Intro to Plane Apps

Video Placeholder Duration: 4-6 minutes Topics covered: The app ecosystem, discovering apps, building custom apps, app architecture

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What is the Plane Apps Ecosystem?

The Plane Apps ecosystem encompasses all the ways you can extend and integrate Plane — from native integrations to custom-built applications.

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Ecosystem Overview

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Native Integrations

First-Party Apps

Built and maintained by Plane:

App	Function
GitHub	Code repository sync
GitLab	MR automation
Slack	Team communication
Sentry	Error tracking
Draw.io	Diagram embedding

Finding Integrations

1. Go to Workspace Settings
2. Navigate to Integrations
3. Browse available apps
4. Click to configure

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Building Custom Apps

Why Build Custom?

• Connect proprietary systems
• Automate unique workflows
• Build specialized tools
• Extend functionality

Building Blocks

API Access Read and write Plane data programmatically.

Webhooks React to events in real-time.

OAuth Authenticate users securely.

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App Architecture

Simple Integration

Event-Driven Integration

Full Application

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API Capabilities

What You Can Do

• Read: Get work items, projects, cycles, users
• Write: Create and update items
• Search: Query and filter data
• Manage: Handle states, labels, properties

Authentication

• API tokens for server-to-server
• OAuth for user-facing apps

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Webhooks

Available Events

• Work item created/updated/deleted
• Comments added
• State changes
• Cycle events
• Member events

Setting Up Webhooks

1. Go to Workspace Settings → Webhooks
2. Add your endpoint URL
3. Select events
4. Save and test

Processing Webhooks

# Example webhook handler
@app.post('/webhook')
def handle_webhook(payload):
    event = payload['event']
    data = payload['data']

    if event == 'issue.created':
        # Handle new work item
        process_new_item(data)

    return {'status': 'ok'}

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App Development Tips

Start Simple

1. Begin with API reading
2. Add writing capabilities
3. Implement webhooks
4. Build UI if needed

Use Official Resources

• API documentation
• SDK libraries (if available)
• Example code

Test Thoroughly

• Use a test workspace
• Verify permissions
• Handle errors gracefully

Security First

• Secure your credentials
• Validate webhook signatures
• Use HTTPS everywhere

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Example App Ideas

Reporting Dashboard

• Pull data via API
• Generate custom reports
• Display in external tool

CI/CD Integration

• Listen for PR events
• Create/update work items
• Link builds to items

Custom Notifications

• Webhook triggers
• Send to custom destinations
• Custom filtering logic

Time Entry System

• External time tracking
• Sync to Plane time tracking
• Custom reporting

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Community Apps

Discovering Community Tools

• GitHub repositories
• Community forums
• Discord discussions

Sharing Your Apps

• Open source your code
• Document usage
• Share in community

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Key Takeaways

• Plane Apps ecosystem includes native, API, and custom integrations
• Native integrations cover common tools (GitHub, Slack, etc.)
• Build custom apps with API + Webhooks
• Start simple, iterate based on needs
• Security and testing are critical
• Share and discover in the community

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Next Steps

Automate Plane workflows with Plane Scripts.

Next Lesson: Intro to Plane Scripts