diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index af1d059a2..1fa068ebe 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -482,8 +482,8 @@ repos:
       - id: remove-tabs
         name: 🚀 Remove Tabs
         description: Replaces tabs by whitespaces.
-        # exclude root-level Makefiles and any path ending in /Makefile or .mk
-        exclude: '(^|/)Makefile$|\.mk$'
+        # exclude root-level Makefiles and any path ending in /Makefile or .mk or .jinja
+        exclude: '(^|/)Makefile$|(\.mk|\.jinja)$'
 
   # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # 🚫 Branch Protection Hooks
diff --git a/docs/docs/using/plugins/lifecycle.md b/docs/docs/using/plugins/lifecycle.md
index 4b6829ab8..a44029ecd 100644
--- a/docs/docs/using/plugins/lifecycle.md
+++ b/docs/docs/using/plugins/lifecycle.md
@@ -71,7 +71,17 @@ Inspect those two files and get familiar with them. There are many options you c
 
 ### Dependencies
 
-Plugins are Python packages with dependencies managed by `uv`. Just like the gateway, you can add, lock, lint, and ensure that best practices are followed when creating your plugins. To ensure compatibility with the gateway linters, we do not directly install them in the template. Instead, please install the gateway package with the dev extras, which will include all required linters.
+Plugins are Python packages with dependencies managed by `uv`. Just like the gateway, you can add, lock, lint, and ensure that best practices are followed when creating your plugins. To install dependencies with dev packages (required for linting and testing), run:
+
+```bash
+make install-dev
+```
+
+Alternatively, you can also install it in editable mode:
+
+```bash
+make install-editable
+```
 
 ### Test
 
diff --git a/mcpgateway/plugins/tools/cli.py b/mcpgateway/plugins/tools/cli.py
index 75e921cdd..efe3e84d5 100644
--- a/mcpgateway/plugins/tools/cli.py
+++ b/mcpgateway/plugins/tools/cli.py
@@ -45,9 +45,7 @@
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Configuration defaults
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_BASE_URL = "https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git"
-DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_TYPE = "external"
-DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_URL = f"{DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_BASE_URL}::plugin_templates/{DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_TYPE}"
+DEFAULT_TEMPLATE_URL = "https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git"
 DEFAULT_AUTHOR_NAME = "<changeme>"
 DEFAULT_AUTHOR_EMAIL = "<changeme>"
 DEFAULT_PROJECT_DIR = Path("./.")
diff --git a/plugin_templates/external/Makefile.jinja b/plugin_templates/external/Makefile.jinja
index b864d2fee..960a842d8 100644
--- a/plugin_templates/external/Makefile.jinja
+++ b/plugin_templates/external/Makefile.jinja
@@ -18,22 +18,22 @@ VENV_DIR  ?= $(VENVS_DIR)/$(PROJECT_NAME)
 # =============================================================================
 
 black:
-    @echo "🎨  black $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/black -l 200 $(TARGET)
+	@echo "🎨  black $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/black -l 200 $(TARGET)
 
 black-check:
-    @echo "🎨  black --check $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/black -l 200 --check --diff $(TARGET)
+	@echo "🎨  black --check $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/black -l 200 --check --diff $(TARGET)
 
 ruff:
-    @echo "⚡ ruff $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check $(TARGET) && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff format $(TARGET)
+	@echo "⚡ ruff $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check $(TARGET) && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff format $(TARGET)
 
 ruff-check:
-    @echo "⚡ ruff check $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check $(TARGET)
+	@echo "⚡ ruff check $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check $(TARGET)
 
 ruff-fix:
-    @echo "⚡ ruff check --fix $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check --fix $(TARGET)
+	@echo "⚡ ruff check --fix $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff check --fix $(TARGET)
 
 ruff-format:
-    @echo "⚡ ruff format $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff format $(TARGET)
+	@echo "⚡ ruff format $(TARGET)..." && $(VENV_DIR)/bin/ruff format $(TARGET)
 
 # =============================================================================
 # Container runtime configuration and operations
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ CONTAINER_PORT ?= 8000
 CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT ?= 8000
 
 print-runtime:
-    @echo Using container runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
+	@echo Using container runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 
 # Base image name (without any prefix)
 IMAGE_BASE ?= mcpgateway/$(PROJECT_NAME)
@@ -74,10 +74,10 @@ else
 endif
 
 print-image:
-    @echo "🐳 Container Runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
-    @echo "Using image: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"
-    @echo "Development image: $(IMAGE_LOCAL_DEV)"
-    @echo "Push image: $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
+	@echo "🐳 Container Runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
+	@echo "Using image: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"
+	@echo "Development image: $(IMAGE_LOCAL_DEV)"
+	@echo "Push image: $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
 
 {% raw %}
 
@@ -99,195 +99,195 @@ CONTAINER_FILE ?= $(shell [ -f "Containerfile" ] && echo "Containerfile" || echo
 COMMA := ,
 
 container-info:
-    @echo "🐳 Container Runtime Configuration"
-    @echo "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━"
-    @echo "Runtime:        $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
-    @echo "Base Image:     $(IMAGE_BASE)"
-    @echo "Tag:            $(IMAGE_TAG)"
-    @echo "Local Image:    $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"
-    @echo "Push Image:     $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
-    @echo "Actual Image:   $(call get_image_name)"
-    @echo "Container File: $(CONTAINER_FILE)"
-    @echo "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━"
+	@echo "🐳 Container Runtime Configuration"
+	@echo "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━"
+	@echo "Runtime:        $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
+	@echo "Base Image:     $(IMAGE_BASE)"
+	@echo "Tag:            $(IMAGE_TAG)"
+	@echo "Local Image:    $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"
+	@echo "Push Image:     $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
+	@echo "Actual Image:   $(call get_image_name)"
+	@echo "Container File: $(CONTAINER_FILE)"
+	@echo "━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━"
 
 # Auto-detect platform based on uname
 PLATFORM ?= linux/$(shell uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/')
 
 container-build:
-    @echo "🔨 Building with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) for platform $(PLATFORM)..."
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) build \
-        --platform=$(PLATFORM) \
-        -f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
-        --tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
-        .
-    @echo "✅ Built image: $(call get_image_name)"
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)
+	@echo "🔨 Building with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) for platform $(PLATFORM)..."
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) build \
+		--platform=$(PLATFORM) \
+		-f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
+		--tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
+		.
+	@echo "✅ Built image: $(call get_image_name)"
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)
 
 container-run: container-check-image
-    @echo "🚀 Running with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) run --name $(PROJECT_NAME) \
-        --env-file=.env \
-        -p $(CONTAINER_PORT):$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT) \
-        --restart=always \
-        --memory=$(CONTAINER_MEMORY) --cpus=$(CONTAINER_CPUS) \
-        --health-cmd="curl --fail http://localhost:$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT)/health || exit 1" \
-        --health-interval=1m --health-retries=3 \
-        --health-start-period=30s --health-timeout=10s \
-        -d $(call get_image_name)
-    @sleep 2
-    @echo "✅ Container started"
-    @echo "🔍 Health check status:"
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo "No health check configured"
+	@echo "🚀 Running with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) run --name $(PROJECT_NAME) \
+		--env-file=.env \
+		-p $(CONTAINER_PORT):$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT) \
+		--restart=always \
+		--memory=$(CONTAINER_MEMORY) --cpus=$(CONTAINER_CPUS) \
+		--health-cmd="curl --fail http://localhost:$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT)/health || exit 1" \
+		--health-interval=1m --health-retries=3 \
+		--health-start-period=30s --health-timeout=10s \
+		-d $(call get_image_name)
+	@sleep 2
+	@echo "✅ Container started"
+	@echo "🔍 Health check status:"
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo "No health check configured"
 
 container-run-host: container-check-image
-    @echo "🚀 Running with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) run --name $(PROJECT_NAME) \
-        --env-file=.env \
-        --network=host \
-        -p $(CONTAINER_PORT):$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT) \
-        --restart=always \
-        --memory=$(CONTAINER_MEMORY) --cpus=$(CONTAINER_CPUS) \
-        --health-cmd="curl --fail http://localhost:$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT)/health || exit 1" \
-        --health-interval=1m --health-retries=3 \
-        --health-start-period=30s --health-timeout=10s \
-        -d $(call get_image_name)
-    @sleep 2
-    @echo "✅ Container started"
-    @echo "🔍 Health check status:"
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo "No health check configured"
+	@echo "🚀 Running with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) run --name $(PROJECT_NAME) \
+		--env-file=.env \
+		--network=host \
+		-p $(CONTAINER_PORT):$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT) \
+		--restart=always \
+		--memory=$(CONTAINER_MEMORY) --cpus=$(CONTAINER_CPUS) \
+		--health-cmd="curl --fail http://localhost:$(CONTAINER_INTERNAL_PORT)/health || exit 1" \
+		--health-interval=1m --health-retries=3 \
+		--health-start-period=30s --health-timeout=10s \
+		-d $(call get_image_name)
+	@sleep 2
+	@echo "✅ Container started"
+	@echo "🔍 Health check status:"
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo "No health check configured"
 
 container-push: container-check-image
-    @echo "📤 Preparing to push image..."
-    @# For Podman, we need to remove localhost/ prefix for push
-    @if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
-        actual_image=$$($(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}" | grep -E "$(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)" | head -1); \
-        if echo "$$actual_image" | grep -q "^localhost/"; then \
-            echo "🏷️  Tagging for push (removing localhost/ prefix)..."; \
-            $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag "$$actual_image" $(IMAGE_PUSH); \
-        fi; \
-    fi
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) push $(IMAGE_PUSH)
-    @echo "✅ Pushed: $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
+	@echo "📤 Preparing to push image..."
+	@# For Podman, we need to remove localhost/ prefix for push
+	@if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
+		actual_image=$$($(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}" | grep -E "$(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)" | head -1); \
+		if echo "$$actual_image" | grep -q "^localhost/"; then \
+			echo "🏷️  Tagging for push (removing localhost/ prefix)..."; \
+			$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag "$$actual_image" $(IMAGE_PUSH); \
+		fi; \
+	fi
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) push $(IMAGE_PUSH)
+	@echo "✅ Pushed: $(IMAGE_PUSH)"
 
 container-check-image:
-    @echo "🔍 Checking for image..."
-    @if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
-        if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null && \
-           ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null; then \
-            echo "❌ Image not found: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"; \
-            echo "💡 Run 'make container-build' first"; \
-            exit 1; \
-        fi; \
-    else \
-        if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null | grep -q . && \
-           ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null | grep -q .; then \
-            echo "❌ Image not found: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"; \
-            echo "💡 Run 'make container-build' first"; \
-            exit 1; \
-        fi; \
-    fi
-    @echo "✅ Image found"
+	@echo "🔍 Checking for image..."
+	@if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
+		if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null && \
+		   ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null; then \
+			echo "❌ Image not found: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"; \
+			echo "💡 Run 'make container-build' first"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi; \
+	else \
+		if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null | grep -q . && \
+		   ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null | grep -q .; then \
+			echo "❌ Image not found: $(IMAGE_LOCAL)"; \
+			echo "💡 Run 'make container-build' first"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi; \
+	fi
+	@echo "✅ Image found"
 
 container-stop:
-    @echo "🛑 Stopping container..."
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    -$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
-    @echo "✅ Container stopped and removed"
+	@echo "🛑 Stopping container..."
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	-$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo "✅ Container stopped and removed"
 
 container-logs:
-    @echo "📜 Streaming logs (Ctrl+C to exit)..."
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) logs -f $(PROJECT_NAME)
+	@echo "📜 Streaming logs (Ctrl+C to exit)..."
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) logs -f $(PROJECT_NAME)
 
 container-shell:
-    @echo "🔧 Opening shell in container..."
-    @if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) ps -q -f name=$(PROJECT_NAME) | grep -q .; then \
-        echo "❌ Container $(PROJECT_NAME) is not running"; \
-        echo "💡 Run 'make container-run' first"; \
-        exit 1; \
-    fi
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME) /bin/bash 2>/dev/null || \
-    $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME) /bin/sh
+	@echo "🔧 Opening shell in container..."
+	@if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) ps -q -f name=$(PROJECT_NAME) | grep -q .; then \
+		echo "❌ Container $(PROJECT_NAME) is not running"; \
+		echo "💡 Run 'make container-run' first"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME) /bin/bash 2>/dev/null || \
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME) /bin/sh
 
 container-health:
-    @echo "🏥 Checking container health..."
-    @if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) ps -q -f name=$(PROJECT_NAME) | grep -q .; then \
-        echo "❌ Container $(PROJECT_NAME) is not running"; \
-        exit 1; \
-    fi
-    @echo "Status: $$($(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo 'No health check')"
-    @echo "Logs:"
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{range .State.Health.Log}}{{.Output}}{{end}}' 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo "🏥 Checking container health..."
+	@if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) ps -q -f name=$(PROJECT_NAME) | grep -q .; then \
+		echo "❌ Container $(PROJECT_NAME) is not running"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "Status: $$($(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' 2>/dev/null || echo 'No health check')"
+	@echo "Logs:"
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) inspect $(PROJECT_NAME) --format='{{range .State.Health.Log}}{{.Output}}{{end}}' 2>/dev/null || true
 
 container-build-multi:
-    @echo "🔨 Building multi-architecture image..."
-    @if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "docker" ]; then \
-        if ! docker buildx inspect $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-            echo "📦 Creating buildx builder..."; \
-            docker buildx create --name $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder; \
-        fi; \
-        docker buildx use $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder; \
-        docker buildx build \
-            --platform=linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
-            -f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
-            --tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
-            --push \
-            .; \
-    elif [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
-        echo "📦 Building manifest with Podman..."; \
-        $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) build --platform=linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
-            -f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
-            --manifest $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
-            .; \
-        echo "💡 To push: podman manifest push $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)"; \
-    else \
-        echo "❌ Multi-arch builds require Docker buildx or Podman"; \
-        exit 1; \
-    fi
+	@echo "🔨 Building multi-architecture image..."
+	@if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "docker" ]; then \
+		if ! docker buildx inspect $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+			echo "📦 Creating buildx builder..."; \
+			docker buildx create --name $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder; \
+		fi; \
+		docker buildx use $(PROJECT_NAME)-builder; \
+		docker buildx build \
+			--platform=linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
+			-f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
+			--tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
+			--push \
+			.; \
+	elif [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
+		echo "📦 Building manifest with Podman..."; \
+		$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) build --platform=linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
+			-f $(CONTAINER_FILE) \
+			--manifest $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) \
+			.; \
+		echo "💡 To push: podman manifest push $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "❌ Multi-arch builds require Docker buildx or Podman"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
 
 # Helper targets for debugging image issues
 image-list:
-    @echo "📋 Images matching $(IMAGE_BASE):"
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "table {{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}\t{{.ID}}\t{{.Created}}\t{{.Size}}" | \
-        grep -E "(IMAGE|$(IMAGE_BASE))" || echo "No matching images found"
+	@echo "📋 Images matching $(IMAGE_BASE):"
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "table {{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}\t{{.ID}}\t{{.Created}}\t{{.Size}}" | \
+		grep -E "(IMAGE|$(IMAGE_BASE))" || echo "No matching images found"
 
 image-clean:
-    @echo "🧹 Removing all $(IMAGE_BASE) images..."
-    @$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}" | \
-        grep -E "(localhost/)?$(IMAGE_BASE)" | \
-        xargs $(XARGS_FLAGS) $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rmi -f 2>/dev/null
-    @echo "✅ Images cleaned"
+	@echo "🧹 Removing all $(IMAGE_BASE) images..."
+	@$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images --format "{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}" | \
+		grep -E "(localhost/)?$(IMAGE_BASE)" | \
+		xargs $(XARGS_FLAGS) $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rmi -f 2>/dev/null
+	@echo "✅ Images cleaned"
 
 # Fix image naming issues
 image-retag:
-    @echo "🏷️  Retagging images for consistency..."
-    @if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
-        if $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null; then \
-            $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null || true; \
-        fi; \
-    else \
-        if $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null | grep -q .; then \
-            $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag $(IMAGE_LOCAL) $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null || true; \
-        fi; \
-    fi
-    @echo "✅ Images retagged"  # This always shows success
+	@echo "🏷️  Retagging images for consistency..."
+	@if [ "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" = "podman" ]; then \
+		if $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) image exists $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null; then \
+			$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null || true; \
+		fi; \
+	else \
+		if $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) images -q $(IMAGE_LOCAL) 2>/dev/null | grep -q .; then \
+			$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) tag $(IMAGE_LOCAL) $(IMAGE_BASE):$(IMAGE_TAG) 2>/dev/null || true; \
+		fi; \
+	fi
+	@echo "✅ Images retagged"  # This always shows success
 
 # Runtime switching helpers
 use-docker:
-    @echo "export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=docker"
-    @echo "💡 Run: export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=docker"
+	@echo "export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=docker"
+	@echo "💡 Run: export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=docker"
 
 use-podman:
-    @echo "export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=podman"
-    @echo "💡 Run: export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=podman"
+	@echo "export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=podman"
+	@echo "💡 Run: export CONTAINER_RUNTIME=podman"
 
 show-runtime:
-    @echo "Current runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
-    @echo "Detected from: $$(command -v $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) || echo 'not found')"  # Added
-    @echo "To switch: make use-docker or make use-podman"
+	@echo "Current runtime: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
+	@echo "Detected from: $$(command -v $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) || echo 'not found')"  # Added
+	@echo "To switch: make use-docker or make use-podman"
 
 {% endraw %}
 
@@ -297,147 +297,153 @@ show-runtime:
 
 .PHONY: venv
 venv:
-    @rm -Rf "$(VENV_DIR)"
-    @test -d "$(VENVS_DIR)" || mkdir -p "$(VENVS_DIR)"
-    @python3 -m venv "$(VENV_DIR)"
-    @/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools pdm uv"
-    @echo -e "✅  Virtual env created.\n💡  Enter it with:\n    . $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate\n"
+	@rm -Rf "$(VENV_DIR)"
+	@test -d "$(VENVS_DIR)" || mkdir -p "$(VENVS_DIR)"
+	@python3 -m venv "$(VENV_DIR)"
+	@/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools pdm uv"
+	@echo -e "✅  Virtual env created.\n💡  Enter it with:\n    . $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate\n"
 
 .PHONY: install
 install: venv
-    $(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`)))
-    @/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m uv pip install ."
+	$(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`)))
+	@/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m uv pip install ."
+
+.PHONY: install-dev
+install-dev: venv
+	$(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`)))
+	@/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m uv pip install -e .[dev]"
 
 .PHONY: install-editable
 install-editable: venv
-    $(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`)))
-    @/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m uv pip install -e ."
+	$(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`)))
+	@/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && python3 -m uv pip install -e .[dev]"
 
 .PHONY: uninstall
 uninstall:
-    pip uninstall $(PACKAGE_NAME)
+	pip uninstall $(PACKAGE_NAME)
 
 .PHONY: dist
 dist: clean                  ## Build wheel + sdist into ./dist
-    @test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
-    @/bin/bash -eu -c "\
-        source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
-        python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
-        python3 -m build"
-    @echo '🛠  Wheel & sdist written to ./dist'
+	@test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
+	@/bin/bash -eu -c "\
+	    source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
+	    python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
+	    python3 -m build"
+	@echo '🛠  Wheel & sdist written to ./dist'
 
 .PHONY: wheel
 wheel:                       ## Build wheel only
-    @test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
-    @/bin/bash -eu -c "\
-        source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
-        python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
-        python3 -m build -w"
-    @echo '🛠  Wheel written to ./dist'
+	@test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
+	@/bin/bash -eu -c "\
+	    source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
+	    python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
+	    python3 -m build -w"
+	@echo '🛠  Wheel written to ./dist'
 
 .PHONY: sdist
 sdist:                       ## Build source distribution only
-    @test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
-    @/bin/bash -eu -c "\
-        source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
-        python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
-        python3 -m build -s"
-    @echo '🛠  Source distribution written to ./dist'
+	@test -d "$(VENV_DIR)" || $(MAKE) --no-print-directory venv
+	@/bin/bash -eu -c "\
+	    source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
+	    python3 -m pip install --quiet --upgrade pip build && \
+	    python3 -m build -s"
+	@echo '🛠  Source distribution written to ./dist'
 
 .PHONY: verify
 verify: dist               ## Build, run metadata & manifest checks
-    @/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
-    twine check dist/* && \
-    check-manifest && \
-    pyroma -d ."
-    @echo "✅  Package verified - ready to publish."
+	@/bin/bash -c "source $(VENV_DIR)/bin/activate && \
+	twine check dist/* && \
+	check-manifest && \
+	pyroma -d ."
+	@echo "✅  Package verified - ready to publish."
 
 .PHONY: lint-fix
 lint-fix:
-    @# Handle file arguments
-    @target_file="$(word 2,$(MAKECMDGOALS))"; \
-    if [ -n "$$target_file" ] && [ "$$target_file" != "" ]; then \
-        actual_target="$$target_file"; \
-    else \
-        actual_target="$(TARGET)"; \
-    fi; \
-    for target in $$(echo $$actual_target); do \
-        if [ ! -e "$$target" ]; then \
-            echo "❌ File/directory not found: $$target"; \
-            exit 1; \
-        fi; \
-    done; \
-    echo "🔧 Fixing lint issues in $$actual_target..."; \
-    $(MAKE) --no-print-directory black TARGET="$$actual_target"; \
-    $(MAKE) --no-print-directory ruff-fix TARGET="$$actual_target"
+	@# Handle file arguments
+	@target_file="$(word 2,$(MAKECMDGOALS))"; \
+	if [ -n "$$target_file" ] && [ "$$target_file" != "" ]; then \
+		actual_target="$$target_file"; \
+	else \
+		actual_target="$(TARGET)"; \
+	fi; \
+	for target in $$(echo $$actual_target); do \
+		if [ ! -e "$$target" ]; then \
+			echo "❌ File/directory not found: $$target"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi; \
+	done; \
+	echo "🔧 Fixing lint issues in $$actual_target..."; \
+	$(MAKE) --no-print-directory black TARGET="$$actual_target"; \
+	$(MAKE) --no-print-directory ruff-fix TARGET="$$actual_target"
 
 .PHONY: lint-check
 lint-check:
-    @# Handle file arguments
-    @target_file="$(word 2,$(MAKECMDGOALS))"; \
-    if [ -n "$$target_file" ] && [ "$$target_file" != "" ]; then \
-        actual_target="$$target_file"; \
-    else \
-        actual_target="$(TARGET)"; \
-    fi; \
-    for target in $$(echo $$actual_target); do \
-        if [ ! -e "$$target" ]; then \
-            echo "❌ File/directory not found: $$target"; \
-            exit 1; \
-        fi; \
-    done; \
-    echo "🔧 Fixing lint issues in $$actual_target..."; \
-    $(MAKE) --no-print-directory black-check TARGET="$$actual_target"; \
-    $(MAKE) --no-print-directory ruff-check TARGET="$$actual_target"
+	@# Handle file arguments
+	@target_file="$(word 2,$(MAKECMDGOALS))"; \
+	if [ -n "$$target_file" ] && [ "$$target_file" != "" ]; then \
+		actual_target="$$target_file"; \
+	else \
+		actual_target="$(TARGET)"; \
+	fi; \
+	for target in $$(echo $$actual_target); do \
+		if [ ! -e "$$target" ]; then \
+			echo "❌ File/directory not found: $$target"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi; \
+	done; \
+	echo "🔧 Fixing lint issues in $$actual_target..."; \
+	$(MAKE) --no-print-directory black-check TARGET="$$actual_target"; \
+	$(MAKE) --no-print-directory ruff-check TARGET="$$actual_target"
 
 .PHONY: lock
 lock:
-    $(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`. Please run `make init`)))
-    uv lock
+	$(foreach bin,$(REQUIRED_BUILD_BINS), $(if $(shell command -v $(bin) 2> /dev/null),,$(error Couldn't find `$(bin)`. Please run `make init`)))
+	uv lock
 
 .PHONY: test
 test:
-    pytest tests
+	pytest tests
 
 .PHONY: serve
 serve:
-    @echo "Implement me."
+	@echo "Implement me."
 
 .PHONY: build
 build:
-    @$(MAKE) container-build
+	@$(MAKE) container-build
 
 .PHONY: start
 start:
-    @$(MAKE) container-run
+	@$(MAKE) container-run
 
 .PHONY: stop
 stop:
-    @$(MAKE) container-stop
+	@$(MAKE) container-stop
 
 .PHONY: clean
 clean:
-    find . -type f -name '*.py[co]' -delete -o -type d -name __pycache__ -delete
-    rm -rf *.egg-info .pytest_cache tests/.pytest_cache build dist .ruff_cache .coverage
+	find . -type f -name '*.py[co]' -delete -o -type d -name __pycache__ -delete
+	rm -rf *.egg-info .pytest_cache tests/.pytest_cache build dist .ruff_cache .coverage
 
 .PHONY: help
 help:
-    @echo "This Makefile is offered for convenience."
-    @echo ""
-    @echo "The following are the valid targets for this Makefile:"
-    @echo "...install           Install package from sources"
-    @echo "...install-editable  Install package from sources in editabled mode"
-    @echo "...uninstall         Uninstall package"
-    @echo "...dist              Clean-build wheel *and* sdist into ./dist"
-    @echo "...wheel             Build wheel only"
-    @echo "...sdist             Build source distribution only"
-    @echo "...verify            Build + twine + check-manifest + pyroma (no upload)"
-    @echo "...serve             Start API server locally"
-    @echo "...build             Build API server container image"
-    @echo "...start             Start the API server container"
-    @echo "...start             Stop the API server container"
-    @echo "...lock              Lock dependencies"
-    @echo "...lint-fix          Check and fix lint errors"
-    @echo "...lint-check        Check for lint errors"
-    @echo "...test              Run all tests"
-    @echo "...clean             Remove all artifacts and builds"
+	@echo "This Makefile is offered for convenience."
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "The following are the valid targets for this Makefile:"
+	@echo "...install           Install package from sources"
+	@echo "...install-dev       Install package from sources with dev packages"
+	@echo "...install-editable  Install package from sources in editabled mode"
+	@echo "...uninstall         Uninstall package"
+	@echo "...dist              Clean-build wheel *and* sdist into ./dist"
+	@echo "...wheel             Build wheel only"
+	@echo "...sdist             Build source distribution only"
+	@echo "...verify            Build + twine + check-manifest + pyroma (no upload)"
+	@echo "...serve             Start API server locally"
+	@echo "...build             Build API server container image"
+	@echo "...start             Start the API server container"
+	@echo "...start             Stop the API server container"
+	@echo "...lock              Lock dependencies"
+	@echo "...lint-fix          Check and fix lint errors"
+	@echo "...lint-check        Check for lint errors"
+	@echo "...test              Run all tests"
+	@echo "...clean             Remove all artifacts and builds"
diff --git a/plugin_templates/external/README.md.jinja b/plugin_templates/external/README.md.jinja
index f841457e8..d9fb05cc7 100644
--- a/plugin_templates/external/README.md.jinja
+++ b/plugin_templates/external/README.md.jinja
@@ -5,8 +5,16 @@
 
 ## Installation
 
+To install dependencies with dev packages (required for linting and testing):
+
+```bash
+make install-dev
+```
+
+Alternatively, you can also install it in editable mode:
+
 ```bash
-make install
+make install-editable
 ```
 
 ## Setting up the development environment
diff --git a/plugin_templates/external/pyproject.toml.jinja b/plugin_templates/external/pyproject.toml.jinja
index b6d493ed8..6eb6fa286 100644
--- a/plugin_templates/external/pyproject.toml.jinja
+++ b/plugin_templates/external/pyproject.toml.jinja
@@ -57,7 +57,28 @@ Repository = "https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge"
 Changelog = "https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md"
 
 [tool.uv.sources]
-mcp-contextforge-gateway = { git = "https://github.com/araujof/mcp-context-forge.git", rev = "feat/720-plugins-cli" }
+mcp-contextforge-gateway = { git = "https://github.com/IBM/mcp-context-forge.git", rev = "main" }
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------
+# Optional dependency groups (extras)
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+dev = [
+    "black>=25.1.0",
+    "pytest>=8.4.1",
+    "pytest-asyncio>=1.1.0",
+    "pytest-cov>=6.2.1",
+    "pytest-dotenv>=0.5.2",
+    "pytest-env>=1.1.5",
+    "pytest-examples>=0.0.18",
+    "pytest-md-report>=0.7.0",
+    "pytest-rerunfailures>=15.1",
+    "pytest-trio>=0.8.0",
+    "pytest-xdist>=3.8.0",
+    "ruff>=0.12.9",
+    "unimport>=1.2.1",
+    "uv>=0.8.11",
+]
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------
 #  🔧 setuptools-specific configuration