Learn how to package your Genbase Kit for distribution and publish it to a registry like registry.genbase.io.

Packaging and Publishing Kits

After developing your Kit, you need to package it correctly before you can install it locally or share it by publishing it to a Kit Registry.

1. Packaging Your Kit

Genbase expects Kits to be distributed as gzipped tar archives (.tar.gz). This archive must contain all your Kit's files and directories directly at the root of the archive (not nested inside an extra folder).

Create the Archive

Ensure all your Kit's files (kit.yaml, tools/, workspace/, requirements.txt, etc.) are in a single root directory (e.g., my-awesome-kit). Open your terminal, navigate to the directory containing your Kit's root folder, and run the tar command:

# Example: Kit files are in './my-awesome-kit'
# Output filename format suggestion: owner-kit_id-version.tar.gz
 
tar czvf your_owner-my_awesome_kit-1.0.0.tar.gz -C my-awesome-kit .

c: Create archive.
z: Use gzip compression.
v: Verbose (optional).
f <filename>: Specify the output archive name.
-C <directory>: Crucial: Change to this directory (my-awesome-kit in the example) before adding files.
.: Add all contents of the current directory (which -C changed to) to the archive root.

Verify the Structure (Optional)

Check the contents to ensure files are at the root:

tar tzvf your_owner-my_awesome_kit-1.0.0.tar.gz

You should see entries like ./kit.yaml, ./tools/some_tool.py, etc., without a leading directory like my-awesome-kit/.

2. Local Installation / Upload

You can test your packaged Kit by installing it directly into your local Genbase Studio:

Go to the Registry section ().
Find and click the "Upload Kit" button.
Select your created .tar.gz file.

Genbase will validate and install the Kit locally.

3. Publishing to a Registry

To share your Kit with others, publish it to a Kit Registry.

Public Registry (`registry.genbase.io`)

The default public registry offers a manual upload process:

Navigate: Go to https://registry.genbase.io in your web browser.
Account: Register for an account or Log in.
Owner Matching
Your username on registry.genbase.io must exactly match the owner field specified in your Kit's kit.yaml file. Ensure they are identical (case-sensitive).
Publish Page: Navigate to the /publish page on the registry website.
Upload: Use the interface provided on the /publish page to select and upload your packaged .tar.gz Kit file.
Verification: The registry will likely perform validations on your kit.yaml and package structure. Follow any instructions provided by the registry interface.

Programmatic Publishing (Future)

Currently, publishing to registry.genbase.io is a manual web upload process. Programmatic publishing via API keys might become available in the future. Check the registry's documentation for updates.

Private or Alternative Registries

If you are using a different registry (e.g., self-hosted or third-party):

Ensure your Genbase Engine's REGISTRY_URL environment variable points to the correct registry base URL.
Follow the specific publishing procedures provided by that registry's documentation. The registry must expose an API compatible with Genbase's KitService for discovery and downloading.

Publishing your Kit makes your specialized AI capabilities available for others to discover, install, and integrate into their own Genbase projects.

Packaging and Publishing Kits

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