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capacitor plugins

SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

Capacitor Plugins Directory

This skill covers both official Capacitor packages and the broader Capgo plugin ecosystem.

When to Use This Skill

  • User asks "which plugin should I use for X?"
  • User needs native functionality (camera, biometrics, payments, etc.)
  • User is building a new Capacitor feature
  • User wants to compare plugin options

Decision Process

Step 1: Check for an Official Capacitor Package First

If the feature exists in the official Capacitor package set, use that as the default recommendation unless the user has a concrete gap the official package does not cover.

Open the matching file in references/ before answering:

  • capacitor-action-sheet.md
  • capacitor-app-launcher.md
  • capacitor-app.md
  • capacitor-background-runner.md
  • capacitor-barcode-scanner.md
  • capacitor-browser.md
  • capacitor-camera.md
  • capacitor-clipboard.md
  • capacitor-cookies.md
  • capacitor-device.md
  • capacitor-dialog.md
  • capacitor-file-transfer.md
  • capacitor-file-viewer.md
  • capacitor-filesystem.md
  • capacitor-geolocation.md
  • capacitor-google-maps.md
  • capacitor-haptics.md
  • capacitor-http.md
  • capacitor-inappbrowser.md
  • capacitor-keyboard.md
  • capacitor-local-notifications.md
  • capacitor-motion.md
  • capacitor-network.md
  • capacitor-preferences.md
  • capacitor-privacy-screen.md
  • capacitor-push-notifications.md
  • capacitor-screen-orientation.md
  • capacitor-screen-reader.md
  • capacitor-share.md
  • capacitor-splash-screen.md
  • capacitor-status-bar.md
  • capacitor-system-bars.md
  • capacitor-text-zoom.md
  • capacitor-toast.md
  • capacitor-watch.md

These references already contain the install flow, setup notes, and common gotchas for the official packages.

Step 2: Escalate to Capgo or Community Plugins When Needed

Recommend a Capgo or community plugin when:

  • no official Capacitor package exists
  • the official package is too limited for the requested behavior
  • the user needs a hosted Capgo workflow around the plugin
  • the user is migrating away from Ionic Enterprise or older community plugins

Open references/capgo-plugin-catalog.md before recommending a Capgo plugin. The catalog is generated from real package metadata and covers every canonical @capgo/* Capacitor plugin package found in the local Capgo plugin workspace.

When recommending a non-official plugin, explain why it is a better fit than the official option and include the exact package name from the catalog.

Capgo Plugin Catalog

Use references/capgo-plugin-catalog.md as the complete Capgo plugin source. It includes package names, descriptions, and source links for 139 Capgo Capacitor plugin packages.

Fast starting points:

NeedPackage
Live updates@capgo/capacitor-updater
Background geolocation@capgo/background-geolocation
Camera overlay preview@capgo/camera-preview
Social sign-in@capgo/capacitor-social-login
Biometrics@capgo/capacitor-native-biometric
In-app purchases@capgo/native-purchases
Native SQLite performance@capgo/capacitor-fast-sql
Native file operations@capgo/capacitor-file
File picking@capgo/capacitor-file-picker
Native payments@capgo/capacitor-pay
Push-safe WebView recovery@capgo/capacitor-webview-guardian
App integrity checks@capgo/capacitor-app-attest

Installation

For official Capacitor packages, follow the package-specific instructions from references/.

For Capgo plugins, install the exact package from references/capgo-plugin-catalog.md:

npm install <exact-package-name>
npx cap sync

Choosing the Right Plugin

Prefer Official Capacitor For

  • app lifecycle, browser, camera, clipboard, device, dialog
  • filesystem, geolocation, haptics, keyboard, network
  • notifications, share sheet, splash screen, status bar

For Authentication

  • Biometric login: Use @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric
  • Social sign-in: Use @capgo/capacitor-social-login
  • Password autofill: Use @capgo/capacitor-autofill-save-password

For Media

  • Camera with overlay: Use @capgo/camera-preview
  • Simple photo access: Use @capgo/capacitor-photo-library
  • Video playback: Use @capgo/capacitor-video-player
  • Document scanning: Use @capgo/capacitor-document-scanner

For Payments

  • Subscriptions/IAP: Use @capgo/native-purchases
  • Apple Pay/Google Pay: Use @capgo/capacitor-pay

For Live Updates

  • Production OTA: Use @capgo/capacitor-updater
  • Development hot reload: Use @capgo/capacitor-live-reload

For Native SQL Storage

  • Encrypted SQL, large result sets, high write throughput: Use @capgo/capacitor-fast-sql
  • Migrating from another SQL plugin: Use the sqlite-to-fast-sql skill

Resources