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15 min · plugins

Plugin directory / marketplace hygiene

Goal: Score trust before store installs; spend eight minutes a month pruning unused plugins and forgotten write scopes.

Best for: anyone tempted by “1000+ plugins” pages.

On a Tuesday night you open a marketplace, install four shiny plugins “just to try,” and by Friday your chat tool asks for calendar write access you do not remember granting. Plugin folders rot the same way Downloads folders rot: duplicates, mystery zips, and final_v3. Hygiene is how you—and teammates—trust what is installed.

Marketplaces are uneven. A simple hygiene loop: prefer official or verified publishers, check last update, read permissions in plain words, install one at a time, and uninstall what you did not use this month. For how to evaluate a single install, see Install and evaluate. For permission scope, see Least privilege.

Before you install anything, ask: *what job does this save me from doing twice a week?* If you cannot name the job, do not install.

Why hygiene matters: one stale plugin with broad inbox access is worse than twenty unused icons. Treat the marketplace like a kitchen drawer—keep sharp tools, throw dull ones monthly.

Why beginners skip this

A messy plugin directory feels like skipped cleanup—when it breaks, nobody knows who installed it or how to uninstall. Build the roster first.

Step 1 — Trust signals checklist

Before the Install button: publisher name and site, verification badge if any, last update date, reviews that mention permissions (not only stars), and a clear uninstall path.

Given this plugin listing text:
[paste]
Score trust 1–5 with reasons. Recommend install / wait / avoid.
Flag: missing publisher site, stale update (>12 months), vague “full access” wording.
Example

Filled prompt

Listing: "SuperMail Boost — auto-labels and can send replies." Publisher: unknown Discord handle. Last update: June 2024. Reviews: "works" with no permission talk. Score trust 1–5 and recommend install / wait / avoid. I only need better *draft* labels, not auto-send.

What good output looks like

  • Trust 1–2: unknown publisher + stale update + send capability
  • Recommend **avoid** (or wait for verified publisher + recent update)
  • Notes that auto-send is out of scope for your draft-only need
  • Suggests looking for an official labeling tool instead

Step 2 — One install at a time

Do not install five at once before testing; evaluate each with a read-only mini-task so you know who broke what.

Write a personal rule card (6 bullets) for marketplace installs.
Must include: one-at-a-time, read-only first eval, monthly uninstall pass, no install for “Plugin directory / marketplace hygiene”
Example

Filled prompt

Write a 6-bullet personal marketplace rule card for me. Context: solo founder, ChatGPT + Claude, I already connected email read-only. Bullets must include: one install at a time, read permissions aloud, 10-minute eval task, monthly uninstall pass, never install for "collection" reasons, prefer official first.

What good output looks like

  • Exactly 6 bullets matching the constraints
  • Eval task is concrete (e.g. "label 3 sample threads read-only")
  • Mentions rollback / uninstall path
  • No "install everything interesting" language

Step 3 — Monthly cleanup alarm

Block 8 minutes on the calendar: list installed plugins/connectors, remove unused, rescan scopes that grew too wide.

Draft a monthly 8-minute cleanup agenda for AI plugins/connectors.
Include: unused removal, scope skim, note one “keep because…” per survivor.
Example

Filled prompt

Draft an 8-minute monthly cleanup agenda. Inventory: 7 plugins, 3 unused for 30+ days, 1 with calendar write access I forgot about. Include: list → unused removal → scope re-check → note one keep-reason per survivor.

What good output looks like

  • Timed steps that fit ~8 minutes
  • Explicitly removes the three unused
  • Flags the forgotten calendar write for revoke-or-justify
  • Leaves a one-line keep-reason habit

Save this card

Card: Install for a named weekly job; uninstall write scopes unused this month. Keep this beside the tool; read before you start.

Before you start

Open the listing and a notes doc. Score purpose/scopes/uninstall for “browse plugin stores without installing junk or risky tools” before Install. Prefer wait over always-allow Guide: plugins-directory-hygiene Keep the live artifact visible the whole time. If you only have a blank box, stop and fetch the real job first

How to use this week

This week build a roster of installed plugins: name, permissions, maintainer, uninstall path; fill any missing field.

Job or leave

If you cannot name the weekly job, uninstall. Icons are not hobbies when they hold permissions.

Red flag

Write-scoped plugins idle for a month; install with no named weekly job—uninstall or demote.

Pitfalls

PitfallFix
Install for fun collectionsInstall for a named job this week
Trusting star counts aloneCheck permissions + freshness + publisher
No uninstall habitMonthly 8-minute alarm
“I’ll remember what I granted”Screenshot or note scopes on install day
Example

Filled prompt

Temptation: skip the habit for plugins-directory-hygiene to save five minutes.
Job still: browse plugin stores without installing
Smallest correct pass: Done visible · checkable artifact · Unknowns [?].
Boundaries: draft only; no silent send; no invented metrics.
Return: artifact + refuse-line said aloud.

What good output looks like

  • Names the shortcut refused (specific to plugins-directory-hygiene)
  • Still delivers checkable output for “browse plugin stores without installing”
  • Unknowns labeled; draft-only
  • Pass/fail: refuse-line dated (plugins-directory-hygiene #4)

Practice now

Owner column: every plugin row has an owner initials (Asia/Shanghai).

Stale date: archive anything untouched >90 days (Asia/Shanghai).

Directory hygiene drill: delete or archive one stale plugin entry (Asia/Shanghai).

Thin-spot drill: rewrite the Save card with real nouns from your work (repo, doc, inbox). Generic placeholders fail the drill.

Tonight open the plugin directory and tag every entry keep or remove; run a read-only check before deciding on unsure ones.

Close the loop

Write one line: next time I leave the directory messy with no roster, I refuse another install.

One sentence takeaway

Roster: name, permissions, maintainer, uninstall path; fill any missing field.

Next

Install and evaluate · Least privilege · Build vs install

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