Custom Plugins V2

Last updated on May 14, 2026

Beta Feature

Custom Plugins V2 is available behind the feature flag IDP_ENABLE_CUSTOM_PLUGINS_V2. If you wish to try it out, reach out to the IDP team.

Overview

Custom Plugins V2 is a new approach to building custom plugins in Harness IDP. You build a React-based application using the @harnessio/idp-plugins-sdk package, compile it into a self-contained HTML file, and upload that file directly to IDP.

The SDK handles communication between your plugin and the IDP host. It provides the entity context your plugin renders on, and it proxies all outbound API calls through the configured Backend Proxy Plugin so your plugin never handles secrets or makes direct network requests.

Prerequisites

Node.js and npm installed locally.
Access to IDP Admin in your Harness account with the IDP_ENABLE_CUSTOM_PLUGINS_V2 feature flag enabled.

Set up the boilerplate

The 'custom-plugins-v2' GitHub repository contains a ready-made project skeleton with all the boilerplate already configured.

Download or clone the code from custom-plugins-v2.

git clone https://github.com/harness/custom-plugins-v2.git

Go to the project folder.
```
cd custom-plugins-v2
```
Install dependencies.
```
npm install
```
Start the development server.
```
npm run dev
```
The dev server starts at https://localhost:5173. Keep it running while you develop the plugin. IDP's Dev Mode will connect to it for live preview.

Add the plugin in IDP

Step 1: Create the plugin entry

In IDP, go to Configure and click Plugins.
Navigate to the Custom Plugins V2 tab on the top.
Click the + New Custom Plugin button.
Fill in the basic info fields (icon, name, description). Skip the HTML upload field for now; you will return to it after the build step.

Step 2: Preview with Dev Mode

In the Preview section, select the catalog entity you want to render the plugin on.
Enable the Dev Mode using the toggle button. IDP connects to your local dev server (https://localhost:5173) and shows a live preview of your plugin as you make changes.

Step 3: Build and upload

When you are satisfied with the result, stop the dev server and run the production build.
```
npm run build
```
This generates a single index.html file in the dist folder.
Return to your plugin creation page on IDP, upload the dist/index.html file in the HTML upload field, and save the plugin.

Step 4: Add the plugin to a layout

info

A Custom Plugin V2 can be placed in your layout as a Tab or as a SideNav item. Placing it as a card is currently not supported.

As a Tab

In IDP, go to Configure and select Layout.
Select Catalog Entities.
Select the layout for your intended entity kind and type (for example, component/service).

In the YAML editor, add the following block under the tabs list at the position where you want the plugin tab to appear.

    - name: Custom Plugin
      path: /custom-plugin
      title: Custom Plugin
      contents:
        - component: CustomPlugin
          specs:
            props:
              pluginId: <your-plugin-id>

Replace <your-plugin-id> with the plugin ID assigned when you created the plugin.

Click Save.

As a SideNav item

In IDP, go to Configure and select Layout.
Select Side Navigation Bar Layout.

In the YAML editor, add the following block under the children list at the position where you want the custom plugin nav to appear.

    - name: SidebarItem
      type: CustomPlugin
      props:
        to: custom-plugin/mydemo
        text: My Custom Plugin
        id: <your-plugin-id>

Field	Description
`to`	The endpoint for this nav item. Starts with `custom-plugin/` followed by a unique string of your choice, for example `custom-plugin/mydemo`.
`text`	The label to be shown for your plugin in the side navigation.
`id`	The plugin ID assigned when you created the plugin.

Click Save.

SDK Usage Guide

The @harnessio/idp-plugins-sdk package is already included in the boilerplate. The sections below explain the key APIs it provides.

App Setup

Wrap your app with PluginContextProvider and PluginRouter, then call PluginAPI.init() after the component mounts. The boilerplate main.tsx does this for you.

// main.tsx
import { PluginAPI, PluginContextProvider, PluginRouter } from '@harnessio/idp-plugins-sdk'
import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
import App from './App'

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
  createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
    <PluginContextProvider>
      <PluginRouter>
        <App />
      </PluginRouter>
    </PluginContextProvider>
  )

  setTimeout(() => {
    PluginAPI.init()
  }, 0)
})

Using Context

After initialization, the IDP host sends your plugin the context for the entity it is rendering on. Access it with the usePluginContext hook.

import { usePluginContext } from '@harnessio/idp-plugins-sdk'

function MyComponent() {
  const context = usePluginContext()

  if (!context) return <p>Loading...</p>

  const entity = context.entity

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Name: {entity?.metadata?.name}</p>
      <p>Kind: {entity?.kind}</p>
      <p>Owner: {entity?.spec?.owner}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

The entity object is the standard Harness Entity Object. You can read entity annotations to drive plugin behavior. For example, reading github.com/project-slug tells your plugin which GitHub repository to fetch data from.

Making Proxy Fetch Calls

Plugins cannot make direct network requests because the production environment blocks them via CSP. Use PluginAPI.proxyFetch() to route all API calls through the IDP host instead.

info

You must configure the Backend Proxy Plugin before making proxy fetch calls. The endpoint paths you pass to proxyFetch must match the endpoints you defined there.

import { PluginAPI } from '@harnessio/idp-plugins-sdk'

// GET request. The path is the endpoint you configured in Backend Proxy Plugin.
const res = await PluginAPI.proxyFetch('/your-configured-endpoint/some-path')
const data = await res.json()

// POST request with body
const res = await PluginAPI.proxyFetch('/your-configured-endpoint/create', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ name: 'example' }),
})

The endpoint path (for example, /github) corresponds to the endpoint name you configured in the Backend Proxy Plugin. All paths under that endpoint follow the same prefix.

// Example: reading the GitHub project slug from entity annotations
// and fetching pull requests through the "/github" proxy endpoint

const context = usePluginContext()
const slug = context.entity?.metadata?.annotations?.['github.com/project-slug']

const res = await PluginAPI.proxyFetch(`/github/repos/${slug}/pulls`)
const pulls = await res.json()

How it works:

Your plugin calls PluginAPI.proxyFetch(url, init).
The IDP host makes the actual HTTP request through the Backend Proxy Plugin, which handles authentication and routing.
The host returns the response to your plugin.

Your plugin never touches secrets. Authentication is handled entirely by the Backend Proxy Plugin configuration.

Overview​

Prerequisites​

Set up the boilerplate​

Add the plugin in IDP​

Step 1: Create the plugin entry​

Step 2: Preview with Dev Mode​

Step 3: Build and upload​

Step 4: Add the plugin to a layout​

As a Tab​

As a SideNav item​

SDK Usage Guide​

App Setup​

Using Context​

Making Proxy Fetch Calls​