Plugins

Otter Shell loads extra bar widgets and launcher result providers as .so plugins. The otter-shell metapackage installs the examples (otter-shell-plugins) and the scaffold CLI (otter-plugin-factory). A loaded plugin is native code inside the bar or launcher. Only enable plugins you installed and trust.

Enable a plugin

Open otter-settings and go to the Plugins tab. Each installed plugin has a toggle. That writes ~/.config/otter-shell/plugins.conf:

hello-label_enabled = true
bar-search_enabled = true
snippet-provider_enabled = false

Bar and launcher read this file before loading plugins. Most plugins stay enabled when their key is missing. snippet-provider is opt-in and stays off until you set snippet-provider_enabled = true.

Put it on the bar

Layout names always use plugin:<id>. The id is the id field in plugin.conf, not the package name. In otter-settings, drag an enabled plugin chip into the bar layout. Or edit otter-bar.conf:

layout_right = plugin:disk-free, tray, clock, battery, button_menu
layout_center = plugin:bar-search

See otter-bar.

Example plugins

These land under /usr/lib/otter-shell/plugins/<id>/ with otter-shell-plugins:

Layout name	Host	What it does
`plugin:hello-label`	bar	Small chip. Click toggles the label between Hello and Clicked.
`plugin:bar-search`	bar	Search field on the bar. Enter or blur opens otter-launcher with that query.
`plugin:cmd-watch`	bar	Runs a command on an interval and shows the output.
`plugin:disk-free`	bar	Free space from `statfs`, plus a usage bar.
`plugin:idle-inhibit`	bar	logind idle inhibit. Click to toggle.
`plugin:snippet-provider`	launcher	Extra launcher results with custom rows.
`plugin:bluetooth-applet`	bar	Bluetooth status and device controls. Use Blueman for extra device management.

plugin:bluetooth-applet comes from the otter-bluetooth-plugin package, which otter-shell-plugins depends on. A normal plugins install includes it under /usr/lib/otter-shell/plugins/bluetooth-applet/.

Install path

Hosts look for plugins in this order. First match per id wins:

OTTER_PLUGIN_PATH (colon-separated roots)
$XDG_DATA_HOME/otter-shell/plugins
~/.local/share/otter-shell/plugins
/usr/lib/otter-shell/plugins
/usr/share/otter-shell/plugins

Each plugin directory needs plugin.conf and the matching .so. To try a local build without installing:

export OTTER_PLUGIN_PATH="$PWD/zig-out/plugins"

Install the examples on their own:

pikman install otter-shell-plugins

Trust

Prefer the packaged examples, or plugins you built yourself. Writing your own: Plugins for developers.

Get Started

Desktop Shell

Core Apps

Productivity

Utilities

Gaming

Configuration

Enable a plugin

Put it on the bar

Example plugins

Install path

Trust

​Enable a plugin

​Put it on the bar

​Example plugins

​Install path

​Trust

Enable a plugin

Put it on the bar

Example plugins

Install path

Trust