Contribute

RetroMao extensions are developed in a separate public repository, RetroMao-Community. You don’t need the app’s source code or an APK build.

Choose what to build

Goal	Skills	Guide
Translate the interface	Editing a JSON file	Translate
Add a system or theme	Config files, images, GLB models	Make systems and themes
Add features	JavaScript, HTML/CSS	Develop plugins

Set up

You need Python 3.11+, plus Node.js 22+ for plugin tests and browser checks. We recommend creating and activating a Python virtual environment. Fork the repository, then run these from its root:

python -m pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
npm ci
python tools/retromao.py check

One tool for everything

tools/retromao.py covers everything from creating to publishing:

Command	What it does
`init plugin｜platform｜language --id --name --author`	Creates from a template
`check [path]`	Validates languages, schemas, templates and APIs
`preview <path>`	Previews locally with sample data, without real cloud storage
`pack <path> --release-tag <tag>`	Packages a ZIP
`publish <path> --tag <tag> --repository <repo>`	Publishes a Release and updates the catalog

Publish to your fork

Players who add your repository URL to RetroMao can see what you publish.

python tools/retromao.py check extensions/demo-plugin
git add extensions/demo-plugin
git commit -m "Add demo plugin 1.0.0"
git push origin HEAD
python tools/retromao.py publish extensions/demo-plugin --tag demo-plugin-1.0.0 --repository YourAccount/RetroMao-Community --notes extensions/demo-plugin/RELEASE_NOTES.md
git add plugins/index.json
git commit -m "Publish verified demo plugin catalog"
git push origin HEAD

publish validates and packages your extension, creates a new Release and downloads the asset to check its size and SHA-256. It updates the catalog only if all of this succeeds. Versions and tags can’t be overwritten.

Contribute upstream

Publishing to your fork and contributing upstream are separate. In a pull request to the official repository, include:

The purpose, author and minimum host version
Permissions, plus asset sources and licenses
Local checks, previews and device testing, including anything you didn’t test

After review, maintainers publish the assets in the official repository.

Rules

Don’t submit ROMs, firmware, saves, keys or account details.
Only package assets with clear permission to redistribute, and credit the original authors.
Before publishing, test at least 16:9, 4:3 and 1:1 layouts, with both touch and controller.
Automated checks don’t replace testing on devices, emulators and real cloud storage.