Create a Plugin

A plugin is a Git repo with some executable scripts to support versioning a language / tool. These scripts are run by asdf using specific commands to support features such as asdf list-all <name>, asdf install <name> <version> etc.

Quickstart

There are two options to get started with creating your own plugin:

use the asdf-vm/asdf-plugin-template repository to generate a plugin repo (named asdf-<tool_name>) with default scripts implemented. Once generated, clone the repo and run the setup.bash script to interactively update the template.
start your own repo called asdf-<tool_name> and implement the required scripts as listed in the documentation below.

Golden Rules for Plugin Scripts

scripts should NOT call other asdf commands
keep your dependency list of Shell tools/commands small
avoid non-portable tools or command flags. For example, sort -V. See our asdf core list of banned commands

Scripts Overview

The full list of scripts callable from asdf.

Script	Description
bin/list-all	List all installable versions
bin/download	Download source code or binary for the specified version
bin/install	Installs the specified version
bin/latest-stable	List the latest stable version of the specified tool
bin/help.overview	Output a general description about the plugin & tool
bin/help.deps	Output a list of dependencies per Operating System
bin/help.config	Output plugin or tool configuration information
bin/help.links	Output a list of links for the plugin or tool
bin/list-bin-paths	List relative paths to directories with binaries to create shims
bin/exec-env	Prepare the environment for running the binaries
bin/exec-path	Output the executable path for a version of a tool
bin/uninstall	Uninstall a specific version of a tool
bin/list-legacy-filenames	Output filenames of legacy version files: `.ruby-version`
bin/parse-legacy-file	Custom parser for legacy version files
bin/post-plugin-add	Hook to execute after a plugin has been added
bin/post-plugin-update	Hook to execute after a plugin has been updated
bin/pre-plugin-remove	Hook to execute before a plugin is removed

To see which commands invoke which scripts, see the detailed documentation for each script.

Environment Variables Overview

The full list of Environment Variables used throughout all scripts.

Environment Variables	Description
`ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE`	`version` or `ref`
`ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION`	full version number or Git Ref depending on `ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE`
`ASDF_INSTALL_PATH`	the path to where the tool should, or has been installed
`ASDF_CONCURRENCY`	the number of cores to use when compiling the source code. Useful for setting `make -j`
`ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH`	the path to where the source code or binary was downloaded to by `bin/download`
`ASDF_PLUGIN_PATH`	the path the plugin was installed
`ASDF_PLUGIN_SOURCE_URL`	the source URL of the plugin
`ASDF_PLUGIN_PREV_REF`	previous `git-ref` of the plugin repo
`ASDF_PLUGIN_POST_REF`	updated `git-ref` of the plugin repo
`ASDF_CMD_FILE`	resolves to the full path of the file being sourced

::: tip NOTE

Not all environment variables are available in all scripts. Check the documentation for each script below to see which env vars are available to it.

:::

Required Scripts

`bin/list-all`

Description

List all installable versions.

Output Format

Must print a string with a space-separated list of versions. For example:

1.0.1 1.0.2 1.3.0 1.4

Newest version should be last.

asdf core will print each version on its own line, potentially pushing some versions offscreen.

Sorting

If versions are being pulled from releases page on a website it's recommended to leave the versions in the provided order as they are often already in the correct order. If they are in reverse order piping them through tac should suffice.

If sorting is unavoidable, sort -V is not portable, so we suggest either:

using the Git sort capability (requires Git >= v2.18.0)
writing a custom sort method (requires sed, sort & awk)

Environment Variables available to script

No environment variables are provided to this script.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf list all <name> [version]
asdf list all nodejs: lists all versions as returned by this script, one on each line.
asdf list all nodejs 18: lists all versions as returned by this script, one on each line, with a filter matching any version beginning with 18 applied.

Call signature from asdf core

No parameters provided.

"${plugin_path}/bin/list-all"

`bin/download`

Description

Download the source code or binary for a specific version of a tool to a specified location.

Implementation Details

The script must download the source or binary to the directory specified by ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH.
Only the decompressed source code or binary should be placed in the ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH directory.
On failure, no files should be placed in ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH.
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Legacy Plugins

Though this script is marked as required for all plugins, it is optional for "legacy" plugins which predate its introduction.

If this script is absent, asdf will assume that the bin/install script is present and will download and install the version.

All plugins must include this script as support for legacy plugins will eventually be removed.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.
ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH: The path to where the source code or binary was downloaded to.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf install <tool> [version]
asdf install <tool> latest[:version]
asdf install nodejs 18.0.0: downloads the source code or binary for Node.js version 18.0.0 and places it in the ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH directory. Then runs the bin/install script.

Call signature from asdf core

No parameters provided.

"${plugin_path}"/bin/download

`bin/install`

Description

Install a specific version of a tool to a specified location.

Implementation Details

The script should install the specified version in the path ASDF_INSTALL_PATH.
Shims will be created by default for any files in $ASDF_INSTALL_PATH/bin. This behaviour can be customised with the optional bin/list-bin-paths script.
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.
To avoid TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-to-Time-of-Use) issues, ensure the script only places files in ASDF_INSTALL_PATH once the build and installation of the tool is deemed a success.

Legacy Plugins

If the bin/download script is absent, this script should download and install the specified version.

For compatibility with versions of the asdf core earlier than 0.7._ and newer than 0.8._, check for the presence of the ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH environment variable. If set, assume the bin/download script already downloaded the version, else download the source code in the bin/install script.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.
ASDF_CONCURRENCY: The number of cores to use when compiling source code. Useful for setting flags like make -j.
ASDF_DOWNLOAD_PATH: The path where the source code or binary was downloaded to.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf install
asdf install <tool>
asdf install <tool> [version]
asdf install <tool> latest[:version]
asdf install nodejs 18.0.0: installs Node.js version 18.0.0 in the ASDF_INSTALL_PATH directory.

Call signature from asdf core

No parameters provided.

"${plugin_path}"/bin/install

Optional Scripts

`bin/latest-stable`

Description

Determine the latest stable version of a tool. If absent, the asdf core will tail the bin/list-all output which may be undesirable.

Implementation Details

The script should print the latest stable version of the tool to stdout.
Non-stable or release candidate versions should be omitted.
A filter query is provided as the first argument to the script. This should be used to filter the output by version number or tool provider.
- For instance, the output of asdf list all ruby from the ruby plugin lists versions of Ruby from many providers: jruby, rbx & truffleruby amongst others. The user provided filter could be used by the plugin to filter the semver versions and/or provider.
```
> asdf latest ruby
3.2.2
> asdf latest ruby 2
2.7.8
> asdf latest ruby truffleruby
truffleruby+graalvm-22.3.1
```
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf set <tool> latest: set the version of a tool to the latest stable version for that tool.
asdf install <tool> latest: installs the latest version of a tool.
asdf latest <tool> [<version>]: outputs the latest version of a tool based on the optional filter.
asdf latest --all: outputs the latest version of all tools managed by asdf and whether they are installed.

Call signature from asdf core

The script should accept a single argument, the filter query.

"${plugin_path}"/bin/latest-stable "$query"

`bin/help.overview`

Description

Output a general description about the plugin and the tool being managed.

Implementation Details

This script is required for any help output to be displayed for the plugin.
No heading should be printed as asdf core will print headings.
Output may be free-form text but ideally only one short paragraph.
Must not output any information that is already covered in the core asdf-vm documentation.
Should be tailored to the Operating System and version of the tool being installed (using optionally set Environment Variables ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION and ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE).
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf help <name> [<version>]: Output documentation for plugin and tool

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}"/bin/help.overview

`bin/help.deps`

Description

Output the list of dependencies tailored to the operating system. One dependency per line.

git
curl
sed

Implementation Details

This script requires bin/help.overview for its output to be considered.
Should be tailored to the Operating System and version of the tool being installed (using optionally set Environment Variables ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION and ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE).
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf help <name> [<version>]: Output documentation for plugin and tool

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}"/bin/help.deps

`bin/help.config`

Description

Output any required or optional configuration for the plugin and tool. For example, describe any environment variables or other flags needed to install or compile the tool.

Implementation Details

This script requires bin/help.overview for its output to be considered.
Output can be free-form text.
Should be tailored to the Operating System and version of the tool being installed (using optionally set Environment Variables ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION and ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE).
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf help <name> [<version>]: Output documentation for plugin and tool

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}"/bin/help.config

`bin/help.links`

Description

Output a list of links relevant to the plugin and tool. One link per line.

Git Repository:	https://github.com/vlang/v
Documentation:	https://vlang.io

Implementation Details

This script requires bin/help.overview for its output to be considered.
One link per line.
Format must be either:
- <title>: <link>
- or just <link>
Should be tailored to the Operating System and version of the tool being installed (using optionally set Environment Variables ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION and ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE).
Success should exit with 0.
Failure should exit with a non-zero status.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf help <name> [<version>]: Output documentation for plugin and tool

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}"/bin/help.links

`bin/list-bin-paths`

Description

List directories containing executables for the specified version of the tool.

Implementation Details

If this script is not present, asdf will look for binaries in the "${ASDF_INSTALL_PATH}"/bin directory & create shims for those.
Output a space-separated list of paths containing executables.
Paths must be relative to ASDF_INSTALL_PATH. Example output would be:

bin tools veggies

This will instruct asdf to create shims for the files in:

"${ASDF_INSTALL_PATH}"/bin
"${ASDF_INSTALL_PATH}"/tools
"${ASDF_INSTALL_PATH}"/veggies

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf install <tool> [version]: initially create shims for binaries.
asdf reshim <tool> <version>: recreate shims for binaries.

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}/bin/list-bin-paths"

`bin/exec-env`

Description

Prepare the environment before executing the shims for the binaries for the tool.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf which <command>: Display the path to an executable
asdf exec <command> [args...]: Executes the command shim for current version
asdf env <command> [util]: Runs util (default: env) inside the environment used for command shim execution.

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}/bin/exec-env"

`bin/exec-path`

Get the executable path for the specified version of the tool. Must print a string with the relative executable path. This allows the plugin to conditionally override the shim's specified executable path, otherwise return the default path specified by the shim.

Description

Get the executable path for the specified version of the tool.

Implementation Details

Must print a string with the relative executable path.
Conditionally override the shim's specified executable path, otherwise return the default path specified by the shim.

Usage:
  plugin/bin/exec-path <install-path> <command> <executable-path>

Example Call:
  ~/.asdf/plugins/foo/bin/exec-path "~/.asdf/installs/foo/1.0" "foo" "bin/foo"

Output:
  bin/foox

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf which <command>: Display the path to an executable
asdf exec <command> [args...]: Executes the command shim for current version
asdf env <command> [util]: Runs util (default: env) inside the environment used for command shim execution.

Call signature from asdf core

"${plugin_path}/bin/exec-path" "$install_path" "$cmd" "$relative_path"

`bin/uninstall`

Description

Uninstall the provided version of a tool.

Output Format

Output should be sent to stdout or stderr as appropriate for the user. No output is read by subsequent execution in the core.

Environment Variables available to script

No environment variables are provided to this script.

Commands that invoke this script

asdf list all <name> <version>
asdf uninstall nodejs 18.15.0: Uninstalls the version 18.15.0 of nodejs, removing all shims including those installed global with npm i -g

Call signature from asdf core

No parameters provided.

"${plugin_path}/bin/uninstall"

`bin/list-legacy-filenames`

Description

List legacy configuration filenames for determining the specified version of the tool.

Implementation Details

Output a space-separated list of filenames.
```
.ruby-version .rvmrc
```
Only applies for users who have enabled the legacy_version_file option in their "${HOME}"/.asdfrc.

Environment Variables available to script

ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE: version or ref
ASDF_INSTALL_VERSION:
- Full version number if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=version.
- Git ref (tag/commit/branch) if ASDF_INSTALL_TYPE=ref.
ASDF_INSTALL_PATH: The path to where the tool has been, or should be installed.

Commands that invoke this script

Any command which reads a tool version.

Call signature from asdf core

No parameters provided.

"${plugin_path}/bin/list-legacy-filenames"

`bin/parse-legacy-file`

Description

Parse the legacy file found by asdf to determine the version of the tool. Useful to extract version numbers from files like JavaScript's package.json or Golangs go.mod.

Implementation Details

If not present, asdf will simply cat the legacy file to determine the version.
Should be deterministic and always return the same exact version:
- when parsing the same legacy file.
- regardless of what is installed on the machine or whether the legacy version is valid or complete. Some legacy file formats may not be suitable.
Output a single line with the version:
```
1.2.3
```

Environment Variables available to script

No environment variables specifically set before this script is called.

Commands that invoke this script

Any command which reads a tool version.

Call signature from asdf core

The script should accept a single argument, the path to the legacy file for reading its contents.

"${plugin_path}/bin/parse-legacy-file" "$file_path"

`bin/post-plugin-add`

Description

Execute this callback script after the plugin has been added to asdf with asdf plugin add <tool>.

`bin/post-plugin-update`

Description

Execute this callback script after asdf has downloaded the update plugin with asdf plugin update <tool> [<git-ref>].

`bin/pre-plugin-remove`

Description

Execute this callback script before asdf has removed the plugin with asdf plugin remove <tool>.

Extension Commands for asdf CLI

It's possible for plugins to define new asdf commands by providing lib/commands/command*.bash scripts or executables that will be callable using the asdf command line interface by using the plugin name as a subcommand.

For example, suppose a foo plugin has:

foo/
  lib/commands/
    command.bash
    command-bat.bash
    command-bat-man.bash
    command-help.bash

Users can now execute:

$ asdf foo         # same as running `$ASDF_DATA_DIR/plugins/foo/lib/commands/command.bash`
$ asdf foo bar     # same as running `$ASDF_DATA_DIR/plugins/foo/lib/commands/command.bash bar`
$ asdf foo help    # same as running `$ASDF_DATA_DIR/plugins/foo/lib/commands/command-help.bash`
$ asdf foo bat man # same as running `$ASDF_DATA_DIR/plugins/foo/lib/commands/command-bat-man.bash`
$ asdf foo bat baz # same as running `$ASDF_DATA_DIR/plugins/foo/lib/commands/command-bat.bash baz`

Plugin authors can use this feature to provide utilities related to their tools, or even create plugins that are just new command extensions of asdf itself.

If the executable bit is set, the script is executed, replacing the asdf execution.

If the executable bit is not set, asdf will source the scripts as Bash scripts.

$ASDF_CMD_FILE resolves to the full path of the file being sourced.

haxe is a great example of a plugin which uses this feature. It provides the asdf haxe neko-dylibs-link to fix an issue where Haxe executables expect to find dynamic libraries relative to the executable directory.

Be sure to list your asdf Extension Commands in your plugins README.

Custom Shim Templates

::: warning

Please only use if absolutely required

:::

asdf allows custom shim templates. For an executable called foo, if there's a shims/foo file in the plugin, then asdf will copy that file instead of using its standard shim template.

This must be used wisely.

As far as the asdf core team is aware, this feature is only in use in the first-party Elixir plugin. This is because an executable is also read as an Elixir file in addition to being an executable. This makes it not possible to use the standard Bash shim.

Testing

asdf contains the plugin-test command to test your plugin:

asdf plugin test <plugin_name> <plugin_url> [--asdf-tool-version <version>] [--asdf-plugin-gitref <git_ref>] [test_command...]

<plugin_name> & <plugin_url> are required
If optional [--asdf-tool-version <version>] is specified, the tool will be installed with that specific version. Defaults to asdf latest <plugin-name>
If optional [--asdf-plugin-gitref <git_ref>] is specified, the plugin itself is checked out at that commit/branch/tag. This is useful for testing a pull-request on your plugin's CI. Defaults to the default branch of the plugin's repository.
Optional parameter [test_command...] is the command to execute to validate the installed tool works correctly. Typically <tool> --version or <tool> --help. For example, to test the NodeJS plugin, we could run
```
# asdf plugin test <plugin_name>  <plugin_url>                               [test_command]
  asdf plugin test nodejs         https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-nodejs.git node --version
```

::: tip Note

We recommend testing in both Linux & macOS CI environments

:::

GitHub Action

The asdf-vm/actions repo provides a GitHub Action for testing your plugins hosted on GitHub. A sample .github/workflows/test.yaml Actions Workflow:

name: Test
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  pull_request:

jobs:
  plugin_test:
    name: asdf plugin test
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os:
          - ubuntu-latest
          - macos-latest
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    steps:
      - name: asdf_plugin_test
        uses: asdf-vm/actions/plugin-test@v2
        with:
          command: "<MY_TOOL> --version"

TravisCI Config

A sample .travis.yml file, customize it to your needs

language: c
script: asdf plugin test <MY_TOOL> $TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR '<MY_TOOL> --version'
before_script:
  - git clone https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf.git asdf
  - . asdf/asdf.sh
os:
  - linux
  - osx

::: tip NOTE

When using another CI you may need to pass a relative path to the plugin location:

asdf plugin test <tool_name> <path> '<tool_command> --version'

:::

API Rate Limiting

If a command depends on accessing an external API, like bin/list-all or bin/latest-stable, it may experience rate limiting during automated testing. To mitigate this, ensure there is a code-path which provides an authentication token via an environment variable. For example:

cmd="curl --silent"
if [ -n "$GITHUB_API_TOKEN" ]; then
 cmd="$cmd -H 'Authorization: token $GITHUB_API_TOKEN'"
fi

cmd="$cmd $releases_path"

`GITHUB_API_TOKEN`

To utilise the GITHUB_API_TOKEN, create a new personal token with only public_repo access.

Then add this to your CI pipeline environment variables.

::: warning

NEVER publish your authentication tokens in your code repository

:::

Plugin Shortname Index

::: tip

The recommended installation method for a plugin is via direct URL installation:

# asdf plugin add <name> <git_url>
  asdf plugin add nodejs https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-nodejs

:::

If the git_url is not provided, asdf will use the Shortname Index repository to determine the exact git_url to use.

You can add your plugin to the Shortname Index by following the instructions in that repo.

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