actualNoteContentPart: ## Why plugins?
  The core features of Amplenote will always err toward simplicity and catering to the masses. Most note takers just want a note taking tool that is fast and pretty, on mobile and desktop. So, while Amplenote sneaks in fancy features like Task Score at times, we try our hardest not to add any options to the UX that do not serve an important, necessary purpose for the vast majority of note takers. 
  
  Plugins exist because we want to create leverage for productivity freaks. There are 5-10% of the population whose incentives or circumstances drives them to wring every last ounce of output from their time. These people have the potential to make 10x-type impacts on the world; plugins can enable their greatest aspirations, especially those that aren't relevant to mainstream users. 
  What are the potential dangers of installing Amplenote plugins?
  As described by the [docs on authoring plugins](https://public.amplenote.com/bz3BbmEWyVevW6LDDuPJDHBJ) , a plugin can potentially access content in your notes and can make calls to third-party websites. For a plugin to access note content, it must be installed, and it must be invoked (by an expression like {my plugin command}, through the note menu, etc), but upon invoking a plugin, it will run the Javascript that you can see in a plugin note. 
  
  ## What can plugins do?
  There are three answers to this question.
  
  The first, most literal answer, is that "what plugins can do" in Amplenote evolves more quickly than a second-hand help page like this can. The [latest spec for our plugin API can be found here](https://www.amplenote.com/help/developing_amplenote_plugins) .
  
  The second, more forward-looking answer, is that we will continue to enhance plugin functionality to the extent that developers/aficionados are creating utility from it and telling us about it. The potential for the plugin API is pretty open-ended.
  
  The third, backward-looking answer, is that in a good-case scenario, plugins can do all the things that you see in Obsidian's plugin directory. A [cursory survey of their top-voted plugins](https://public.amplenote.com/vKrMvyXG1j7URAZvKy6Zc9Qk)  shows [a lot of overlap with core Amplenote functionality]() . Possibilities like Dataview, Templater, and Kanban all seem pretty interesting to certain types of note taking enthusiasts. 
  
  ## What are the potential dangers of installing Amplenote plugins?
  As described by the [docs on authoring plugins](https://public.amplenote.com/bz3BbmEWyVevW6LDDuPJDHBJ) , a plugin can access content in your notes, including vault notes (assuming they have been unlocked by a password) and can make calls to whatever website they want. For a plugin to access note content, it must be installed. After that, it usually must be invoked (by an expression like {my plugin command}, through the note menu, etc), but a plugin can (to some degree now, and definitely in the future) execute code even when not invoked directly. 
  
  You can see the code for a plugin, but whether you understand it (and could be obfuscated pretty easily) depends upon your experience with Javascript. 
  
  That said, plugin code is completely isolated from the app. It can't get anything not provided to it, though note content is provided to it. It can't touch cookies, call Amplenote servers with any privileges, etc.
processedNoteContent: ---
  title: Installing & Using Amplenote Plugins
  headers: ## Why plugins?
  ---
  Why plugins?
  The core features of Amplenote will always err toward simplicity and catering to the masses. Most note takers just want a note taking tool that is fast and pretty, on mobile and desktop. So, while Amplenote sneaks in fancy features like Task Score at times, we try our hardest not to add any options to the UX that do not serve an important, necessary purpose for the vast majority of note takers. Plugins exist because we want to create leverage for productivity freaks. There are 5-10% of the population whose incentives or circumstances drives them to wring every last ounce of output from their time. These people have the potential to make 10x-type impacts on the world; plugins can enable their greatest aspirations, especially those that aren't relevant to mainstream users.
  What are the potential dangers of installing Amplenote plugins?
  As described by the [docs on authoring plugins](https://public.amplenote.com)`
   , a plugin can potentially access content in your notes and can make calls to third-party websites. For a plugin to access note content, it must be installed, and it must be invoked (by an expression like {my plugin command}, through the note menu, etc), but upon invoking a plugin, it will run the Javascript that you can see in a plugin note. 
  What can plugins do?
  There are three answers to this question. The first, most literal answer, is that "what plugins can do" in Amplenote evolves more quickly than a second-hand help page like this can. The [latest spec for our plugin API can be found here](https://www.amplenote.com)`
   . The second, more forward-looking answer, is that we will continue to enhance plugin functionality to the extent that developers/aficionados are creating utility from it and telling us about it. The potential for the plugin API is pretty open-ended. The third, backward-looking answer, is that in a good-case scenario, plugins can do all the things that you see in Obsidian's plugin directory. A [cursory survey of their top-voted plugins](https://public.amplenote.com)`
    shows [a lot of overlap with core Amplenote functionality]()
   . Possibilities like Dataview, Templater, and Kanban all seem pretty interesting to certain types of note taking enthusiasts. 
  What are the potential dangers of installing Amplenote plugins?
  As described by the [docs on authoring plugins](https://public.amplenote.com)`
   , a plugin can access content in your notes, including vault notes (assuming they have been unlocked by a password) and can make calls to whatever website they want. For a plugin to access note content, it must be installed. After that, it usually must be invoked (by an expression like {my plugin command}, through the note menu, etc), but a plugin can (to some degree now, and definitely in the future) execute code even when not invoked directly. You can see the code for a plugin, but whether you understand it (and could be obfuscated pretty easily) depends upon your experience with Javascript. That said, plugin code is completely isolated from the app. It can't get anything not provided to it, though note content is provided to it. It can't touch cookies, call Amplenote servers with any privileges, etc.
noteTitle: Installing & Using Amplenote Plugins