docs(plugins): list the built-in author tools at the top of the plugin guide

website/docs/developer-guide/plugins/index.md

@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ See the full [Pluggable interfaces table](../../user-guide/features/plugins.md#p
 Plugins that integrate **someone else's product or project** — observability/metrics backends, vendor SaaS connectors, analytics dashboards, paid-service tie-ins — are built and distributed as **standalone plugin repos**, not merged into `NousResearch/hermes-agent`. Users install them into `~/.hermes/plugins/` or via a pip entry point; everything in this guide works the same way from a standalone repo. This is a coupling-and-maintenance decision (the core moves fast and we don't own your backend), not a quality bar — a plugin can be excellent and still belong in its own repo. Promote it in the Nous Research Discord `#plugins-skills-and-skins` channel. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for the policy.
 :::
 
+:::tip Already built in: check here before you hand-roll it
+Hermes already ships these for plugin authors:
+
+- **Run the catalog check locally:** `hermes plugins validate /path/to/your-plugin --install-deps` runs the same check catalog CI runs. See [Submitting to the Plugin Catalog](./catalog-submission.md).
+- **Test your plugin in isolation:** `hermes plugins doctor [path-or-id]` runs the same discovery, manifest parser, `register(ctx)` and registries Hermes uses, with a temporary `HERMES_HOME`. See [Validate with Plugin Doctor](#validate-with-plugin-doctor).
+- **Keep state across updates:** `plugin_data_dir()` and `plugin_db()` give your plugin a data directory that survives `hermes plugins update` and `remove` and follows the active profile. See [Store durable state](#store-durable-state).
+- **Declare Python dependencies:** list them under `python_dependencies` in `plugin.yaml`, or in a `pyproject.toml` next to it. See [Python dependencies](#python-dependencies).
+- **Ship skills with your plugin:** register them with `ctx.register_skill()`. See [Bundle skills](#bundle-skills).
+- **Ask for privileged host surfaces:** declare them under `capabilities:` so users get a single consent screen. See [Declaring capabilities](#declaring-capabilities).
+- **Make LLM calls:** use `ctx.llm`, which comes with host-owned credentials and a fail-closed trust gate. See [Plugin LLM Access](../plugin-llm-access.md).
+:::
+
 ## Portable Agent Plugins v1 packages
 
 Hermes can also install and load directory packages that target the Agent