Falco + Nginx Plugin Development: Falcoya's Days 144-149
~ Where a Plugin Becomes Ready to Be Seen ~
Recap of Last Week — "Drawing Boundary Lines" Alone Wasn't Enough
From Day 140 to 143,
I was redrawing the "boundary lines of detection" on the veranda of a hot spring inn.
- What can be seen in logs
- What can only be understood through behavior
- The decision to detect, and the decision not to detect
What I did in that period
was making the design work within myself.
But design that "I'm satisfied with"
isn't enough for OSS.
When placed in someone else's context,
can that design stand without being misunderstood?
Days 144 to 149 were
a week of continuously facing this question.
Day 144 (01/08) — "Registration" Becomes a Realistic Option
On this day,
registering falco-plugin-nginx
in the Falco Plugin Registry
emerged as a realistic option for the first time.
However, I didn't decide immediately.
Being listed in the Registry means:
- Falco users will see this plugin "in the context of Falco"
- The possibility of being mistaken for official increases dramatically
- Taking on the risk that non-detection or design trade-offs will look like "defects"
At this point,
it wasn't "can I do it"
but "should I do it" that I was thinking about.
Lesson
Registry registration isn't a technical task but a judgment that comes with commitment. Understand the responsibility you take on by going public before you act.
Day 145 (01/10) — Reading the README, Stripping Away Illusions One by One
On this day, I wrote almost no code.
I read the Falco Plugin Registry README
from beginning to end, over and over.
What does the Registry do?
What doesn't it do?
The difference between official plugins and externally-hosted plugins.
The most important thing here was
stripping away the illusion of "looking official" from my own mind.
The Registry doesn't guarantee.
Falco doesn't take responsibility.
It just recognizes, lists, and makes discoverable.
If I registered with this understanding still vague,
it would definitely lead to trouble later.
I was certain of that.
Lesson
The Registry isn't an "official seal of approval." It just makes you recognized and discoverable. You must not register while that understanding remains vague.
Day 146 (01/11) — Issue #786: Fixing Thoughts Externally
My thoughts were fairly organized.
But left only in my head, they would waver.
So on this day,
I created Issue #786.
- Falco Plugin Registry registration research
- What registration means / doesn't mean
- Position as an externally-hosted plugin
This wasn't an Issue for task management.
It was a vessel for fixing thoughts externally.
In OSS,
decisions that weren't written down never existed.
This Issue became
the axis for all subsequent decisions.
Lesson
In OSS, decisions that weren't written down never existed. Use Issues as "vessels for fixing thoughts externally."
Day 147 (01/12) — The Night That Connected Everything in 90 Minutes
This day was the peak in both work volume and thinking density.
Phase 1: Preparation (21:45–22:00)
Final confirmation of Registry understanding,
re-reading Issue #786.
On top of that,
I started writing the Falco Plugin Registry Registration Procedure Document.
Not how to register,
but how to explain without being misunderstood.
In these 15 minutes,
I wrote not a single line of code.
Phase 2: PR Creation (22:00–22:16)
10 PM.
This is when I first started working on the PR.
PR #1146
registry: add nginx access log monitoring plugin
Updated registry.yaml,
wrote the PR body.
This is an external plugin registration
(source code remains in the external repository)
This single sentence
was the crystallization of understanding built up over several days.
Phase 2 Additional Work: v1.5.1 and Documentation (22:28–22:45)
I didn't just submit the PR and call it done.
- v1.5.1 changelog creation
- README consistency check
- Development diary update
Assuming a future where we're listed in the Registry,
thorough inspection for any information inconsistencies.
This wasn't post-processing,
but work with the same weight as the PR.
Lesson
Submitting a PR isn't the end. Assuming the future where you're listed, inspect that all information is consistent. That's work with the same weight as the PR.
Day 148 (01/14) — Quiet Review and Confirmation
The review was surprisingly quiet.
What was questioned wasn't
whether the feature was good or bad, but:
- License
- plugin-id
- Consistency with Registry structure
Not "is it good"
but "is there any problem listing it".
LGTM.
Approved.
PR #1146 was merged.
Lesson
Registry review isn't about "is it good" but "is there any problem listing it." If you've worked out consistency beforehand, the review ends quietly.
Day 149 (01/15) — Closing as a Diary, as a Record
On this day,
I looked back at the changelog again.
Registered in Falco Plugin Registry
A short single line.
But behind it
is everything built up from 1/8
and the 90 minutes on 1/12.
falco-plugin-nginx became
an OSS discoverable in the context of Falco.
Summary of Lessons — The Registry Tests Your "Commitment"
The Falco Plugin Registry:
- Doesn't guarantee quality
- Doesn't take responsibility
But it
strongly demands consistency in design, explanation, and judgment.
From the moment you're listed,
ambiguity becomes fatal.
- "Registration" is a judgment with commitment, not a technical task (01/08)
- Read the README, strip away illusions (01/10)
- Issues are vessels for fixing thoughts (01/11)
- Prepare documentation with the same weight as PRs (01/12)
- Review is about "any problem listing it" (01/14)
Completed Tasks
What I did this week wasn't just the PR.
- Thoroughly read Falco Plugin Registry specifications/README
- Considered registration eligibility and organized risks
- Issue #786: Registry registration research
- Created Falco Plugin Registry registration procedure document
- Work design through phase division
- Created Registry registration PR (#1146)
- v1.5.1 release work
- README / development diary consistency adjustment
- Review response and merge confirmation
Created/Updated Documents
- Falco Plugin Registry registration procedure document
- Issue #786 (research/judgment log)
- v1.5.1 changelog
- Development diary (2026-01-08 to 01-15)
- README (updated assuming post-Registry registration)
Conclusion — Not "Listed" but "Ready to Be Listed"
falco-plugin-nginx
isn't complete.
But it has finally
reached a state that won't break when placed in someone else's ecosystem.
TK's repeated words—
"You must not publish what you cannot explain"—
finally landed as a real feeling this week.
Not "listed,"
but "ready to be listed."