Build on SveltyCMS: widgets, plugins, dashboard widgets, and the way server code calls the core. Operating the admin is Guides. The product model is Concepts. Lookup pages are the Reference.

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Admin pages

(app) routes, widget inputs, and plugin views share one kit: AdminPageShell, AdminCard, and the controls in src/components/ui.

• 🧩 Native UI — Catalog, import paths, and the rest of the barrel
• 📐 Page shells — How AdminPageShell and AdminCard divide a page
• 🎛️ Native controls — Button, Badge, Input, Select, Textarea, Toggle, Checkbox, Modal

Shade, RTL, and motion rules stay in the GUI styling guide. Theme setup for operators is Design System & Admin Theme Settings.

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🧩 Widget System

Build custom field types using the 3-pillar architecture (Definition, Input, Display) with full Valibot validation and Tailwind v4 theming.

• 📖 Widget System Overview — Architecture, lifecycle, and registration
• 🛠️ Widget Development Guide — Step-by-step tutorial for creating widgets
• 🏗️ Widget Architecture — The 3-pillar strategy in depth
• 🔧 Widget Development — API reference and best practices
• 🏪 Widget Marketplace — Publishing and discovering community widgets
• 📋 Widget Index — Complete widget catalog

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🔌 Plugin System

Extend SveltyCMS with server-side logic via the hook-based plugin architecture.

• 🏗️ Plugin Architecture — Hook system, lifecycle, and registration
• 🔧 Plugin Development — Building and testing plugins
• 🛒 E-Commerce Overview — Four surfaces only: plugins, field widgets, dashboard widgets, gated API handlers (core stays a CMS)

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📊 Dashboard Widgets

Build self-contained, marketplace-portable widgets for the admin dashboard grid.

• 🏠 Dashboard Widget Overview — Package layout and discovery
• 🏗️ Dashboard Widget Architecture — Folder structure, widget.json, registry, licensing
• 🛠️ Dashboard Widget Development — Step-by-step guide to building a dashboard widget
• 🏪 Dashboard Widget Marketplace — Publishing and installing dashboard widgets

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Automation and workflows

Editors run these in the admin. The guides are the task. This section keeps the developer pages around them.

• ⚡ Automation System — Event-driven triggers for webhooks, emails, and field updates
• 📋 Workflow Engine — Draft, review, and publishing state management
• 🛠️ Error Handling — Unified error handling patterns for development
• 🔧 Autonomous Maintenance — System watchdog and self-healing

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🧠 AI Integration

Leverage AI capabilities within SveltyCMS.

• 🤖 AI Integration — Local Ollama, hosted MCP knowledge core, AI translation
• 🧠 AI-Assisted Builder Design — Roadmap: design collections, widgets, pages, and automations with AI (Phase 0 gateway shipped)
• 🧠 Smart CMS Importer — AI-powered migration from legacy platforms (marketplace plugin)

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🌐 Frontend & Live Preview

Build public sites on SveltyCMS — headless or with the optional in-repo starter.

• 🌐 SvelteKit Site Starter — Optional routes/(site) public frontend (free)
• 👁️ Live Preview Architecture — Preview tokens and postMessage protocol
• 🔌 Editable Website Plugin — Premium live preview (€14.99)

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📡 SDK & API Patterns

Developer tools for building on top of SveltyCMS.

• 📦 Hybrid Package Model — @sveltycms/core and @sveltycms/widgets npm packages
• ⚡ Edge SDK — Edge-optimized data fetching and multi-region support
• 🔗 Local vs HTTP API — When to use the Local SDK vs REST/GraphQL
• 📖 OpenAPI Specification — Dynamic OpenAPI 3.1.0 spec for automated SDK generation

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Next Steps

• Building an admin page? Start with Native UI
• New to widget development? Start with the Widget System Overview
• Building a plugin? See the Plugin Architecture
• Using the SDK? Read the Hybrid Package Model
• Automating workflows? Check the Automation System
• Using AI? Read the AI Integration Guide
• Need the API? Visit the API Reference