diff --git a/eng/generate-website-data.mjs b/eng/generate-website-data.mjs
index b4d3e13f..a2e2dca0 100644
--- a/eng/generate-website-data.mjs
+++ b/eng/generate-website-data.mjs
@@ -544,6 +544,63 @@ function generatePluginsData(gitDates) {
     }
   }
 
+  // Load external plugins from plugins/external.json
+  const externalJsonPath = path.join(PLUGINS_DIR, "external.json");
+  if (fs.existsSync(externalJsonPath)) {
+    try {
+      const externalPlugins = JSON.parse(
+        fs.readFileSync(externalJsonPath, "utf-8")
+      );
+      if (Array.isArray(externalPlugins)) {
+        let addedCount = 0;
+        for (const ext of externalPlugins) {
+          if (!ext.name || !ext.description) {
+            console.warn(
+              `Skipping external plugin with missing name/description`
+            );
+            continue;
+          }
+
+          // Skip if a local plugin with the same name already exists
+          if (plugins.some((p) => p.id === ext.name)) {
+            console.warn(
+              `Skipping external plugin "${ext.name}" — local plugin with same name exists`
+            );
+            continue;
+          }
+
+          const tags = ext.keywords || ext.tags || [];
+
+          plugins.push({
+            id: ext.name,
+            name: ext.name,
+            description: ext.description || "",
+            path: `plugins/${ext.name}`,
+            tags: tags,
+            itemCount: 0,
+            items: [],
+            external: true,
+            repository: ext.repository || null,
+            homepage: ext.homepage || null,
+            author: ext.author || null,
+            license: ext.license || null,
+            source: ext.source || null,
+            lastUpdated: null,
+            searchText: `${ext.name} ${ext.description || ""} ${tags.join(
+              " "
+            )} ${ext.author?.name || ""} ${ext.repository || ""}`.toLowerCase(),
+          });
+          addedCount++;
+        }
+        console.log(
+          `  ✓ Loaded ${addedCount} external plugin(s)`
+        );
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.warn(`Failed to parse external plugins: ${e.message}`);
+    }
+  }
+
   // Collect all unique tags
   const allTags = [...new Set(plugins.flatMap((p) => p.tags))].sort();
 
diff --git a/website/src/scripts/modal.ts b/website/src/scripts/modal.ts
index 94827e6b..f1b8751c 100644
--- a/website/src/scripts/modal.ts
+++ b/website/src/scripts/modal.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   getResourceType,
   escapeHtml,
   getResourceIcon,
+  sanitizeUrl,
 } from "./utils";
 
 // Modal state
@@ -83,6 +84,17 @@ interface PluginItem {
   usage?: string | null;
 }
 
+interface PluginAuthor {
+  name: string;
+  url?: string;
+}
+
+interface PluginSource {
+  source: string;
+  repo?: string;
+  path?: string;
+}
+
 interface Plugin {
   id: string;
   name: string;
@@ -90,6 +102,12 @@ interface Plugin {
   path: string;
   items: PluginItem[];
   tags?: string[];
+  external?: boolean;
+  repository?: string | null;
+  homepage?: string | null;
+  author?: PluginAuthor | null;
+  license?: string | null;
+  source?: PluginSource | null;
 }
 
 interface PluginsData {
@@ -519,7 +537,114 @@ async function openPluginModal(
   title.textContent = plugin.name;
   document.title = `${plugin.name} | Awesome GitHub Copilot`;
 
-  // Render plugin view
+  // Render external plugin view (metadata + links) or local plugin view (items list)
+  if (plugin.external) {
+    renderExternalPluginModal(plugin, modalContent);
+  } else {
+    renderLocalPluginModal(plugin, modalContent);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get the best URL for an external plugin, preferring the deep path within the repo
+ */
+function getExternalPluginUrl(plugin: Plugin): string {
+  if (plugin.source?.source === "github" && plugin.source.repo) {
+    const base = `https://github.com/${plugin.source.repo}`;
+    return plugin.source.path ? `${base}/tree/main/${plugin.source.path}` : base;
+  }
+  // Sanitize URLs from JSON to prevent XSS via javascript:/data: schemes
+  return sanitizeUrl(plugin.repository || plugin.homepage);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Render modal content for an external plugin (no local files)
+ */
+function renderExternalPluginModal(
+  plugin: Plugin,
+  modalContent: HTMLElement
+): void {
+  const authorHtml = plugin.author?.name
+    ? `<div class="external-plugin-meta-row">
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-label">Author</span>
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-value">${
+          plugin.author.url
+            ? `<a href="${sanitizeUrl(plugin.author.url)}" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">${escapeHtml(plugin.author.name)}</a>`
+            : escapeHtml(plugin.author.name)
+        }</span>
+      </div>`
+    : "";
+
+  const repoHtml = plugin.repository
+    ? `<div class="external-plugin-meta-row">
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-label">Repository</span>
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-value"><a href="${sanitizeUrl(plugin.repository)}" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">${escapeHtml(plugin.repository)}</a></span>
+      </div>`
+    : "";
+
+  const homepageHtml =
+    plugin.homepage && plugin.homepage !== plugin.repository
+      ? `<div class="external-plugin-meta-row">
+          <span class="external-plugin-meta-label">Homepage</span>
+          <span class="external-plugin-meta-value"><a href="${sanitizeUrl(plugin.homepage)}" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">${escapeHtml(plugin.homepage)}</a></span>
+        </div>`
+      : "";
+
+  const licenseHtml = plugin.license
+    ? `<div class="external-plugin-meta-row">
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-label">License</span>
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-value">${escapeHtml(plugin.license)}</span>
+      </div>`
+    : "";
+
+  const sourceHtml = plugin.source?.repo
+    ? `<div class="external-plugin-meta-row">
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-label">Source</span>
+        <span class="external-plugin-meta-value">GitHub: ${escapeHtml(plugin.source.repo)}${plugin.source.path ? ` (${escapeHtml(plugin.source.path)})` : ""}</span>
+      </div>`
+    : "";
+
+  const repoUrl = getExternalPluginUrl(plugin);
+
+  modalContent.innerHTML = `
+    <div class="collection-view">
+      <div class="collection-description">${escapeHtml(plugin.description || "")}</div>
+      ${
+        plugin.tags && plugin.tags.length > 0
+          ? `<div class="collection-tags">
+              <span class="resource-tag resource-tag-external">🔗 External Plugin</span>
+              ${plugin.tags.map((t) => `<span class="resource-tag">${escapeHtml(t)}</span>`).join("")}
+            </div>`
+          : `<div class="collection-tags">
+              <span class="resource-tag resource-tag-external">🔗 External Plugin</span>
+            </div>`
+      }
+      <div class="external-plugin-metadata">
+        ${authorHtml}
+        ${repoHtml}
+        ${homepageHtml}
+        ${licenseHtml}
+        ${sourceHtml}
+      </div>
+      <div class="external-plugin-cta">
+        <a href="${sanitizeUrl(repoUrl)}" class="btn btn-primary external-plugin-repo-btn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
+          View Repository →
+        </a>
+      </div>
+      <div class="external-plugin-note">
+        This is an external plugin maintained outside this repository. Browse the repository to see its contents and installation instructions.
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  `;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Render modal content for a local plugin (item list)
+ */
+function renderLocalPluginModal(
+  plugin: Plugin,
+  modalContent: HTMLElement
+): void {
   modalContent.innerHTML = `
     <div class="collection-view">
       <div class="collection-description">${escapeHtml(
diff --git a/website/src/scripts/pages/plugins.ts b/website/src/scripts/pages/plugins.ts
index 32968b6b..01e1a547 100644
--- a/website/src/scripts/pages/plugins.ts
+++ b/website/src/scripts/pages/plugins.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,20 @@
  */
 import { createChoices, getChoicesValues, type Choices } from '../choices';
 import { FuzzySearch, type SearchItem } from '../search';
-import { fetchData, debounce, escapeHtml, getGitHubUrl } from '../utils';
+import { fetchData, debounce, escapeHtml, getGitHubUrl, sanitizeUrl } from '../utils';
 import { setupModal, openFileModal } from '../modal';
 
+interface PluginAuthor {
+  name: string;
+  url?: string;
+}
+
+interface PluginSource {
+  source: string;
+  repo?: string;
+  path?: string;
+}
+
 interface Plugin extends SearchItem {
   id: string;
   name: string;
@@ -13,6 +24,12 @@ interface Plugin extends SearchItem {
   tags?: string[];
   featured?: boolean;
   itemCount: number;
+  external?: boolean;
+  repository?: string | null;
+  homepage?: string | null;
+  author?: PluginAuthor | null;
+  license?: string | null;
+  source?: PluginSource | null;
 }
 
 interface PluginsData {
@@ -56,6 +73,15 @@ function applyFiltersAndRender(): void {
   if (countEl) countEl.textContent = countText;
 }
 
+function getExternalPluginUrl(plugin: Plugin): string {
+  if (plugin.source?.source === 'github' && plugin.source.repo) {
+    const base = `https://github.com/${plugin.source.repo}`;
+    return plugin.source.path ? `${base}/tree/main/${plugin.source.path}` : base;
+  }
+  // Sanitize URLs from JSON to prevent XSS via javascript:/data: schemes
+  return sanitizeUrl(plugin.repository || plugin.homepage);
+}
+
 function renderItems(items: Plugin[], query = ''): void {
   const list = document.getElementById('resource-list');
   if (!list) return;
@@ -65,22 +91,35 @@ function renderItems(items: Plugin[], query = ''): void {
     return;
   }
 
-  list.innerHTML = items.map(item => `
-    <div class="resource-item" data-path="${escapeHtml(item.path)}">
+  list.innerHTML = items.map(item => {
+    const isExternal = item.external === true;
+    const metaTag = isExternal
+      ? `<span class="resource-tag resource-tag-external">🔗 External</span>`
+      : `<span class="resource-tag">${item.itemCount} items</span>`;
+    const authorTag = isExternal && item.author?.name
+      ? `<span class="resource-tag">by ${escapeHtml(item.author.name)}</span>`
+      : '';
+    const githubHref = isExternal
+      ? escapeHtml(getExternalPluginUrl(item))
+      : getGitHubUrl(item.path);
+
+    return `
+    <div class="resource-item${isExternal ? ' resource-item-external' : ''}" data-path="${escapeHtml(item.path)}">
       <div class="resource-info">
         <div class="resource-title">${item.featured ? '⭐ ' : ''}${query ? search.highlight(item.name, query) : escapeHtml(item.name)}</div>
         <div class="resource-description">${escapeHtml(item.description || 'No description')}</div>
         <div class="resource-meta">
-          <span class="resource-tag">${item.itemCount} items</span>
+          ${metaTag}
+          ${authorTag}
           ${item.tags?.slice(0, 4).map(t => `<span class="resource-tag">${escapeHtml(t)}</span>`).join('') || ''}
           ${item.tags && item.tags.length > 4 ? `<span class="resource-tag">+${item.tags.length - 4} more</span>` : ''}
         </div>
       </div>
       <div class="resource-actions">
-        <a href="${getGitHubUrl(item.path)}" class="btn btn-secondary" target="_blank" onclick="event.stopPropagation()" title="View on GitHub">GitHub</a>
+        <a href="${githubHref}" class="btn btn-secondary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="event.stopPropagation()" title="${isExternal ? 'View repository' : 'View on GitHub'}">${isExternal ? 'Repository' : 'GitHub'}</a>
       </div>
-    </div>
-  `).join('');
+    </div>`;
+  }).join('');
 
   // Add click handlers
   list.querySelectorAll('.resource-item').forEach(el => {
diff --git a/website/src/scripts/utils.ts b/website/src/scripts/utils.ts
index 33eedaab..4b8e2a65 100644
--- a/website/src/scripts/utils.ts
+++ b/website/src/scripts/utils.ts
@@ -214,6 +214,24 @@ export function escapeHtml(text: string): string {
   return div.innerHTML;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Validate and sanitize URLs to prevent XSS attacks
+ * Only allows http/https protocols, returns '#' for invalid URLs
+ */
+export function sanitizeUrl(url: string | null | undefined): string {
+  if (!url) return '#';
+  try {
+    const parsed = new URL(url);
+    // Only allow http and https protocols
+    if (parsed.protocol === 'http:' || parsed.protocol === 'https:') {
+      return url;
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Invalid URL
+  }
+  return '#';
+}
+
 /**
  * Truncate text with ellipsis
  */
diff --git a/website/src/styles/global.css b/website/src/styles/global.css
index 640b99bd..c6b4ffbc 100644
--- a/website/src/styles/global.css
+++ b/website/src/styles/global.css
@@ -900,6 +900,71 @@ body:has(#main-content) {
   color: var(--color-error);
 }
 
+/* External plugin badge */
+.resource-tag-external {
+  background: var(--color-accent);
+  color: var(--color-bg);
+  font-weight: 500;
+}
+
+/* External plugin modal metadata */
+.external-plugin-metadata {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 8px;
+  margin-bottom: 20px;
+  padding: 12px 16px;
+  background: var(--color-bg-tertiary);
+  border-radius: var(--border-radius);
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+}
+
+.external-plugin-meta-row {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: baseline;
+  gap: 12px;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-meta-label {
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  font-weight: 500;
+  min-width: 80px;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-meta-value {
+  color: var(--color-text);
+  word-break: break-all;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-meta-value a {
+  color: var(--color-accent);
+  text-decoration: none;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-meta-value a:hover {
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-cta {
+  margin-bottom: 16px;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-repo-btn {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+}
+
+.external-plugin-note {
+  font-size: 13px;
+  color: var(--color-text-muted);
+  font-style: italic;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
 /* Page Layouts */
 .page-header {
   padding: 56px 0 40px;