Extensions
Crow's functionality can be extended with add-ons installed from the Extensions page. Each extension can include MCP tools, dashboard panels, Docker services, and AI skills.
Installing Extensions
- Go to Extensions in your Crow's Nest dashboard
- Browse available extensions by category
- Click Install and configure any required settings (API keys, passwords, etc.)
- The extension installs automatically — panels appear in the sidebar after a gateway restart
What Happens on Install
Depending on the extension type:
- MCP Server — registers tools accessible to AI chat and Claude Code
- Bundle (Docker) — pulls images, starts containers, opens firewall ports
- Skill — adds behavioral prompts that guide AI responses
- Panel — adds a dashboard page with web UI
Extensions with web UIs are automatically proxied through the gateway (no extra ports to open).
Removing Extensions
- Go to Extensions in the dashboard
- Find the installed extension and click Remove
- Containers are stopped, files are removed, firewall ports are closed
Local models live in the Model Catalog
Extensions no longer lists model bundles (bundles that serve an LLM, embedding, rerank or vision model). In the AI & Models group a single Local models card shows how many models are registered and running, and opens the Model Catalog page of the dashboard, where models are downloaded, adopted from disk, registered, started and stopped. A model bundle that is already installed stays under Installed with its usual actions until it is migrated. Installing a model bundle directly through the API is refused with model_bundle_moved.
GPU apps that are not model bundles, such as Ollama, LocalAI, Kokoro TTS or SDXL, still install from Extensions.
If you relied on the CUDA vLLM model bundles. vllm-cuda-embed, vllm-cuda-rerank and vllm-cuda-vision leave Browse. Their Model Catalog equivalents run on llama-server (Vulkan) on any GPU, NVIDIA included: qwen3-embedding-0.6b or embeddinggemma-300m for embeddings, qwen3-reranker-0.6b for reranking and qwen3-vl-4b-instruct for vision. An operator on a CUDA-only host who wants vLLM can still install the generic vllm app bundle.
Available Extensions
AI & Automation
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Browser Automation | Bundle | Stealth browser with VNC, form filling, scraping |
| Ollama | Bundle | Local AI models for embeddings and analysis |
| LocalAI | Bundle | OpenAI-compatible local inference |
| Bot Builder | Built-in | Gmail, Discord, and Glasses agents — create, deploy, and manage agents from the dashboard. BYOAI auto-config, Messages integration, skill deployment. |
Finance
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Filing Assistant | MCP Server | Federal tax preparation with PDF ingestion |
Media
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Media Hub | MCP Server | RSS feeds, YouTube, podcasts, TTS, email digests |
| Podcast | Skill | Podcast publishing with iTunes RSS |
| Songbook | Skill | ChordPro charts, transposition, setlists |
Storage & Productivity
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File Storage (MinIO) | Bundle | S3-compatible file storage |
| Nextcloud | Bundle | File sync via WebDAV |
| Obsidian Vault | MCP Server | Read and search Obsidian notes |
Smart Home & Gaming
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant | MCP Server | Control lights, switches, sensors |
| RoMM | Bundle | Retro game library and emulator |
Social & Communication
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Video & Audio Calls | Bundle | Peer-to-peer video/audio calling with WebRTC |
Infrastructure
| Extension | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tailscale | Bundle | VPN access from any device |
| Push Notifications (ntfy) | Bundle | Self-hosted push via ntfy app |
| TURN Server (coturn) | Bundle | WebRTC relay for NAT traversal |
Extension Web UIs
Some extensions provide web interfaces (VNC viewer, MinIO console, etc.). These are accessed in two ways:
Proxy Mode (default)
The extension UI is proxied through the Crow gateway at /proxy/<id>/. No extra ports or firewall rules needed. Works for simple apps (VNC/noVNC).
Example: /proxy/browser/vnc.html
Direct Mode
For SPA apps (React, Vue) that can't work behind a subpath proxy. The extension port is opened in the firewall and served via Tailscale HTTPS.
Example: https://your-machine.ts.net:9001/ (MinIO console)
This is configured automatically during installation — ports are opened and Tailscale HTTPS is set up.
For Developers
See the Creating Add-ons guide to build your own extensions.