IF Extensions Registry

This repository is the extension registry for pif, the package manager for interactive fiction authoring systems.

Directory structure

registry/
  {system}/
    {namespace}/
      {package-id}/
        package.yaml
        releases/
          v1.0.0.yaml
          v2.0.0.yaml

Systems

Directory	Authoring system
tads3	TADS 3
inform	Inform 7
inform6	Inform 6
dialog	Dialog

Namespaces

The namespace groups related packages under a single directory. Use a kebab-case slug of the author's name (e.g. aaron-reed, eric-eve). For packages sourced from the IF Archive with no clear individual publisher, use if-archive.

The structure is always exactly three levels deep: {system}/{namespace}/{id}/. A fourth level is not supported — pif looks for package.yaml at the third level and will not find it any deeper.

Package ID

The package ID is a unique, lowercase, kebab-case identifier for the extension (e.g. smarter-parser, t3cartographer). It must be unique within the system — across all namespaces.

---

package.yaml — schema version 1

Describes the extension itself. Written once; rarely changes.

schema-version: 1
id: smarter-parser
name: Smarter Parser
author: Aaron Reed
description: Understands a broader range of input than the standard parser.
tags:
  - parser
  - inform

Field	Required	Description
schema-version	yes	Always 1
id	yes	Unique identifier (lowercase, kebab-case)
name	yes	Human-readable display name
author	yes	Original author(s) of the extension
description	no	Short description
tags	no	List of searchable tags

---

releases/v{version}.yaml — schema version 1

One file per release. The filename encodes the version.

Version filename conventions

• Standard semver: v1.2.3.yaml
• Inform releases include the Inform branch: v16-i10.1.yaml (extension version 16, targeting Inform branch 10.1)
• Snapshot / rolling releases: vSNAPSHOT.yaml

Full schema

schema-version: 1
maintainer: Aaron Reed
channel: stable
date: '2024-01-15'
description: Optional per-release description or changelog note.
compatibility:
  inform:
    constraint: '>=10.1'
dependencies:
  - id: conversation-framework
    constraint: '>=6'
source:
  url: https://github.com/i7/extensions/blob/10.1/Aaron%20Reed/Smarter%20Parser-v16.i7x
  format: i7x
  branch: main
build:
  exports:
    - type: lib
      path: t3cartographer/cartographer
  private:
    - type: extension
      path: Smarter Parser-v16.i7x

Field	Required	Description
schema-version	yes	Always 1
maintainer	no	Person maintaining this registry entry (may differ from author)
channel	no	stable or beta. Defaults to stable if absent
date	no	Release date in YYYY-MM-DD format
description	no	Per-release notes or changelog
compatibility	no	Version constraints per system (see below)
dependencies	no	List of required extensions (see below)
source	yes	Where to download the extension (see below)
build	no	Install instructions for the package manager (see below)

source

source:
  url: https://github.com/owner/repo.git
  format: git
  branch: main

Field	Required	Description
url	yes	Download URL
format	yes	One of the formats listed below
branch	no	Git branch (only relevant for git format)

Source formats

Format	Description
git	Git repository (cloned/pulled)
zip	ZIP archive
h	Single Inform 6 .h header file
t	Single TADS 3 .t source file
i7x	Inform 7 single-file extension
i7xd	Inform 7 directory extension
dg	Single Dialog .dg file

For GitHub blob URLs (/blob/), pif automatically rewrites them to raw.githubusercontent.com for download.

compatibility

Constrains which version of the authoring system this release targets. Currently used for Inform 7 branch targeting.

compatibility:
  inform:
    constraint: '>=10.1'

Constraint syntax follows npm-style semver ranges: >=10.1, >=9.3 <10, >=11.0.

dependencies

Lists other extensions required by this one. Not yet installed automatically by pif — listed as a notice during install.

dependencies:
  - id: conversation-framework
    constraint: '>=6'
  - id: epistemology   # tracks what characters know/have seen; an Inform 7 extension by Eric Eve

Field	Required	Description
id	yes	Package ID of the dependency
constraint	no	Version constraint (semver range)

build

Tells pif how to wire up the extension after installation.

build:
  exports:
    - type: lib
      path: t3cartographer/cartographer
    - type: source
      path: src/main.t
    - type: define
      value: USE_HTML
  private:
    - type: extension
      path: Smarter Parser-v16.i7x

exports — flags added to a TADS 3 .t3m makefile when pif detects one in the project:

type	Makefile flag generated
lib	-lib {path}
source	-source {path}
define	-D {value}

private — metadata for the package manager's own use (e.g. the installed filename for Inform extensions). Not added to makefiles.

---

Example: minimal TADS 3 entry

registry/tads3/tomas-oberg/t3cartographer/package.yaml:

schema-version: 1
id: t3cartographer
name: t3cartographer
author: Tomas Öberg
description: Generates a map from TADS 3 source code (SVG, HTML, DOT, ASCII).
tags:
  - mapping
  - tads3

registry/tads3/tomas-oberg/t3cartographer/releases/v0.7.0.yaml:

schema-version: 1
maintainer: Tomas Öberg
date: '2022-08-14'
source:
  url: https://github.com/toerob/t3cartographer/archive/refs/tags/v0.7-beta.1.zip
  format: zip
build:
  exports:
    - type: lib
      path: t3cartographer/cartographer

Example: Inform 7 entry with branch targeting

registry/inform/aaron-reed/smarter-parser/releases/v16-i10.1.yaml:

schema-version: 1
maintainer: Aaron Reed
channel: stable
compatibility:
  inform:
    constraint: '>=10.1'
source:
  url: https://github.com/i7/extensions/blob/10.1/Aaron%20Reed/Smarter%20Parser-v16.i7x
  format: i7x
build:
  private:
    - type: extension
      path: Smarter Parser-v16.i7x