Dependencies & Execution Order

Dependencies let you control when your plugin runs relative to other plugins. This ensures prerequisites are in place before your plugin executes.

Same-Machine Dependencies

Declare that your plugin requires another plugin on the same machine to run first. For example, a “Configure AD Certificate Services” plugin might depend on “Install Windows Server Roles” on the same machine.

In the Dependencies tab, select which other plugins (already applied to the same machine) must complete before yours runs. The build pipeline respects this ordering automatically.

Cross-Machine Dependencies

Plugins on different machines can also declare execution order. This is critical for scenarios where one machine must be fully configured before another can join it.

Common example: A “Join Domain” plugin on a workstation depends on the “Create Root DC” plugin on the domain controller. The DC must be promoted and ready before the workstation tries to join.

Set cross-machine dependencies by selecting plugins applied to other machines in your scenario. The build orchestrator ensures the dependency machine’s plugin completes first.

Parent/Server Plugins

Parent plugins are a reference-only link — they declare which “server” plugin your “client” plugin expects to work with, without enforcing a hard build dependency.

Example: The “Join Domain” plugin links to “Create Root DC” as a parent plugin, with parameter matching:

• Child’s ParentDomainFQDN maps to Parent’s DomainNameFQDN

When both plugins are in the same scenario, the system can:

• Suggest cross-machine dependency recommendations automatically
• Wire up parameter values between the two plugins
• Warn if the parent plugin is missing from the scenario

Configure parent plugins in the Parent Plugins tab with the optional parameter matching step.

Run Order & Snapshots

Within a single machine, plugins run in the order shown in the plugin list. Drag to reorder.

Enable Snapshot Before Play on any plugin to capture the VM’s state before that plugin runs. If something goes wrong, you can revert the snapshot and re-test without rebuilding the entire machine.