docs(cli): give the two plugin artifacts distinct nouns and rewrite "Which scaffolder?" as a two-question decision

.changeset/cli-plugin-word-disambiguation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/cli": patch
+---
+
+docs(cli): give the two `plugin` artifacts their own nouns, and rewrite "Which scaffolder?" as a two-question decision (#16484, #15531)
+
+`plugin` names two different artifacts in this CLI, and neither the help text
+nor the docs said which one a reader was about to get:
+
+- `os init <name> -t plugin` scaffolds a **metadata package** — declarative
+  objects another stack loads, built by `objectstack compile`, emitted
+  `private: true`.
+- `os create plugin <name>` scaffolds a **kernel code plugin** — TypeScript
+  implementing the kernel `Plugin` contract, built by `tsc`, publishable as
+  `@objectstack/plugin-<name>`.
+
+Someone who wanted a "plugin skeleton" and reached for the nearer of the two got
+the wrong artifact, with no failure anywhere to tell them so — the metadata
+package has no `Plugin` to implement, and the kernel code plugin has no
+declarative objects to compile.
+
+**No flag and no subcommand is renamed.** `-t plugin` and `os create plugin` are
+published surface and are spelled exactly as before; renaming them is a separate
+decision, not this change. What moved is the NOUN each surface uses for the
+artifact, so the two shapes stop sharing one word:
+
+- `os init --help` now reads `Template: app, plugin (a metadata package), empty`,
+  and the `plugin` template describes itself as
+  `Metadata package: declarative objects another stack loads` rather than
+  `Reusable plugin with objects`.
+- `os create`'s `plugin` template describes itself as a **kernel code** plugin.
+
+The "Which scaffolder?" guidance in `content/docs/deployment/cli.mdx` is now a
+two-question decision — *metadata or kernel code?* then *a new project, or an
+addition to a directory you already have?* — landing on exactly one of the four
+entry points, each with the reason to pick it: `npm create objectstack@latest`
+(equivalently `npx create-objectstack`), `os init`, `os init <name> -t plugin`,
+and `os create plugin <name>`. `os create example` is deliberately absent: it was
+retired in #16483.

content/docs/deployment/cli.mdx

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ npm create objectstack@latest my-app
 cd my-app
 ```
 
-This scaffolds a working project with `objectstack.config.ts`, a sample object, and all dependencies installed — plus the AI skills bundle and an `AGENTS.md` for coding agents. (`os init` is the CLI's own scaffolder for metadata-plugin skeletons and bare configs — see [below](#os-init).)
+This scaffolds a working project with `objectstack.config.ts`, a sample object, and all dependencies installed — plus the AI skills bundle and an `AGENTS.md` for coding agents. (`os init` is the CLI's own scaffolder for metadata-package skeletons and bare configs — see [below](#os-init).)
 
 ### Add more metadata
 
@@ -80,20 +80,32 @@ predicate/schema/binding mistakes that fail silently at runtime), and `os dev --
 
 Scaffolds a new ObjectStack project with configuration, TypeScript setup, and initial metadata files.
 
-> **Which scaffolder?** For a new app, prefer **`npm create objectstack@latest`** — it
-> also derives your namespace, pins the framework packages to the current release, and
-> installs the AI skills bundle + `AGENTS.md`. Reach for `os init` when you want a
-> **bare config** in an existing directory — or a **metadata plugin**, which is only one
-> of the two different artifacts the word `plugin` names in this CLI.
-
-**`plugin` names two artifacts. Route by the artifact you want, not by the word.**
-
-| You want | Command | What it emits | Built by | Publishable? | Read next |
-|:---------|:--------|:--------------|:---------|:-------------|:----------|
-| A **metadata plugin** — declarative objects another stack loads, no kernel code | `os init <name> -t plugin` | `objectstack.config.ts` whose manifest declares `type: 'plugin'`, plus `src/objects/*.object.ts` | `objectstack compile` (its `build` script) | **No** — the emitted `package.json` is `private: true` | [`os init`](#os-init) below, and [Object Metadata](/docs/data-modeling/objects) for the objects it holds |
-| A **kernel code plugin** — TypeScript implementing the kernel `Plugin` contract | `os create plugin <name>` | `src/index.ts` exporting a `Plugin` with `init` / `destroy` | `tsc` (its `build` script) | **Yes** — a publishable `@objectstack/plugin-<name>` package | [`os create`](#os-create) below, then [Plugin Anatomy](/docs/plugins/anatomy) and [Plugin Development](/docs/plugins/development) |
-
-Every page under [Plugins & Packages](/docs/plugins) teaches the **kernel code** plugin, so
+> **Which scaffolder? Two questions.**
+>
+> **1. Metadata, or kernel code?** A **metadata package** is declarative — objects
+> another stack loads, built by `objectstack compile`. A **kernel code plugin** is
+> TypeScript implementing the kernel `Plugin` contract, built by `tsc`.
+>
+> **2. A whole new project, or an addition to a directory you already have?**
+
+| What you are building | Where it goes | Entry point | Why this one |
+|:----------------------|:--------------|:------------|:-------------|
+| An **application** — metadata you run | a brand-new project | **`npm create objectstack@latest <name>`** — equivalently `npx create-objectstack <name>` | Derives your namespace, pins the framework packages to the current release, and installs the AI skills bundle + `AGENTS.md`. Prefer it for anything green-field |
+| An **application** — metadata you run | a directory you **already have** | `os init` — or `os init -t empty` for a bare config | Writes config, TypeScript setup and starter metadata in place. Derives no namespace and installs no skills bundle |
+| A **metadata package** — declarative objects another stack loads, no kernel code | its own project | `os init <name> -t plugin` | The only scaffolder that emits a manifest declaring `type: 'plugin'` |
+| A **kernel code plugin** — TypeScript implementing the kernel `Plugin` contract | its own project, or `--in-repo` inside an ObjectStack monorepo checkout | `os create plugin <name>` | The only scaffolder that emits a `Plugin` for you to implement |
+
+**The CLI spells two different artifacts `plugin`; this page does not.** The flag stays
+`-t plugin` and the subcommand stays `os create plugin` — what differs is the noun. A
+**metadata package** is what `os init -t plugin` writes; a **kernel code plugin** is what
+`os create plugin` writes. Route by the artifact you want, not by the word.
+
+| The word `plugin` in | Names | What it emits | Built by | Publishable? | Read next |
+|:---------------------|:------|:--------------|:---------|:-------------|:----------|
+| `os init <name> -t plugin` | A **metadata package** — declarative objects another stack loads, no kernel code | `objectstack.config.ts` whose manifest declares `type: 'plugin'`, plus `src/objects/*.object.ts` | `objectstack compile` (its `build` script) | **No** — the emitted `package.json` is `private: true` | [`os init`](#os-init) below, and [Object Metadata](/docs/data-modeling/objects) for the objects it holds |
+| `os create plugin <name>` | A **kernel code plugin** — TypeScript implementing the kernel `Plugin` contract | `src/index.ts` exporting a `Plugin` with `init` / `destroy` | `tsc` (its `build` script) | **Yes** — a publishable `@objectstack/plugin-<name>` package | [`os create`](#os-create) below, then [Plugin Anatomy](/docs/plugins/anatomy) and [Plugin Development](/docs/plugins/development) |
+
+Every page under [Plugins & Packages](/docs/plugins) teaches the **kernel code plugin**, so
 `os create plugin` is the scaffolder those pages mean — `os init -t plugin` will not give
 you a `Plugin` to implement, and `os create plugin` will not give you declarative objects
 to compile.
@@ -102,7 +114,7 @@ to compile.
 **Why the two scaffolders are deliberately separate.** Merging the `os init` and
 `os create` command families was measured and ruled against in
 [#15531](https://github.com/objectstack-ai/objectstack/issues/15531): the two commands
-emit two different artifacts, so collapsing a metadata plugin and a kernel code plugin
+emit two different artifacts, so collapsing a metadata package and a kernel code plugin
 under one command word would make this collision **structural** instead of merely
 documented — teaching the wrong artifact to everyone, human or agent, who generates a
 plugin from the CLI. The collision, and the misdirection this table replaces, are recorded
@@ -111,13 +123,13 @@ in [#15817](https://github.com/objectstack-ai/objectstack/issues/15817).
 
 ```bash
 os init my-app                    # Create with default "app" template
-os init my-plugin -t plugin       # Create a metadata plugin project
+os init my-package -t plugin      # Create a metadata package project
 os init blank -t empty            # Minimal config only
 os init my-app --no-install       # Skip dependency installation
 ```
 
 **Options:**
-- `-t, --template <template>` — Template: `app` (default), `plugin`, `empty`
+- `-t, --template <template>` — Template: `app` (default), `plugin` (a **metadata package**), `empty`
 - `--no-install` — Skip automatic dependency installation
 - `-p, --package-manager <npm|pnpm|yarn|bun>` — Package manager to use (auto-detected from the environment)
 
@@ -126,7 +138,7 @@ os init my-app --no-install       # Skip dependency installation
 | Template | What it creates |
 |----------|-----------------|
 | `app` | Full application with objects, barrel imports |
-| `plugin` | **Metadata** plugin: declarative objects, built by `objectstack compile`, `private` — *not* the kernel code plugin `os create plugin` emits |
+| `plugin` | **Metadata package**: declarative objects, built by `objectstack compile`, `private` — *not* the kernel code plugin `os create plugin` emits |
 | `empty` | Minimal project with just `objectstack.config.ts` |
 
 #### `os dev`
@@ -1315,7 +1327,7 @@ third-party extension primitive, authored as `src/skills/<name>.skill.ts` with
 #### `os create`
 
 Scaffolds a **standalone** **kernel code** plugin project (the `Plugin` contract,
-built by `tsc`, publishable; *not* the metadata plugin `os init -t plugin` emits — see
+built by `tsc`, publishable; *not* the **metadata package** `os init -t plugin` emits — see
 [Which scaffolder?](#os-init)) into the current directory:
 
 ```bash

content/docs/getting-started/your-first-project.mdx

@@ -70,7 +70,10 @@ so explicitly.
 
 <Callout type="tip">
 `os init` (from `@objectstack/cli`) is an alternative scaffolder with `app` /
-`plugin` / `empty` templates — see the [CLI reference](/docs/deployment/cli#os-init).
+`plugin` / `empty` templates. Its `plugin` template writes a **metadata package** —
+declarative objects another stack loads — and **not** the kernel code plugin
+`os create plugin` writes; [Which scaffolder?](/docs/deployment/cli#os-init) routes
+between all four entry points by the artifact you want rather than by the word.
 `npm create objectstack` is the recommended entry point for new standalone projects.
 </Callout>
 

content/docs/plugins/index.mdx

@@ -75,10 +75,20 @@ Plugins follow a strict three-phase lifecycle (`init()` → `start()` → `destr
 
 ## Creating a Plugin
 
-The fastest way to create a plugin is with the CLI scaffolding:
+<Callout type="info">
+**Which artifact this page means.** Every plugin taught here is a **kernel code
+plugin** — TypeScript implementing the `Plugin` contract, built by `tsc`, published as
+`@objectstack/plugin-<name>`. That is what `os create plugin` scaffolds. If what you
+want instead is a **metadata package** — declarative objects another stack loads, with
+no kernel code — the scaffolder is `os init <name> -t plugin`, and
+[Which scaffolder?](/docs/deployment/cli#os-init) routes between the two by artifact
+rather than by the word `plugin`, which the CLI spells the same for both.
+</Callout>
+
+The fastest way to create a kernel code plugin is with the CLI scaffolding:
 
 ```bash
-# Create a new plugin project in the current directory
+# Create a new kernel code plugin project in the current directory
 os create plugin my-feature
 
 # This creates:

content/docs/protocol/kernel/index.mdx

@@ -383,6 +383,12 @@ All system configuration lives in Git:
 ## Developer Experience
 
 ### Plugin Development
+
+`os create plugin` scaffolds a **kernel code plugin** — TypeScript implementing the
+`Plugin` contract this page describes. It is not the **metadata package** that
+`os init -t plugin` writes, which holds declarative objects and no kernel code;
+[Which scaffolder?](/docs/deployment/cli#os-init) routes between the two by artifact.
+
 ```bash
 # Scaffold new plugin (created as ./plugin-<name>/ in the current directory)
 os create plugin slack-integration

packages/cli/README.md

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ os compile
 | Command | Description |
 |---------|-------------|
 | `os generate <type> <name>` | Generate metadata files (alias: `os g`) |
-| `os create <type> [name]` | Create a new package/plugin/example from template |
+| `os create <type> [name]` | Scaffold a standalone **kernel code** plugin project (the `Plugin` contract, built by `tsc`) from a built-in template |
 
 Available generate types: `object`, `view`, `action`, `flow`, `dashboard`, `app`, `skill`
 
@@ -177,7 +177,9 @@ Common variables: `OS_DATABASE_URL`, `OS_DATABASE_DRIVER`,
 
 ### `os init`
 
-- `-t, --template <template>` — Template: `app` (default), `plugin`, `empty`
+- `-t, --template <template>` — Template: `app` (default), `plugin` (a **metadata package** —
+  declarative objects another stack loads, *not* the kernel code plugin `os create plugin`
+  emits), `empty`
 - `--no-install` — Skip dependency installation
 
 ### `os compile`

packages/cli/src/commands/create.ts

@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ const PLUGIN_IN_REPO_DIR = 'packages/plugins';
 
 export const templates: Record<string, CreateTemplate> = {
   plugin: defineTemplate({
-    description: 'Create a new ObjectStack plugin',
+    description: 'Create a new kernel code plugin (TypeScript implementing the kernel Plugin contract)',
     inRepoDir: PLUGIN_IN_REPO_DIR,
     dirName: (name: string) => `plugin-${name}`,
     filesFor: (placement: ScaffoldPlacement) => {

packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts

@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ export default ${toCamelCase(namespace)}Item;
   },
 
   plugin: {
-    description: 'Reusable plugin with objects',
+    description: 'Metadata package: declarative objects another stack loads',
     get dependencies() {
       return {
         '@objectstack/spec': pkgVersion(),
@@ -882,7 +882,18 @@ export default class Init extends Command {
   };
 
   static override flags = {
-    template: Flags.string({ char: 't', description: 'Template: app, plugin, empty', default: 'app' }),
+    template: Flags.string({
+      char: 't',
+      // The word `plugin` names two different artifacts in this CLI and only one
+      // of them is a template here: `-t plugin` writes a METADATA PACKAGE
+      // (declarative objects, compiled), while `os create plugin` writes a
+      // KERNEL CODE plugin (TypeScript implementing `Plugin`). The flag
+      // spellings are published surface and unchanged (#16484); the nouns are
+      // what tell the two apart. See the chooser in
+      // content/docs/deployment/cli.mdx under `os init`.
+      description: 'Template: app, plugin (a metadata package), empty',
+      default: 'app',
+    }),
     install: Flags.boolean({ description: 'Install dependencies', default: true, allowNo: true }),
     'package-manager': Flags.string({
       char: 'p',