# Plugin User Guide

Plugins are extensions to MCVM that add new functionality. They can add new subcommands, support extra modloaders, and more. They allow MCVM to be modular and only include the features you need, keeping it less bloated and making it easier to maintain.

Plugins work as arbitrary programs that run on your system. Malicious plugins can gain unauthorized access to your computer, steal personal information or account details, or damage files. Protect yourself by only downloading verified plugins from the plugin install command, and never interact with files from someone you don't trust.

Use the mcvm plugin browse command to see a list of available plugins. Then, you can run mcvm plugin install {plugin} to install the plugin you want.

If you have plugin files you are sure you can trust, first locate the plugins directory under your MCVM data directory. If the plugin is one file with the .json extension, you can simply move it to that folder. If it is a .zip file, extract the file into the plugins directory, ensuring that there is a directory named after the plugin and it has a file named plugin.json directly inside, and not under any subfolders after that.

Whichever installation method you use, you must now enable the plugin in your configuration. MCVM should have created a file in your config directory named plugins.json. You can edit it with the mcvm config edit-plugins command. Add the name of the plugin you just installed like so:

{
	"plugins": [
		"plugin_name"
	]
}

Now, run the mcvm plugin list command to see the list of plugins, and the one you just added should be in the list and marked as "Loaded".

Plugins can be configured to change their behavior. Most of their configuration is specific to the plugin, and you will have to check with their documentation to see how it is formatted. To configure a plugin, simply replace the "plugin_name" in the plugin list in your config with:

{
	"id": "plugin_name",
	"custom_config": {}
}

If you don't want to have the features of a plugin anymore, but still want to keep it installed, you can either remove it from the plugin list entirely or add it to the list of disabled_plugins in your plugin config.