diff --git a/.github/scripts/validate_plugins.py b/.github/scripts/validate_plugins.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f5eb44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/validate_plugins.py
@@ -0,0 +1,354 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Validate `plugins.yaml` against the registry guidelines documented in README.md.
+
+This script enforces the contribution guidelines described in the project README:
+
+* `plugins.yaml` is valid YAML and has the expected top-level structure.
+* Every plugin entry has the required fields with the correct types.
+* `name` is unique, uses snake_case (no spaces).
+* `category` is one of the standard categories listed in the README.
+* `description` is short (<= 100 characters as recommended by the guidelines).
+* `repository` is a valid public Git URL (http(s) or git@).
+* `version` is either `latest` or looks like a (semver-ish) tag.
+* Entries are sorted alphabetically by `name`.
+* The `Available Plugins` table in `README.md` stays in sync with `plugins.yaml`.
+* Optionally (when `--check-remote` is given and `GITHUB_TOKEN` is available),
+  each referenced GitHub repository is reachable, public, has a README,
+  has a LICENSE, and — when `version` is not `latest` — exposes a tag/release
+  matching the declared version.
+
+Exits with status 0 when all checks pass, 1 otherwise. All discovered problems
+are printed to stdout to make the GitHub Actions log easy to read.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import yaml
+
+
+REQUIRED_FIELDS: dict[str, type] = {
+    "name": str,
+    "description": str,
+    "repository": str,
+    "version": str,
+    "author": str,
+    "category": str,
+}
+OPTIONAL_FIELDS: dict[str, type] = {
+    "tags": list,
+}
+
+ALLOWED_CATEGORIES = {
+    "PerceptionStrategy",
+    "LocalizationStrategy",
+    "MappingStrategy",
+    "PlanningStrategy",
+    "ControlStrategy",
+    "Executer",
+    "WorldBridge",
+}
+
+NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[A-Za-z0-9]+(?:_[A-Za-z0-9]+)*$")
+# The README asks for snake_case names with no spaces. Existing entries
+# (e.g. `ORBit_perception`) mix cases, so we accept letters and digits
+# separated by underscores rather than enforcing strict lowercase.
+VERSION_RE = re.compile(r"^(latest|v?\d+\.\d+(?:\.\d+)?(?:[-+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?)$")
+URL_RE = re.compile(r"^(https?://|git@)[\w.@:/\-~]+?(?:\.git)?/?$")
+GITHUB_URL_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^https?://github\.com/(?P<owner>[\w.\-]+)/(?P<repo>[\w.\-]+?)(?:\.git)?/?$"
+)
+DESCRIPTION_MAX_LEN = 100
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+PLUGINS_YAML = REPO_ROOT / "plugins.yaml"
+
+
+class Problems:
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.errors: list[str] = []
+        self.warnings: list[str] = []
+
+    def error(self, msg: str) -> None:
+        self.errors.append(msg)
+
+    def warn(self, msg: str) -> None:
+        self.warnings.append(msg)
+
+    def report(self) -> int:
+        for w in self.warnings:
+            print(f"::warning::{w}")
+        for e in self.errors:
+            print(f"::error::{e}")
+        if self.errors:
+            print(f"\nValidation failed with {len(self.errors)} error(s) "
+                  f"and {len(self.warnings)} warning(s).")
+            return 1
+        print(f"Validation passed ({len(self.warnings)} warning(s)).")
+        return 0
+
+
+def load_plugins(problems: Problems) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+    if not PLUGINS_YAML.is_file():
+        problems.error(f"{PLUGINS_YAML} does not exist")
+        return []
+    try:
+        data = yaml.safe_load(PLUGINS_YAML.read_text())
+    except yaml.YAMLError as exc:
+        problems.error(f"plugins.yaml is not valid YAML: {exc}")
+        return []
+    if not isinstance(data, dict) or "plugins" not in data:
+        problems.error("plugins.yaml must be a mapping with a top-level `plugins` key")
+        return []
+    plugins = data["plugins"]
+    if not isinstance(plugins, list):
+        problems.error("`plugins` must be a list")
+        return []
+    return plugins
+
+
+def validate_entry(idx: int, entry: Any, problems: Problems) -> None:
+    label = f"plugins[{idx}]"
+    if not isinstance(entry, dict):
+        problems.error(f"{label} must be a mapping, got {type(entry).__name__}")
+        return
+
+    name = entry.get("name", f"<index {idx}>")
+    label = f"plugin `{name}`"
+
+    # Unknown fields
+    known = set(REQUIRED_FIELDS) | set(OPTIONAL_FIELDS)
+    for key in entry:
+        if key not in known:
+            problems.warn(f"{label}: unknown field `{key}`")
+
+    # Required fields presence + type
+    for field, expected in REQUIRED_FIELDS.items():
+        if field not in entry:
+            problems.error(f"{label}: missing required field `{field}`")
+            continue
+        value = entry[field]
+        if not isinstance(value, expected) or (isinstance(value, str) and not value.strip()):
+            problems.error(f"{label}: field `{field}` must be a non-empty {expected.__name__}")
+
+    # Optional fields type
+    for field, expected in OPTIONAL_FIELDS.items():
+        if field in entry and not isinstance(entry[field], expected):
+            problems.error(f"{label}: field `{field}` must be a {expected.__name__}")
+
+    if "tags" in entry and isinstance(entry["tags"], list):
+        for i, tag in enumerate(entry["tags"]):
+            if not isinstance(tag, str) or not tag.strip():
+                problems.error(f"{label}: tags[{i}] must be a non-empty string")
+
+    # Name format
+    if isinstance(entry.get("name"), str):
+        if " " in entry["name"]:
+            problems.error(f"{label}: `name` must not contain spaces")
+        elif not NAME_RE.match(entry["name"]):
+            problems.error(
+                f"{label}: `name` must be snake_case "
+                "(letters/digits separated by underscores)"
+            )
+
+    # Description length
+    desc = entry.get("description")
+    if isinstance(desc, str) and len(desc) > DESCRIPTION_MAX_LEN:
+        problems.warn(
+            f"{label}: `description` is {len(desc)} characters, "
+            f"keep it under {DESCRIPTION_MAX_LEN}"
+        )
+
+    # Category
+    cat = entry.get("category")
+    if isinstance(cat, str) and cat not in ALLOWED_CATEGORIES:
+        problems.error(
+            f"{label}: category `{cat}` is not one of "
+            f"{sorted(ALLOWED_CATEGORIES)}"
+        )
+
+    # Repository URL
+    repo = entry.get("repository")
+    if isinstance(repo, str) and not URL_RE.match(repo):
+        problems.error(f"{label}: `repository` is not a valid URL: {repo!r}")
+
+    # Version format
+    version = entry.get("version")
+    if isinstance(version, str) and not VERSION_RE.match(version):
+        problems.warn(
+            f"{label}: `version` {version!r} is not `latest` and does not look "
+            "like a semver tag (e.g. `1.2.0` or `v1.2.0`)"
+        )
+
+
+def validate_collection(plugins: list[dict[str, Any]], problems: Problems) -> None:
+    names = [p.get("name") for p in plugins if isinstance(p, dict) and isinstance(p.get("name"), str)]
+
+    # Uniqueness
+    seen: dict[str, int] = {}
+    for n in names:
+        seen[n] = seen.get(n, 0) + 1
+    for n, count in seen.items():
+        if count > 1:
+            problems.error(f"Duplicate plugin name `{n}` appears {count} times")
+
+    # Alphabetical sort (case-insensitive, as the README asks for sorted entries)
+    sorted_names = sorted(names, key=str.lower)
+    if names != sorted_names:
+        out_of_order = [
+            f"{a!r} should come after {b!r}"
+            for a, b in zip(names, sorted_names)
+            if a != b
+        ]
+        problems.error(
+            "plugins.yaml entries must be sorted alphabetically by `name`. "
+            f"First mismatch: {out_of_order[0] if out_of_order else 'unknown'}"
+        )
+
+
+def parse_readme_table(problems: Problems) -> list[dict[str, str]] | None:
+    # Deprecated: the README no longer mirrors plugins.yaml in a table.
+    return None
+
+
+def validate_readme_in_sync(
+    plugins: list[dict[str, Any]], problems: Problems
+) -> None:
+    # Deprecated: README no longer lists individual plugins. Kept as a no-op
+    # to preserve the public function surface.
+    return
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Optional remote checks (GitHub API)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _gh_get(path: str, token: str | None) -> tuple[int, Any]:
+    url = f"https://api.github.com{path}"
+    req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={
+        "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json",
+        "User-Agent": "avlite-plugins-validator",
+    })
+    if token:
+        req.add_header("Authorization", f"Bearer {token}")
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=15) as resp:
+            return resp.status, json.loads(resp.read() or b"null")
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as exc:
+        body: Any = None
+        try:
+            body = json.loads(exc.read() or b"null")
+        except Exception:
+            body = None
+        return exc.code, body
+    except (urllib.error.URLError, TimeoutError) as exc:
+        return 0, str(exc)
+
+
+def validate_remote(plugins: list[dict[str, Any]], problems: Problems) -> None:
+    token = os.environ.get("GITHUB_TOKEN")
+    if not token:
+        problems.warn(
+            "GITHUB_TOKEN is not set; remote repository checks will be unauthenticated "
+            "and may be rate-limited."
+        )
+
+    for entry in plugins:
+        if not isinstance(entry, dict):
+            continue
+        name = entry.get("name", "<unknown>")
+        repo_url = entry.get("repository", "")
+        version = entry.get("version", "")
+        if not isinstance(repo_url, str):
+            continue
+        m = GITHUB_URL_RE.match(repo_url)
+        if not m:
+            problems.warn(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: repository {repo_url!r} is not a github.com URL; "
+                "skipping remote checks"
+            )
+            continue
+        owner, repo = m.group("owner"), m.group("repo")
+
+        status, payload = _gh_get(f"/repos/{owner}/{repo}", token)
+        if status == 0:
+            problems.warn(f"plugin `{name}`: could not reach GitHub ({payload})")
+            continue
+        if status == 404:
+            problems.error(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: repository {repo_url} is not accessible (404). "
+                "It must be public."
+            )
+            continue
+        if status >= 400 or not isinstance(payload, dict):
+            problems.warn(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: GitHub API returned {status} for {repo_url}"
+            )
+            continue
+        if payload.get("private"):
+            problems.error(f"plugin `{name}`: repository {repo_url} is private")
+        if not payload.get("license"):
+            problems.error(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: repository {repo_url} has no detected LICENSE"
+            )
+
+        # README presence
+        status, _ = _gh_get(f"/repos/{owner}/{repo}/readme", token)
+        if status == 404:
+            problems.error(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: repository {repo_url} has no README"
+            )
+        elif status >= 400 and status != 0:
+            problems.warn(
+                f"plugin `{name}`: could not verify README (HTTP {status})"
+            )
+
+        # Tag matches version
+        if isinstance(version, str) and version and version != "latest":
+            status, _ = _gh_get(f"/repos/{owner}/{repo}/git/ref/tags/{version}", token)
+            if status == 404:
+                # try with a leading 'v'
+                alt = version if version.startswith("v") else f"v{version}"
+                status2, _ = _gh_get(
+                    f"/repos/{owner}/{repo}/git/ref/tags/{alt}", token
+                )
+                if status2 == 404:
+                    problems.error(
+                        f"plugin `{name}`: no tag matching version `{version}` "
+                        f"found in {repo_url}"
+                    )
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--check-remote",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Also verify that referenced GitHub repositories exist, are public, "
+             "have a LICENSE/README, and expose the declared version tag.",
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    problems = Problems()
+    plugins = load_plugins(problems)
+    if plugins:
+        for i, entry in enumerate(plugins):
+            validate_entry(i, entry, problems)
+        validate_collection(plugins, problems)
+        if args.check_remote:
+            validate_remote(plugins, problems)
+
+    return problems.report()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/validate-pr.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb507f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate-pr.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+name: Validate plugin registry PR
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - "plugins.yaml"
+      - "README.md"
+      - ".github/scripts/validate_plugins.py"
+      - ".github/workflows/validate-pr.yml"
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - "plugins.yaml"
+      - "README.md"
+      - ".github/scripts/validate_plugins.py"
+      - ".github/workflows/validate-pr.yml"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  validate:
+    name: Validate plugins.yaml against README guidelines
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: python -m pip install --upgrade pip pyyaml
+
+      - name: Validate plugins.yaml and README
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: python .github/scripts/validate_plugins.py --check-remote
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8f5c7c0..0ae38de 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,34 +20,30 @@ A central registry of community-maintained plugins for [AVLite](https://github.c
 
 Use one of the following standard categories for `category`. If your plugin doesn't fit, open an issue to propose a new one rather than inventing one ad hoc:
 
-- `perception` — sensing, detection, tracking, segmentation, fusion
-- `planning` — global/local planners, behavior planning, decision-making
-- `control` — vehicle controllers, actuation
-- `localization` — mapping, SLAM, pose estimation
-- `simulation` — simulators, scenario generation, synthetic data
-- `visualization` — UIs, dashboards, debug tooling
-- `utility` — shared libraries, helpers, integrations
+- `PerceptionStrategy` — sensing, detection, tracking, segmentation, fusion
+- `LocalizationStrategy` — pose estimation, SLAM-based localization
+- `MappingStrategy` — map building, SLAM mapping, environment representation
+- `PlanningStrategy` — global/local planners, behavior planning, decision-making
+- `ControlStrategy` — vehicle controllers, actuation
+- `Executer` — runtime execution, scheduling, orchestration
+- `WorldBridge` — bridges to simulators, middleware, or external world interfaces
 
 ### Example Entry
 
 ```yaml
 plugins:
-  - name: ORBit_perception
-    description: ORBit perception plugin for AVLite
-    repository: https://github.com/AV-Lab/ORBit_perception
+  - name: my_perception_plugin
+    description: One-line summary of what the plugin does
+    repository: https://github.com/your-org/your-plugin-repo
     version: latest
-    author: AV-Lab
-    category: perception
+    author: your-org
+    category: PerceptionStrategy
     tags:
       - perception
       - computer-vision
 ```
 
-## Available Plugins
-
-| Name | Category | Description | Repository |
-| ---- | -------- | ----------- | ---------- |
-| ORBit_perception | perception | ORBit perception plugin for AVLite | https://github.com/AV-Lab/ORBit_perception |
+The authoritative list of registered plugins lives in [`plugins.yaml`](plugins.yaml). Tools and the AVLite runtime consume that file directly.
 
 ## Contributing
 
@@ -55,9 +51,8 @@ To add or update a plugin in this registry:
 
 1. **Fork** this repository and create a feature branch.
 2. **Edit `plugins.yaml`** and append (or update) your plugin entry following the [schema](#plugin-registry-schema) above. Keep entries alphabetically sorted by `name` to minimize merge conflicts.
-3. **Update the [Available Plugins](#available-plugins) table** in this README so the human-readable listing stays in sync with `plugins.yaml`.
-4. **Verify your plugin repository** is public, has a clear `README`, a valid `LICENSE`, and a tagged release matching the `version` you list (unless you intentionally use `latest`).
-5. **Open a pull request** with a short description of the plugin and a link to its repository. A maintainer will review and merge.
+3. **Verify your plugin repository** is public, has a clear `README`, a valid `LICENSE`, and a tagged release matching the `version` you list (unless you intentionally use `latest`).
+4. **Open a pull request** with a short description of the plugin and a link to its repository. A maintainer will review and merge.
 
 ### Guidelines
 
@@ -68,7 +63,7 @@ To add or update a plugin in this registry:
 
 ### Removing or Renaming a Plugin
 
-If a plugin is no longer maintained or is being renamed, open a PR that updates or removes the corresponding entry in `plugins.yaml` and the [Available Plugins](#available-plugins) table, and explain the reason in the PR description.
+If a plugin is no longer maintained or is being renamed, open a PR that updates or removes the corresponding entry in `plugins.yaml`, and explain the reason in the PR description.
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/plugins.yaml b/plugins.yaml
index eb65e95..1c8377a 100644
--- a/plugins.yaml
+++ b/plugins.yaml
@@ -3,12 +3,9 @@
 # Each plugin entry should follow the structure below
 
 plugins:
-  - name: ORBit_perception
-    description: ORBit perception plugin for AVLite
-    repository: https://github.com/AV-Lab/ORBit_perception
+  - name: sample_avlite_plugin
+    description: Sample AVLite plugin demonstrating the plugin interface
+    repository: https://github.com/AV-Lab/sample-avlite-plugin
     version: latest
     author: AV-Lab
-    category: perception
-    tags:
-      - perception
-      - computer-vision
+    category: PerceptionStrategy