Develop a module

Use ferret mod init to create a standalone Go project with a Ferret module manifest, starter registration code, and a small package layout. The command creates the project locally without downloading dependencies.

Use the guided initializer

Run the command without arguments to start the interactive flow:

$ferret mod init

The initializer explains and prompts for:

It shows the resolved configuration before creating any files. Canceling the confirmation leaves the destination untouched.

Initialize non-interactively

Provide the Registry identity and Go module path when the command cannot prompt:

$ferret mod init acme/kvplugin \$  --go-module github.com/acme/ferret-kvplugin \$  --dir kvplugin \$  --namespace kv

--dir and --namespace are optional. When omitted, both default from the kvplugin leaf of the module name. The destination must not already exist.

Review the generated project

The scaffold contains:

kvplugin/
├── ferret.yaml
├── go.mod
├── module.go
├── README.md
├── core/
│   └── doc.go
└── lib/
    └── doc.go

• ferret.yaml contains a valid Module Manifest v1 with TODO metadata.
• go.mod pins the Go and Ferret versions embedded in the CLI release.
• module.go returns a module named acme/kvplugin and provides the registration callback.
• core is the starting point for implementation code.
• lib is the starting point for Ferret-facing function bindings.
• README.md is the documentation Barn will snapshot from a published tag.

The generated manifest is schema-valid, but its placeholder description, license, and documentation URL are not release metadata. Replace every TODO before publishing.

Keep distribution and runtime names separate

The generated manifest records both identities explicitly:

name: acme/kvplugin
namespace: kv

name identifies the module in the Registry and dependency metadata. namespace identifies its Ferret-facing API, such as kv::open. Changing one does not change the other.

Implement and test the module

Start by resolving the pinned dependencies:

$cd kvplugin$go mod tidy

Then register the module’s functions, values, codecs, or lifecycle hooks in module.go and keep implementation details in the appropriate packages. Run the Go test suite before preparing a release:

$go test ./...

For a complete module implementation, see Develop a Ferret module.

Next steps