

```
my-bridge/
├── bridge.json         ← REQUIRED — schema below
├── BRIDGE_VERSION      ← optional, semver line (kept in sync with bridge.json's version field)
├── server.py           ← or server.js, or my-bridge.exe — your bridge's entrypoint
├── handlers/           ← your code
│   ├── ...
└── README.md           ← optional, recommended
```

## `bridge.json` schema

```json
{
  "manifest_version": 1,
  "name": "altium",
  "displayName": "Altium Designer",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "One-line description shown in bridge_list output.",
  "homepage": "https://github.com/your-org/adom-bridge-altium",
  "author": "Your Org",
  "license": "MIT",
  "spawn": {
    "kind": "python",
    "entrypoint": "server.py",
    "port": 0,
    "healthEndpoint": "/status",
    "stopMethod": "kill",
    "killImageName": "python.exe"
  },
  "verbPrefixes": ["altium_"],
  "verbs": [
    "altium_open_project",
    "altium_export_step",
    "altium_run_drc"
  ],
  "dependencies": {
    "python": ">=3.11",
    "altium-designer": ">=24"
  },
  "category": "EDA",
  "tags": ["pcb", "altium", "commercial"]
}
```

### Field reference

- **`name`** (required, lowercase, no spaces). The directory name + cache key. Must be unique across the registry.
- **`displayName`** — human-friendly shown in `bridge_list` + future GUI bridge panel.
- **`version`** (required, semver). Each ship bumps this.
- **`spawn.kind`** — `python` | `node` | `exe`. Determines how Adom Desktop launches the bridge.
    - `python` → Adom Desktop finds Python in PATH and runs `python <entrypoint> --port <port>`. Good when the vendor's SDK has Python bindings.
    - `node` → Adom Desktop finds Node in PATH and runs `node <entrypoint> --port <port>`. Good for ecosystem reuse (Puppeteer, Playwright, etc.).
    - `exe` → Adom Desktop runs `<entrypoint> --port <port>` directly. The entrypoint must be a pre-built executable in the zip. Good for Rust, Go, .NET single-file builds, etc. — no runtime install required on the user's machine.
- **`spawn.entrypoint`** — relative path inside the bridge dir (e.g. `server.py`, `server.js`, `my-bridge.exe`).
- **`spawn.port`** — **set to `0`** (v1.8.31+ recommended). Adom Desktop picks an OS-assigned ephemeral port at spawn time and passes it to your `--port` arg. No collision possible between bridges. Hardcoded ports still work for back-compat but are deprecated — anything you pick will eventually collide with someone (Hydrogen Desktop's bridges already used 8772/8773/8851; static-port collisions are the #1 source of bridge "won't start" bugs). Bridge ports are internal plumbing — callers always route through `adom-desktop <prefix>_<verb>`, never reach a bridge directly.
- **`spawn.healthEndpoint`** — path Adom Desktop polls to confirm the bridge is alive (e.g. `/status`, `/health`). v1.8.31+ accepts a path-only fragment (recommended) and constructs the URL using the runtime port. Legacy full URLs (`http://127.0.0.1:8881/status`) still parse — the host+port get replaced at runtime.
- **`spawn.stopMethod`** — `kill` (process-handle Child::kill, NOT `taskkill /im` — that would nuke ALL Pythons on the box), `sigterm` (graceful), or `graceful_endpoint` (POST to an endpoint).
- **`spawn.killImageName`** — legacy field, only used if Adom Desktop falls back to image-name kill. With v1.8.31's dynamic ports + process-handle kill this is rarely needed. Set to your process name for safety (`python.exe` / `node.exe` / your binary name).
- **`verbPrefixes`** — list of CLI verb prefixes this bridge owns (e.g. `["altium_"]`). All `altium_*` verbs route here.
- **`verbs`** — explicit verb list. Used in `bridge_list` to advertise capabilities; doesn't affect routing.

## Packaging + shipping

Use the same `scripts/release-bridge.sh` flow Adom Desktop uses for its own bridges. Adapted for third parties:

```bash
# In your bridge repo:
python3 -c "
import zipfile, os, fnmatch
EXCLUDE = ['*/__pycache__/*', '*.pyc', '.history/*', '*/node_modules/*']
with zipfile.ZipFile('my-bridge-v1.0.0.zip', 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zf:
    for root, dirs, files in os.walk('.'):
        for f in files:
            rel = os.path.relpath(os.path.join(root, f), '.')
            if any(fnmatch.fnmatch(rel.replace(os.sep, '/'), g) for g in EXCLUDE):
                continue
            zf.write(os.path.join(root, f), rel)
"

# Compute SHA256 of the zip
sha256sum my-bridge-v1.0.0.zip

# Write the manifest the GUI polls
cat > my-bridge-manifest.json <<EOF
{
  "manifest_version": 1,
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "url": "https://your-host/my-bridge-v1.0.0.zip",
  "sha256": "<sha256 from above>",
  "size": <bytes>,
  "released_at": "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"
}
EOF
```

Host both files anywhere reachable by HTTPS — GitHub Pages, your own CDN, the Adom Wiki if you contribute to the official registry.

## Installing

Users install your bridge with one command:

```bash
adom-desktop bridge_install '{"manifestUrl":"https://your-host/my-bridge-manifest.json"}'
```

The GUI:
1. Fetches `my-bridge-manifest.json`
2. Downloads the referenced zip
3. SHA256-verifies against the manifest
4. Extracts to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Adom Desktop\bridges-cache\<name>\` (the `name` comes from your `bridge.json`)
5. Rescans the runtime registry — your bridge is now discoverable via `bridge_list`

The next CLI call to one of your `verbPrefixes` auto-spawns the bridge process.

## Updating

Bump `bridge.json`'s `version` + `BRIDGE_VERSION`, rebuild the zip, re-upload, update the manifest. Users:

```bash
adom-desktop refresh_bridges   # picks up new versions from manifest URLs they previously installed from
```

(Currently `refresh_bridges` only polls the three core wiki manifests. The follow-up work — tracking third-party manifest URLs in user state so they auto-refresh — lands in v1.8.x.)

## Lifecycle controls (from cloud Docker, or local GUI)

```bash
adom-desktop bridge_list                              # see everything
adom-desktop bridge_pause '{"name":"altium"}'         # stop routing verbs
adom-desktop bridge_resume '{"name":"altium"}'
adom-desktop bridge_uninstall '{"name":"altium"}'     # remove from cache
```

## Trust + security

For v1.8.0 the trust model is SHA256-verification of the wiki-hosted zip against the manifest. Bridges run with the user's privileges; install from sources you trust.

Future work (v1.9.0+):
- Optional Ed25519 signing of bridge zips with the Adom-Inc public key for "verified" status
- Per-bridge sandboxing (limited filesystem / network access declared in manifest `permissions` field)
- Community submission flow on the wiki so contributors don't need a GitHub account

## Reference implementations

Every bridge below has its own dedicated wiki page with hero, install/uninstall recipes, and a "fork this" walkthrough. The **[bridges registry](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-bridges-registry)** is the canonical directory — both humans browse it and the GUI's Browse tab parses it.

**Hello-world starter templates** — fork these for a 5-minute "does this thing work?" loop:
- **[hello-python](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-hello-python-bridge)**: `scripts/sample-bridges/hello-python/` — ~80 lines, stdlib only, `kind:python`
- **[hello-rust](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-hello-rust-bridge)**: `scripts/sample-bridges/hello-rust/` — ~140 lines, `tiny_http` + serde, `kind:exe`, single 300-KB static binary

**Adom-shipped bridges** — canonical full-complexity examples; fork their layout for a real vendor integration:
- **[kicad](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-kicad-bridge)**: `plugins/kicad/` — Python, complex, multi-instance (one bridge per KiCad GUI exe)
- **[puppeteer](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-puppeteer-bridge)**: `plugins/puppeteer/` — Node, single-instance, recording-capable
- **[fusion360](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-fusion-bridge)**: `plugins/fusion360/` — Python, simpler, command-passthrough to Fusion add-in

## Get listed

Once your bridge is stable, add it to the **[bridges registry](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-bridges-registry)** — that's the canonical machine-readable directory the GUI's Browse tab parses to discover what's installable. Two paths:

1. **PR-based** (preferred): open a PR against [`adom-inc/adom-desktop`](https://github.com/adom-inc/adom-desktop) adding your row to the "Community bridges" table in this file (`plugins/BRIDGES.md`). A maintainer mirrors it to the wiki on the next sync. See the registry page's [submission section](https://wiki-ufypy5dpx93o.adom.cloud/apps/adom-desktop-bridges-registry#how-to-submit-a-bridge) for the row format + review criteria.
2. **Direct wiki edit**: if you have an Adom account, `adom-wiki page edit apps/adom-desktop-bridges-registry --field content --body-md <patch>`. Maintainers review and either keep or revert.