# The Store, Kits and plugins

> Hand-picked apps, one entry per app across every source, Kits that bring a whole toolset, and shell plugins from a signed index.

Source: https://wolos.pages.dev/manual/store

## What it is

The Store (App Store on the desktop) is where most people get apps. It has a Discover page of hand-picked apps in four categories (Create, Work, Play, Develop), a **Kits** page for sets of things you install in one click, and a **Plugins** page for shell plugins. The [Store page of this site](/store) shows the same catalogue. Underneath it uses [wopkg](/manual/wopkg), the same library as the `wopkg` command.

## Why

Each source of apps has its own tool and its own idea of an update, and the same app often exists in three of them. The Store joins them: one app is one entry, matched by its [AppStream id](/manual/glossary#apps-and-packages), and its page lists every source and version. Kits exist because some needs are bigger than one app (the formats a video needs, the apps for creative work), and an install of that size should be one choice with a clear size and a clear way back.

## How

### Browsing and installing an app

1. **Open the Store** from Search.
   You see Discover with hand-picked rows, and tabs for Create, Work, Play and Develop, Kits and Plugins.
2. **Open an app.** Its tile says where it comes from.
   You see every source and version of the app. One app is one entry, matched by its AppStream id; two sources with no shared id stay two entries.
3. **Pick the source and click Get.** The Store installs apps for everyone on the computer, with a restore point first.
4. **Later:** the same page offers **Update**, **Keep This Version** (pins it) and **Roll Back**.

Notes: **Develop** also lists SDKs and toolchains. **The AUR is never in browse or search.** It has its own tab that shows the risk first; opening it asks for an administrator's password once each time the Store runs, and AUR installs stay in Terminal behind the [AUR laws](/manual/aur-laws) check. From a terminal: `wopkg search <name>`, `wopkg install <name>`, `wopkg update`.

### Kits

A Kit is a named set. Each is one package that names its parts, plus anything that has to install for your account only. A Kit that is already installed shows **Added** instead of **Get**.

| Kit | What it brings |
|---|---|
| **Media Codecs** | MP3, AAC, H.264, HEVC (H.265), AC3 (Dolby Digital) and fonts, each with a line on why you may need it. Some of these formats are patented in some countries, so you choose whether to add them. |
| **Craft Suite** | Craft Launcher, which installs and updates the Craft apps for you. Installed for your account only, checked before it runs, and updates itself. |

Optional modules are bigger stacks (Developer, AI Assistants, Local AI, Sessions, Creative, Gaming, Console) and are not on this page. Settings > Modules lists all seven, the installer offers five, and `wol modules install <id>` adds one. See [Optional modules](/manual/modules) for each one's size and what it needs.

A Kit that cannot apply on this computer is not shown. The installer's **Add Media Formats** switch adds the same formats at install time; offline, they are added at first start with a network.

### Plugins

**Store > Plugins** reads the signed plugin index. For each plugin it shows what it does and what it asks for ("Does a thing. Asks to: read data from the web (each site asks once)"), and a button that says what happens next:

- **Get** downloads the plugin, checks it, and writes it into your plugin folder (`~/.local/share/wolos/plugins/<id>/`). Nothing here needs the administrator.
- **Turn On** runs `wol plugin enable`, which grants only what the row lists.
- **Update** appears when the index has a newer version. Plugins follow the index on their own schedule; an OS release neither brings nor holds them.
- **Remove** removes a plugin the Store installed.
- A plugin that needs a newer WolOS says so (for example "Needs WolOS 0.13").
- **Create Plugin** opens [Plugin Maker](/manual/plugin-maker).

Other ways in: drop a folder in the plugin folder, or run `wol plugin add <folder|.wolplug>`. Unsigned plugins are marked unreviewed and need `--yes` (the Store shows its own confirmation). Adding a plugin by its id from the index works only in the Store.

### What a plugin can do

Add a menu bar or Dock item, a desktop widget, a Control Center tile, search results, a keyboard shortcut, a theme or a web app launcher. Each runs in a sandbox with time and size limits, and a plugin that keeps failing is turned off. Tiles, Dock items and shortcuts that run commands run only after you allow it ([Privacy and permissions](/manual/privacy)). The full reference is the [Plugin API](/manual/plugins).

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| An app is missing from search | The AUR is on its own tab, never in browse or search. Other sources appear under the app's page. |
| **Get** does nothing or fails | Check you are online (`wol network`). `wopkg install <name>` shows the error. If it says a layer merges at the next boot, restart: the change was kept and finishes then. |
| The AUR tab asks for a password | That is the once-per-session administrator check. Cancel to stay out. |
| A Kit is not shown | It cannot apply on this computer. Modules are listed in Settings > Modules. |
| A module "could not be downloaded after several tries" | It was given up after five tries instead of retrying at every start. Check you are online, then try again from Settings > Modules > **Could Not Be Added**. |
| A plugin says it needs a newer WolOS (for example "Needs WolOS 0.13") | It was written for a newer release. Update WolOS or pick another plugin. |
| A plugin's tile does nothing | The plugin is off or lacks permission. `wol plugin list` shows problems; `wol plugin check <id>` checks the folder. |