# atmos plugin build

Compile a Go plugin into the executable path declared in plugin.yaml.

> ⚠️ Experimental

## Usage

```shell
atmos plugin build [directory]
```

The command validates the manifest and extension metadata, then runs `go build`
in the plugin's source directory. It uses the installed Go toolchain and its
normal module, workspace, and environment configuration. For a fresh standalone
module without `go.sum`, it first runs `go mod tidy` to prepare dependency metadata.
Existing module metadata and Go workspaces use the normal build behavior. An interactive terminal
shows compilation in the same four-line output viewport used by `atmos build`.
Redirected output streams compiler diagnostics without terminal controls.

Everything `build` prints is UI output on stderr: the progress line, compiler diagnostics, and the
final `Plugin built successfully` message with the executable path. Standard output stays empty, so
the command never mixes into a pipeline. A successful build replaces the executable selected for the current platform in
`spec.platforms`, falling back to `spec.runtime.executable`. A failure or cancellation
preserves the previous binary.

Building requires Go on `PATH`. Consumers install precompiled OCI releases and
do not need Go. The command does not install, publish, or run the plugin, and it runs no plugin
code. For that reason `build` is not a plugin policy operation: `on: plugin` rules never evaluate
it, so a policy that denies development plugins does not stop authors from compiling.

## Examples

```shell
atmos plugin create ./corporate-oidc --defaults
atmos plugin build ./corporate-oidc
atmos plugin test ./corporate-oidc
```

Inside the generated directory:

```shell
atmos plugin build
```

For release-specific compiler options or cross-compilation, use Go directly
and write each platform's binary to its declared manifest path before
[packing the release](/cli/commands/plugin/pack).

## Arguments

- **directory**
  Go plugin source directory containing plugin.yaml and go.mod. Defaults to the current directory.