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Install & update

Requirements

  • herdr 0.9.2 or newer
  • Node 18 or newer, on the PATH as node
  • Linux or macOS

Install

herdr plugin install dvoraj75/herdr-cowbell

Interactively, herdr shows a preview and asks for confirmation. In a non-interactive shell add --yes (-y).

Without --ref, herdr installs the repository's default branch, main, not the latest release tag. The cowbell plugin id is dvoraj75.cowbell. The herdr marketplace also lists cowbell.

Pin a release with --ref

To install a tagged release, or to stay on one version while main moves, pass --ref. It takes any git ref: a tag, a branch or a commit.

herdr plugin install dvoraj75/herdr-cowbell --ref v0.1.0

The releases are listed at https://github.com/dvoraj75/herdr-cowbell/releases.

Check what is installed

herdr plugin list

The entry shows @v0.1.0 for a pinned install and @<commit sha> for an unpinned one. The version field is not enough: it is the manifest version, and main and the v0.1.0 tag both report 0.1.0.

Update

herdr plugin update dvoraj75.cowbell

Without a plugin id, herdr plugin update updates all GitHub plugins. Add --yes in a non-interactive shell. Update refetches the ref recorded at install and skips unchanged commits:

  • An unpinned install moves to the newest main.
  • A tag or commit pin stays on its ref and reports "already up to date". A branch pin moves to that branch's newest commit. Update cannot drop a pin; run install again for that.

herdr plugin update does not exist. Re-run install; it replaces the existing install in place:

herdr plugin install dvoraj75/herdr-cowbell

To switch between a pin and main, re-run install with or without --ref.

herdr does not restart running processes. After an update the running cowbell daemon keeps the old code until it restarts. Restart the herdr server, or run Cowbell: on/off twice (off, then on). See When changes apply.

After installing: start the daemon

Install does not start the daemon. It starts at the next herdr server start, or when herdr detects an agent in a pane. To start it right away, run Cowbell: refresh now. If cowbell was switched off before an uninstall or disable, run Cowbell: on/off instead. By default, auto-named tabs are left alone; see Configuration.

Where files live

On Linux with default XDG paths:

What Path
Plugin checkout ~/.config/herdr/plugins/github/dvoraj75.cowbell-<hash>/
Config ~/.config/herdr/plugins/config/dvoraj75.cowbell/
State ~/.local/state/herdr/plugins/dvoraj75.cowbell/

$XDG_CONFIG_HOME and $XDG_STATE_HOME change the prefixes. Other systems may differ; herdr plugin list shows the paths. The config and state directories survive reinstall and uninstall.

Uninstall

Run Cowbell: off and remove icons first, then:

herdr plugin uninstall dvoraj75.cowbell

See Uninstalling.

Note

Install and --ref behaviour was verified on a herdr 0.9.3 sandbox on 2026-10-30. plugin update behaviour is from herdr's documentation.