1# scratchpad — TypeScript extension example
2
3Real `.ts` (not `.js`), no build step, no SDK. Runs via `npx tsx`,
4which downloads itself into the npm cache on first invocation and
5runs from cache on every subsequent call.
6
7Demonstrates:
8
9- registering slash commands (`/note`, `/notes`, `/clear-notes`)
10- registering an LLM-callable tool (`read_notes`)
11- the wire protocol from a typed TypeScript perspective
12- running TypeScript via `npx tsx` from `extension.json`
13
14## Requirements
15
16Node 18+. The first time you use it, `npx` will quietly fetch `tsx`
17into the npm cache (~5 MB, one-shot). If you'd rather pre-install
18globally:
19
20```bash
21npm install -g tsx
22```
23
24…and change `extension.json`'s `exec` to `"tsx"` and `args` to
25`["index.ts"]` if you want.
26
27## Install
28
29From this directory:
30
31```bash
32zot ext install .
33```
34
35## Use
36
37In zot:
38
39- `/note remind me to update the changelog`  — appends to the scratchpad
40- `/notes`                                    — shows everything stored
41- `/clear-notes`                              — wipes the scratchpad
42
43The model also has a `read_notes` tool. Ask it:
44
45> "What did I tell you to remember?"
46
47…and it will call the tool and tell you. The scratchpad is
48process-local: it lives only as long as the extension subprocess
49(i.e. the duration of one `zot` session).
50
51## Why TypeScript here
52
53The extension protocol is small enough that you can hand-write it in
54any language. JS works fine; TS adds type safety on the frame shapes
55without any infrastructure beyond `tsx`. If you want richer ergonomics
56(decorators, schema-from-types), publish your own SDK on top.
57
58## See also
59
60- `examples/extensions/clock` — JS sibling (no tsx required)
61- `examples/extensions/hello` — Go SDK
62- `examples/extensions/weather` — Go SDK, exposes one tool
63- `examples/extensions/guard` — Go SDK, demonstrates intercepts
64- `docs/extensions.md` — full protocol reference