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The OpenHands Cloud https://app.all-hands.dev/launch route lets you create shareable links that open OpenHands with one or more plugins already selected. This is useful for:
  • adding a “Try it” link or badge to a plugin README
  • sharing a pre-configured plugin in docs, issues, or Slack
  • building internal test pages for plugin development
/launch is a Cloud route, not a standalone REST endpoint. After the user opens the link and confirms the plugin configuration, OpenHands starts a conversation using the normal V1 conversation flow described in the Cloud API guide.

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Before You Start

You will need:
  • an OpenHands Cloud account
  • a plugin or skill stored in a Git repository
  • the repository source, and optionally a branch/tag/commit and subdirectory path
Only share plugins and skills from sources you trust. The launch flow asks the user to trust the extension before it runs with the agent secrets configured in their account.

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Step 1: Define the Plugin

Create a JSON array of plugin definitions. Each item uses this shape: 
[
  {
    "source": "github:OpenHands/extensions",
    "ref": "main",
    "repo_path": "plugins/pr-review"
  }
]
The fields are:
  • source - where the plugin lives, such as github:owner/repo or a Git URL
  • ref - optional branch, tag, or commit
  • repo_path - optional subdirectory inside the repository
  • parameters - optional configuration values that OpenHands shows as editable inputs before launch
The same format works for skills. For example, a skill in the OpenHands extensions repo would use "repo_path": "skills/github".

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Step 2: Encode the Plugin Definition

The plugins query parameter must be a base64-encoded version of your JSON array. 
[
  {
    "source": "github:OpenHands/extensions",
    "ref": "main",
    "repo_path": "plugins/pr-review"
  }
]
Convert that JSON into base64-encoded text, then use the encoded value as the plugins query parameter in your /launch URL.

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Step 3: Add an Optional Starting Message

If you want the launched conversation to start with a prompt, add a message query parameter. 
https://app.all-hands.dev/launch?plugins=W3sic291cmNlIjoiZ2l0aHViOk9wZW5IYW5kcy9leHRlbnNpb25zIiwicmVmIjoibWFpbiIsInJlcG9fcGF0aCI6InBsdWdpbnMvcHItcmV2aWV3In1d&message=/pr-review%20https%3A//github.com/OpenHands/OpenHands/pull/12699
In this example:
  • plugins loads the pr-review plugin from OpenHands/extensions
  • message pre-fills the initial task for the conversation

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Step 4: Open the Launch URL

When someone opens the link in OpenHands Cloud:
  1. They sign in if needed.
  2. OpenHands shows the plugins or skills from the URL.
  3. Any parameters values are shown as inputs that the user can review or edit.
  4. The user confirms they trust the extension.
  5. OpenHands starts the conversation with the selected plugin configuration.

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Simple Format for Development

For quick local or staging tests, you can use simpler query parameters instead of base64 encoding: 
https://app.all-hands.dev/launch?plugin_source=github:OpenHands/extensions&plugin_ref=main&plugin_repo_path=plugins/pr-review
This format is convenient for manual testing, but the encoded plugins format is better for production links because it also supports multiple plugins in one URL.

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Next Steps