Veehive & Plugins

Velnode Browser  ·  a product of Dignity New Zealand Limited

_{Product  |  Version 1.1  |  Last updated 2026-07-03}

Veehive & Plugins

Document type: Product Owner: Dignity New Zealand Limited Applies to: Velnode Browser v2.3.2-beta.1 and later Last updated: 2026-07-03 Document version: 1.1 Status: Approved

Velnode's plugin system extends the browser and Vee without bloating the core install. This document explains what Veehive is, what plugins ship with Velnode, how to find and enable them, and how plugin safety works.

What is Veehive?

Veehive is Velnode's own signed plugin store — a hand-picked, curated catalogue of add-ons that extend what Velnode and Vee can do. It is built into the browser; you do not need to visit a separate website or download a third-party store.

Every plugin in Veehive carries Velnode's own digital signature before it can be listed. Unsigned, tampered, or revoked plugins are refused at load time — they never run, even if they reach your device. This signing requirement is enforced at the main-process level, not the renderer, so it cannot be bypassed by a web page or a misbehaving plugin.

Today, Veehive's catalogue is first-party and curated by Dignity New Zealand Limited — the plugins listed below, plus any additional first-party plugins added over time. A third-party developer ecosystem, where outside developers can submit their own plugins for signing and listing, is planned for a future release and is not open yet.

Open Veehive from either:

• Settings → Plugins → Open Veehive store, or
• ☰ menu → Veehive store

Plugins ship disabled by default

Every plugin — including the built-in ones that come with Velnode — is turned off by default. Enabling a plugin is an explicit action you take in Settings → Plugins. A plugin you have not enabled occupies zero RAM at boot.

This is deliberate. Velnode is lightweight by design, and plugins that you have no use for should cost you nothing.

Built-in plugins

Velnode ships with the following plugins already installed. Each one is off until you enable it in Settings → Plugins.

To enable a plugin, open Settings → Plugins, find the plugin, and toggle it on. To disable it, toggle it off. Disabled plugins are cold — no RAM, no background activity.

How to browse and install plugins from Veehive

1. Open Settings → Plugins → Open Veehive store (or ☰ → Veehive store).
2. Browse the catalogue. Each plugin card shows what the plugin does and the permissions it needs.
3. Click Install on any plugin you want. A consent screen lists the permissions the plugin declares.
4. Review the permissions and confirm. Velnode installs the plugin and adds it to your Settings → Plugins list.
5. Toggle the plugin on in Settings → Plugins to activate it.

If you no longer want a plugin, go to Settings → Plugins, open the plugin's detail, and choose Uninstall.

Plugin safety

Signing — every plugin must be Velnode-signed

Velnode only loads a plugin that carries Velnode's own Ed25519 digital signature. Before any plugin runs, the browser re-checks every file's fingerprint against the signed record. A plugin that has been tampered with, that has not been signed, or that appears on the signed revocation list is refused — it does not load and cannot execute any code.

This check is not optional and cannot be turned off. It runs even for the built-in plugins that shipped with the installer.

Capability gating — plugins only get the powers they declare

Each plugin declares a list of capabilities in its manifest — for example, "read the current page's text" or "open a side panel". Velnode only grants a plugin the capabilities it has declared and that you have consented to. A plugin cannot silently acquire access to the vault, your AI provider keys, or arbitrary IPC channels beyond those its manifest specifies.

Memory budgets — plugins cannot consume runaway RAM

The Modular Runtime Core enforces a per-plugin memory ceiling. A plugin that exceeds its budget is cold-restarted automatically, preventing any single plugin from degrading the rest of the browser.

Revocation

If Dignity New Zealand Limited determines that a plugin is unsafe, it can be revoked via the signed revocation list. Velnode checks this list and refuses to load a revoked plugin, even one you have previously installed.

Plugin permissions

Before you enable or install a plugin, Velnode shows you the permissions it needs. Common permissions include:

• Read current page — the plugin can read the text and structure of the page you are viewing.
• Open side panel — the plugin can open a panel inside the Velnode interface.
• Write to notes — the plugin can append entries to your local notes.
• Access Vee — the plugin can send prompts through Vee (subject to the same policy layer as any other Vee call — Kids Mode, Local-Only, and token caps all apply).

Plugins cannot access your vault, your API keys, your timeline, or each other's data. Permissions shown on the consent screen are the complete list — there are no hidden grants.

Resource discipline

Plugins are designed to be lightweight:

• A plugin you have not enabled uses zero RAM and runs no background code.
• An enabled plugin runs against a memory budget enforced by the runtime.
• The optional local LLM brain and wake-word model that some plugins may use are not bundled in the installer — they are opt-in downloads.

Settings → Velnode System Health shows the live RAM and disk contribution of each enabled plugin so you can see the real cost and disable anything you do not need.

Where to read next

• Features — the full Velnode feature inventory, including the plugin runtime.
• How It Works — how the plugin runtime fits into the trust model.
• Acceptable Use Policy §4 — the obligations every plugin carries.
• Frequently Asked Questions — quick answers about plugin safety and RAM.

Document maintained by Dignity New Zealand Limited. Questions: [email protected].