For years, I’ve had this dream: to curate the plugin repository and help good plugins find the users who need them. There’s something deeply satisfying about connecting creators with their audience, about surfacing hidden gems that deserve more attention, and about making the vast ecosystem of plugins more navigable for everyone.

A few things stood in my way, but the one I had control over was the lack of proper tools.

The Search Problem

The plugin repository’s search functionality is solid for basic queries, but when you want to curate—really curate—you need more. You need to filter by multiple criteria, sort in different ways, analyze trends, and discover patterns that aren’t immediately obvious. The built-in search just wasn’t designed for the kind of deep exploration I wanted to do.

I felt stuck, watching my dream stay just out of reach.

The Breakthrough

Then I realized: the plugin repository has an open API. And with modern tools like Telex, I could build exactly what I needed.

So I did.

I created my own solution that lets me search, filter, and analyze plugins in ways the standard interface never could. But here’s the key difference: I made screenshots the main search criteria instead of icons and short descriptions.

I’m a visual person. When I’m looking for plugins, I want to see what they do, not just read about them. A screenshot tells you immediately whether a plugin might be what you need. It shows the interface, the workflow, the actual experience—things that an icon and a brief description can only hint at.

So I built my tool around that philosophy. Now I can:

• Browse plugins visually, with screenshots front and center
• Quickly scan through dozens of options based on what they actually look like
• Find plugins based on complex criteria combinations
• Spot trends and emerging categories
• Identify quality plugins that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve
• Build the kind of curated, visual lists I’ve always wanted to share

Closer Than Ever

I’m not there yet—dreams take time—but I’m closer than I’ve ever been. I finally have the tools to do the work I’ve been wanting to do for years. The data is accessible, the technology is powerful, and the possibilities feel limitless.

Is it perfect? Not yet. There’s tweaking to do, features to refine, and improvements I’m already thinking about. But I’ve learned that getting v1 out there is the most important thing. You can’t iterate on something that doesn’t exist. You can’t get feedback on a tool that’s still just an idea in your head.

If you’re a plugin developer wondering how to reach more users, or a user struggling to find the right tool, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned—there’s more coming.

Sometimes the path to your dream isn’t about waiting for the perfect tool to appear. It’s about realizing you can build it yourself. And sometimes, it’s about shipping version one and improving from there.