Packages and the catalog

What a package is, how to install games from playon.games, and how agents use them.

A package (legacy file extension .skill.zip) is a packaged how-to for a game (or platform job): install, start, recover, player-panel bits. PlayOn’s Home install does not bundle every game — you pull official games.* packages from the package library when you need them.

Browse the library

Site: Package library
Machine-readable catalog: https://playon.games/packages/index.json

Each package page shows version, tags, dependencies, and a downloadable .skill.zip.

Install on your host

Easiest path — ask chat (or an MCP agent):

Search the catalog for Minecraft and install it.

Or in the admin UI: Packages (Catalog tab) / import a .skill.zip you downloaded.

After install

Ask to create and start a server for that package. The package encodes:

Runtime expectations (Docker vs native / SteamCMD) — see Docker on nodes when a package needs containers
Config defaults
Player panel content and join steps

Writing your own

Advanced hosts can export, edit, and re-import packages. Community submit is a later site track — for now, official packages live in this library.