diff --git a/plugins/inputs/activemq/README.md b/plugins/inputs/activemq/README.md
index 90a8bfc2b..d02dc9453 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/activemq/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/activemq/README.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ This plugin gather queues, topics & subscribers metrics using ActiveMQ Console A
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Description
+# Gather ActiveMQ metrics
 [[inputs.activemq]]
   ## ActiveMQ WebConsole URL
   url = "http://127.0.0.1:8161"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq.go b/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq.go
index f614d1d64..f43976909 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq.go
@@ -82,36 +82,6 @@ type Stats struct {
 	DequeueCounter      int      `xml:"dequeueCounter,attr"`
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## ActiveMQ WebConsole URL
-  url = "http://127.0.0.1:8161"
-
-  ## Credentials for basic HTTP authentication
-  # username = "admin"
-  # password = "admin"
-
-  ## Required ActiveMQ webadmin root path
-  # webadmin = "admin"
-
-  ## Maximum time to receive response.
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-  `
-
-func (a *ActiveMQ) Description() string {
-	return "Gather ActiveMQ metrics"
-}
-
-func (a *ActiveMQ) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (a *ActiveMQ) createHTTPClient() (*http.Client, error) {
 	tlsCfg, err := a.ClientConfig.TLSConfig()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9170d43a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/activemq/activemq_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package activemq
+
+func (a *ActiveMQ) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike.go b/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike.go
index 24358c435..c0e45b044 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike.go
@@ -42,48 +42,6 @@ type Aerospike struct {
 	NumberHistogramBuckets int `toml:"num_histogram_buckets"`
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Aerospike servers to connect to (with port)
-  ## This plugin will query all namespaces the aerospike
-  ## server has configured and get stats for them.
-  servers = ["localhost:3000"]
-
-  # username = "telegraf"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # enable_tls = false
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  # tls_name = "tlsname"
-  ## If false, skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = true
-
-  # Feature Options
-  # Add namespace variable to limit the namespaces executed on
-  # Leave blank to do all
-  # disable_query_namespaces = true # default false
-  # namespaces = ["namespace1", "namespace2"]
-
-  # Enable set level telemetry
-  # query_sets = true # default: false
-  # Add namespace set combinations to limit sets executed on
-  # Leave blank to do all sets
-  # sets = ["namespace1/set1", "namespace1/set2", "namespace3"]
-
-  # Histograms
-  # enable_ttl_histogram = true # default: false
-  # enable_object_size_linear_histogram = true # default: false
-
-  # by default, aerospike produces a 100 bucket histogram
-  # this is not great for most graphing tools, this will allow
-  # the ability to squash this to a smaller number of buckets
-  # To have a balanced histogram, the number of buckets chosen
-  # should divide evenly into 100.
-  # num_histogram_buckets = 100 # default: 10
-`
-
 // On the random chance a hex value is all digits
 // these are fields that can contain hex and should always be strings
 var protectedHexFields = map[string]bool{
@@ -92,14 +50,6 @@ var protectedHexFields = map[string]bool{
 	"paxos_principal": true,
 }
 
-func (a *Aerospike) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (a *Aerospike) Description() string {
-	return "Read stats from aerospike server(s)"
-}
-
 func (a *Aerospike) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if !a.initialized {
 		tlsConfig, err := a.ClientConfig.TLSConfig()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1c42b63b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aerospike/aerospike_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package aerospike
+
+func (a *Aerospike) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/README.md b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/README.md
index 0f6331d7d..03e6a2748 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/README.md
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ In the following order the plugin will attempt to authenticate.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Pull Metric Statistics from Aliyun CMS
+[[inputs.aliyuncms]]
   ## Aliyun Credentials
   ## Credentials are loaded in the following order
   ## 1) Ram RoleArn credential
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms.go b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms.go
index 1dc20d718..dba1811b7 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms.go
@@ -20,110 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
-const (
-	description  = "Pull Metric Statistics from Aliyun CMS"
-	sampleConfig = `
-  ## Aliyun Credentials
-  ## Credentials are loaded in the following order
-  ## 1) Ram RoleArn credential
-  ## 2) AccessKey STS token credential
-  ## 3) AccessKey credential
-  ## 4) Ecs Ram Role credential
-  ## 5) RSA keypair credential
-  ## 6) Environment variables credential
-  ## 7) Instance metadata credential
-  
-  # access_key_id = ""
-  # access_key_secret = ""
-  # access_key_sts_token = ""
-  # role_arn = ""
-  # role_session_name = ""
-  # private_key = ""
-  # public_key_id = ""
-  # role_name = ""
-
-  ## Specify the ali cloud region list to be queried for metrics and objects discovery
-  ## If not set, all supported regions (see below) would be covered, it can provide a significant load on API, so the recommendation here 
-  ## is to limit the list as much as possible. Allowed values: https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/zh/doc-detail/40654.htm
-  ## Default supported regions are:
-  ## 21 items: cn-qingdao,cn-beijing,cn-zhangjiakou,cn-huhehaote,cn-hangzhou,cn-shanghai,cn-shenzhen,
-  ##           cn-heyuan,cn-chengdu,cn-hongkong,ap-southeast-1,ap-southeast-2,ap-southeast-3,ap-southeast-5,
-  ##           ap-south-1,ap-northeast-1,us-west-1,us-east-1,eu-central-1,eu-west-1,me-east-1
-  ##
-  ## From discovery perspective it set the scope for object discovery, the discovered info can be used to enrich
-  ## the metrics with objects attributes/tags. Discovery is supported not for all projects (if not supported, then 
-  ## it will be reported on the start - for example for 'acs_cdn' project:
-  ## 'E! [inputs.aliyuncms] Discovery tool is not activated: no discovery support for project "acs_cdn"' )
-  ## Currently, discovery supported for the following projects:
-  ## - acs_ecs_dashboard
-  ## - acs_rds_dashboard
-  ## - acs_slb_dashboard
-  ## - acs_vpc_eip   
-  regions = ["cn-hongkong"]
-
-  # The minimum period for AliyunCMS metrics is 1 minute (60s). However not all
-  # metrics are made available to the 1 minute period. Some are collected at
-  # 3 minute, 5 minute, or larger intervals.
-  # See: https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/51936.html?spm=a2c4g.11186623.2.18.2bc1750eeOw1Pv
-  # Note that if a period is configured that is smaller than the minimum for a
-  # particular metric, that metric will not be returned by the Aliyun OpenAPI
-  # and will not be collected by Telegraf.
-  #
-  ## Requested AliyunCMS aggregation Period (required - must be a multiple of 60s)
-  period = "5m"
-  
-  ## Collection Delay (required - must account for metrics availability via AliyunCMS API)
-  delay = "1m"
-  
-  ## Recommended: use metric 'interval' that is a multiple of 'period' to avoid
-  ## gaps or overlap in pulled data
-  interval = "5m"
-  
-  ## Metric Statistic Project (required)
-  project = "acs_slb_dashboard"
-  
-  ## Maximum requests per second, default value is 200
-  ratelimit = 200
-  
-  ## How often the discovery API call executed (default 1m)
-  #discovery_interval = "1m"
-  
-  ## Metrics to Pull (Required)
-  [[inputs.aliyuncms.metrics]]
-  ## Metrics names to be requested, 
-  ## described here (per project): https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/28619.html?spm=a2c4g.11186623.6.690.1938ad41wg8QSq
-  names = ["InstanceActiveConnection", "InstanceNewConnection"]
-  
-  ## Dimension filters for Metric (these are optional).
-  ## This allows to get additional metric dimension. If dimension is not specified it can be returned or
-  ## the data can be aggregated - it depends on particular metric, you can find details here: https://help.aliyun.com/document_detail/28619.html?spm=a2c4g.11186623.6.690.1938ad41wg8QSq
-  ##
-  ## Note, that by default dimension filter includes the list of discovered objects in scope (if discovery is enabled)
-  ## Values specified here would be added into the list of discovered objects.
-  ## You can specify either single dimension:      
-  #dimensions = '{"instanceId": "p-example"}'
-  
-  ## Or you can specify several dimensions at once:
-  #dimensions = '[{"instanceId": "p-example"},{"instanceId": "q-example"}]'
-  
-  ## Enrichment tags, can be added from discovery (if supported)
-  ## Notation is <measurement_tag_name>:<JMES query path (https://jmespath.org/tutorial.html)>
-  ## To figure out which fields are available, consult the Describe<ObjectType> API per project.
-  ## For example, for SLB: https://api.aliyun.com/#/?product=Slb&version=2014-05-15&api=DescribeLoadBalancers&params={}&tab=MOCK&lang=GO
-  #tag_query_path = [
-  #    "address:Address",
-  #    "name:LoadBalancerName",
-  #    "cluster_owner:Tags.Tag[?TagKey=='cs.cluster.name'].TagValue | [0]"
-  #    ]
-  ## The following tags added by default: regionId (if discovery enabled), userId, instanceId.
-  
-  ## Allow metrics without discovery data, if discovery is enabled. If set to true, then metric without discovery
-  ## data would be emitted, otherwise dropped. This cane be of help, in case debugging dimension filters, or partial coverage 
-  ## of discovery scope vs monitoring scope 
-  #allow_dps_without_discovery = false
-`
-)
-
 type (
 	// AliyunCMS is aliyun cms config info.
 	AliyunCMS struct {
@@ -207,16 +103,6 @@ var aliyunRegionList = []string{
 	"me-east-1",
 }
 
-// SampleConfig implements telegraf.Inputs interface
-func (s *AliyunCMS) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description implements telegraf.Inputs interface
-func (s *AliyunCMS) Description() string {
-	return description
-}
-
 // Init perform checks of plugin inputs and initialize internals
 func (s *AliyunCMS) Init() error {
 	if s.Project == "" {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..53fff350e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aliyuncms/aliyuncms_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package aliyuncms
+
+func (s *AliyunCMS) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/README.md b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/README.md
index f33df02c1..392cb94e0 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/README.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ This plugin uses a query on the [`rocm-smi`](https://github.com/RadeonOpenComput
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Pulls statistics from AMD GPUs attached to the host
+# Query statistics from AMD Graphics cards using rocm-smi binary
 [[inputs.amd_rocm_smi]]
   ## Optional: path to rocm-smi binary, defaults to $PATH via exec.LookPath
   # bin_path = "/opt/rocm/bin/rocm-smi"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi.go b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi.go
index 7fdd32f46..41647539a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi.go
@@ -22,24 +22,6 @@ type ROCmSMI struct {
 	Timeout config.Duration
 }
 
-// Description returns the description of the ROCmSMI plugin
-func (rsmi *ROCmSMI) Description() string {
-	return "Query statistics from AMD Graphics cards using rocm-smi binary"
-}
-
-var ROCmSMIConfig = `
-## Optional: path to rocm-smi binary, defaults to $PATH via exec.LookPath
-# bin_path = "/opt/rocm/bin/rocm-smi"
-
-## Optional: timeout for GPU polling
-# timeout = "5s"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the sample configuration for the ROCmSMI plugin
-func (rsmi *ROCmSMI) SampleConfig() string {
-	return ROCmSMIConfig
-}
-
 // Gather implements the telegraf interface
 func (rsmi *ROCmSMI) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if _, err := os.Stat(rsmi.BinPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2508f6004
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amd_rocm_smi/amd_rocm_smi_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package amd_rocm_smi
+
+func (rsmi *ROCmSMI) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/README.md b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/README.md
index b383b723d..c3455b025 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/README.md
@@ -11,14 +11,13 @@ For an introduction to AMQP see:
 - [amqp - concepts](https://www.rabbitmq.com/tutorials/amqp-concepts.html)
 - [rabbitmq: getting started](https://www.rabbitmq.com/getstarted.html)
 
+## Configuration
+
 The following defaults are known to work with RabbitMQ:
 
 ```toml
+# AMQP consumer plugin
 [[inputs.amqp_consumer]]
-  ## Broker to consume from.
-  ##   deprecated in 1.7; use the brokers option
-  # url = "amqp://localhost:5672/influxdb"
-
   ## Brokers to consume from.  If multiple brokers are specified a random broker
   ## will be selected anytime a connection is established.  This can be
   ## helpful for load balancing when not using a dedicated load balancer.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer.go b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer.go
index acd631238..7d4ef02d8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer.go
@@ -88,87 +88,6 @@ const (
 	DefaultPrefetchCount = 50
 )
 
-func (a *AMQPConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Brokers to consume from.  If multiple brokers are specified a random broker
-  ## will be selected anytime a connection is established.  This can be
-  ## helpful for load balancing when not using a dedicated load balancer.
-  brokers = ["amqp://localhost:5672/influxdb"]
-
-  ## Authentication credentials for the PLAIN auth_method.
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-
-  ## Name of the exchange to declare.  If unset, no exchange will be declared.
-  exchange = "telegraf"
-
-  ## Exchange type; common types are "direct", "fanout", "topic", "header", "x-consistent-hash".
-  # exchange_type = "topic"
-
-  ## If true, exchange will be passively declared.
-  # exchange_passive = false
-
-  ## Exchange durability can be either "transient" or "durable".
-  # exchange_durability = "durable"
-
-  ## Additional exchange arguments.
-  # exchange_arguments = { }
-  # exchange_arguments = {"hash_property" = "timestamp"}
-
-  ## AMQP queue name.
-  queue = "telegraf"
-
-  ## AMQP queue durability can be "transient" or "durable".
-  queue_durability = "durable"
-
-  ## If true, queue will be passively declared.
-  # queue_passive = false
-
-  ## A binding between the exchange and queue using this binding key is
-  ## created.  If unset, no binding is created.
-  binding_key = "#"
-
-  ## Maximum number of messages server should give to the worker.
-  # prefetch_count = 50
-
-  ## Maximum messages to read from the broker that have not been written by an
-  ## output.  For best throughput set based on the number of metrics within
-  ## each message and the size of the output's metric_batch_size.
-  ##
-  ## For example, if each message from the queue contains 10 metrics and the
-  ## output metric_batch_size is 1000, setting this to 100 will ensure that a
-  ## full batch is collected and the write is triggered immediately without
-  ## waiting until the next flush_interval.
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## Auth method. PLAIN and EXTERNAL are supported
-  ## Using EXTERNAL requires enabling the rabbitmq_auth_mechanism_ssl plugin as
-  ## described here: https://www.rabbitmq.com/plugins.html
-  # auth_method = "PLAIN"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Content encoding for message payloads, can be set to "gzip" to or
-  ## "identity" to apply no encoding.
-  # content_encoding = "identity"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-}
-
-func (a *AMQPConsumer) Description() string {
-	return "AMQP consumer plugin"
-}
-
 func (a *AMQPConsumer) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	a.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d92caaf7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/amqp_consumer/amqp_consumer_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package amqp_consumer
+
+func (a *AMQPConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apache/apache.go b/plugins/inputs/apache/apache.go
index 9b9059ac8..7eaf05997 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/apache/apache.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apache/apache.go
@@ -27,35 +27,6 @@ type Apache struct {
 	client *http.Client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of URLs to gather from, must be directed at the machine
-  ## readable version of the mod_status page including the auto query string.
-  ## Default is "http://localhost/server-status?auto".
-  urls = ["http://localhost/server-status?auto"]
-
-  ## Credentials for basic HTTP authentication.
-  # username = "myuser"
-  # password = "mypassword"
-
-  ## Maximum time to receive response.
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-func (n *Apache) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (n *Apache) Description() string {
-	return "Read Apache status information (mod_status)"
-}
-
 func (n *Apache) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apache/apache_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/apache/apache_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4de4091fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apache/apache_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package apache
+
+func (n *Apache) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/README.md b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/README.md
index eb100a462..f02dc0552 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ apcupsd should be installed and it's daemon should be running.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Monitor APC UPSes connected to apcupsd
 [[inputs.apcupsd]]
   # A list of running apcupsd server to connect to.
   # If not provided will default to tcp://127.0.0.1:3551
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd.go b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd.go
index 2cb752298..bd90103dd 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd.go
@@ -23,23 +23,6 @@ type ApcUpsd struct {
 	Timeout config.Duration
 }
 
-func (*ApcUpsd) Description() string {
-	return "Monitor APC UPSes connected to apcupsd"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  # A list of running apcupsd server to connect to.
-  # If not provided will default to tcp://127.0.0.1:3551
-  servers = ["tcp://127.0.0.1:3551"]
-
-  ## Timeout for dialing server.
-  timeout = "5s"
-`
-
-func (*ApcUpsd) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (h *ApcUpsd) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7d8df9f41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package apcupsd
+
+func (*ApcUpsd) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_test.go b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_test.go
index f21c5a4c4..ee9474adc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/apcupsd/apcupsd_test.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 
 func TestApcupsdDocs(_ *testing.T) {
 	apc := &ApcUpsd{}
-	apc.Description()
 	apc.SampleConfig()
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aurora/README.md b/plugins/inputs/aurora/README.md
index 90910101f..0519c97b3 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/aurora/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aurora/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ For monitoring recommendations reference [Monitoring your Aurora cluster](https:
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Gather metrics from Apache Aurora schedulers
 [[inputs.aurora]]
   ## Schedulers are the base addresses of your Aurora Schedulers
   schedulers = ["http://127.0.0.1:8081"]
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora.go b/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora.go
index 45a2fabb6..e32a00de6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora.go
@@ -54,39 +54,6 @@ type Aurora struct {
 	urls   []*url.URL
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Schedulers are the base addresses of your Aurora Schedulers
-  schedulers = ["http://127.0.0.1:8081"]
-
-  ## Set of role types to collect metrics from.
-  ##
-  ## The scheduler roles are checked each interval by contacting the
-  ## scheduler nodes; zookeeper is not contacted.
-  # roles = ["leader", "follower"]
-
-  ## Timeout is the max time for total network operations.
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Username and password are sent using HTTP Basic Auth.
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-func (a *Aurora) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (a *Aurora) Description() string {
-	return "Gather metrics from Apache Aurora schedulers"
-}
-
 func (a *Aurora) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if a.client == nil {
 		err := a.initialize()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..daeb81516
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/aurora/aurora_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package aurora
+
+func (a *Aurora) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/README.md b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/README.md
index c080be456..ded991064 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/README.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ This plugin gathers sizes of Azure Storage Queues.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Description
+# Gather Azure Storage Queue metrics
 [[inputs.azure_storage_queue]]
   ## Required Azure Storage Account name
   account_name = "mystorageaccount"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue.go b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue.go
index 6d132a5ef..e582b4213 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue.go
@@ -21,25 +21,6 @@ type AzureStorageQueue struct {
 	serviceURL *azqueue.ServiceURL
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Required Azure Storage Account name
-  account_name = "mystorageaccount"
-
-  ## Required Azure Storage Account access key
-  account_key = "storageaccountaccesskey"
-
-  ## Set to false to disable peeking age of oldest message (executes faster)
-  # peek_oldest_message_age = true
-  `
-
-func (a *AzureStorageQueue) Description() string {
-	return "Gather Azure Storage Queue metrics"
-}
-
-func (a *AzureStorageQueue) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (a *AzureStorageQueue) Init() error {
 	if a.StorageAccountName == "" {
 		return errors.New("account_name must be configured")
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e3b123c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/azure_storage_queue/azure_storage_queue_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package azure_storage_queue
+
+func (a *AzureStorageQueue) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bcache/README.md b/plugins/inputs/bcache/README.md
index 0937adcfc..0ab326e2d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bcache/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bcache/README.md
@@ -51,11 +51,12 @@ cache_readaheads
   Count of times readahead occurred.
 ```
 
-## Example
+## Configuration
 
 Using this configuration:
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics of bcache from stats_total and dirty_data
 [[inputs.bcache]]
   ## Bcache sets path
   ## If not specified, then default is:
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache.go b/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache.go
index 84eb3262f..e46100d17 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache.go
@@ -22,25 +22,6 @@ type Bcache struct {
 	BcacheDevs []string
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Bcache sets path
-  ## If not specified, then default is:
-  bcachePath = "/sys/fs/bcache"
-
-  ## By default, Telegraf gather stats for all bcache devices
-  ## Setting devices will restrict the stats to the specified
-  ## bcache devices.
-  bcacheDevs = ["bcache0"]
-`
-
-func (b *Bcache) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (b *Bcache) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics of bcache from stats_total and dirty_data"
-}
-
 func getTags(bdev string) map[string]string {
 	backingDevFile, _ := os.Readlink(bdev)
 	backingDevPath := strings.Split(backingDevFile, "/")
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..396a4815a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bcache/bcache_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build !windows
+// +build !windows
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package bcache
+
+func (b *Bcache) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/README.md b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/README.md
index 3b3719894..feebca634 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ The `beanstalkd` plugin collects server stats as well as tube stats (reported by
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Collects Beanstalkd server and tubes stats
 [[inputs.beanstalkd]]
   ## Server to collect data from
   server = "localhost:11300"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd.go b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd.go
index b8a5c9797..9d67b70b8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd.go
@@ -11,28 +11,11 @@ import (
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Server to collect data from
-  server = "localhost:11300"
-
-  ## List of tubes to gather stats about.
-  ## If no tubes specified then data gathered for each tube on server reported by list-tubes command
-  tubes = ["notifications"]
-`
-
 type Beanstalkd struct {
 	Server string   `toml:"server"`
 	Tubes  []string `toml:"tubes"`
 }
 
-func (b *Beanstalkd) Description() string {
-	return "Collects Beanstalkd server and tubes stats"
-}
-
-func (b *Beanstalkd) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (b *Beanstalkd) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	connection, err := textproto.Dial("tcp", b.Server)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1a820197
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beanstalkd/beanstalkd_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package beanstalkd
+
+func (b *Beanstalkd) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beat/README.md b/plugins/inputs/beat/README.md
index 5f51271da..ecf6f5edb 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/beat/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beat/README.md
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ known to work with Filebeat and Kafkabeat.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics exposed by Beat
+[[inputs.beat]]
   ## An URL from which to read Beat-formatted JSON
   ## Default is "http://127.0.0.1:5066".
   url = "http://127.0.0.1:5066"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beat/beat.go b/plugins/inputs/beat/beat.go
index 08b5c3851..b76ff0a4b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/beat/beat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beat/beat.go
@@ -15,42 +15,6 @@ import (
 	jsonparser "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers/json"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## An URL from which to read Beat-formatted JSON
-  ## Default is "http://127.0.0.1:5066".
-  url = "http://127.0.0.1:5066"
-
-  ## Enable collection of the listed stats
-  ## An empty list means collect all. Available options are currently
-  ## "beat", "libbeat", "system" and "filebeat".
-  # include = ["beat", "libbeat", "filebeat"]
-
-  ## HTTP method
-  # method = "GET"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP headers
-  # headers = {"X-Special-Header" = "Special-Value"}
-
-  ## Override HTTP "Host" header
-  # host_header = "logstash.example.com"
-
-  ## Timeout for HTTP requests
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP Basic Auth credentials
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-const description = "Read metrics exposed by Beat"
-
 const suffixInfo = "/"
 const suffixStats = "/stats"
 
@@ -113,14 +77,6 @@ func (beat *Beat) Init() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (beat *Beat) Description() string {
-	return description
-}
-
-func (beat *Beat) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 // createHTTPClient create a clients to access API
 func (beat *Beat) createHTTPClient() (*http.Client, error) {
 	tlsConfig, err := beat.ClientConfig.TLSConfig()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/beat/beat_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/beat/beat_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..000752ff3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/beat/beat_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package beat
+
+func (beat *Beat) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bind/README.md b/plugins/inputs/bind/README.md
index 2ebda282c..eb22427d2 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bind/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bind/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,19 @@ not enable support for JSON statistics in their BIND packages.
 
 ## Configuration
 
+```toml
+# Read BIND nameserver XML statistics
+[[inputs.bind]]
+  ## An array of BIND XML statistics URI to gather stats.
+  ## Default is "http://localhost:8053/xml/v3".
+  # urls = ["http://localhost:8053/xml/v3"]
+  # gather_memory_contexts = false
+  # gather_views = false
+
+  ## Timeout for http requests made by bind nameserver
+  # timeout = "4s"
+```
+
 - **urls** []string: List of BIND statistics channel URLs to collect from. Do not include a
   trailing slash in the URL. Default is "http://localhost:8053/xml/v3".
 - **gather_memory_contexts** bool: Report per-context memory statistics.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bind/bind.go b/plugins/inputs/bind/bind.go
index dd7b3d128..d04283566 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bind/bind.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bind/bind.go
@@ -21,25 +21,6 @@ type Bind struct {
 	client http.Client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of BIND XML statistics URI to gather stats.
-  ## Default is "http://localhost:8053/xml/v3".
-  # urls = ["http://localhost:8053/xml/v3"]
-  # gather_memory_contexts = false
-  # gather_views = false
-
-  ## Timeout for http requests made by bind nameserver
-  # timeout = "4s"
-`
-
-func (b *Bind) Description() string {
-	return "Read BIND nameserver XML statistics"
-}
-
-func (b *Bind) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (b *Bind) Init() error {
 	b.client = http.Client{
 		Timeout: time.Duration(b.Timeout),
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bind/bind_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/bind/bind_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..278c9d709
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bind/bind_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package bind
+
+func (b *Bind) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bond/README.md b/plugins/inputs/bond/README.md
index 517671f7e..55ec3b812 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bond/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bond/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ The plugin collects these metrics from `/proc/net/bonding/*` files.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Collect bond interface status, slaves statuses and failures count
 [[inputs.bond]]
   ## Sets 'proc' directory path
   ## If not specified, then default is /proc
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bond/bond.go b/plugins/inputs/bond/bond.go
index de6f3602b..ed009904a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/bond/bond.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bond/bond.go
@@ -34,34 +34,6 @@ type sysFiles struct {
 	ADPortsFile string
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Sets 'proc' directory path
-  ## If not specified, then default is /proc
-  # host_proc = "/proc"
-
-  ## Sets 'sys' directory path
-  ## If not specified, then default is /sys
-  # host_sys = "/sys"
-
-  ## By default, telegraf gather stats for all bond interfaces
-  ## Setting interfaces will restrict the stats to the specified
-  ## bond interfaces.
-  # bond_interfaces = ["bond0"]
-
-  ## Tries to collect additional bond details from /sys/class/net/{bond}
-  ## currently only useful for LACP (mode 4) bonds
-  # collect_sys_details = false
-
-`
-
-func (bond *Bond) Description() string {
-	return "Collect bond interface status, slaves statuses and failures count"
-}
-
-func (bond *Bond) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (bond *Bond) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	// load proc path, get default value if config value and env variable are empty
 	bond.loadPaths()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/bond/bond_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/bond/bond_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..66d1d23bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/bond/bond_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package bond
+
+func (bond *Bond) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/burrow/README.md b/plugins/inputs/burrow/README.md
index 2bdddf28c..5eef05f8e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/burrow/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/burrow/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Supported Burrow version: `1.x`
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Collect Kafka topics and consumers status from Burrow HTTP API.
 [[inputs.burrow]]
   ## Burrow API endpoints in format "schema://host:port".
   ## Default is "http://localhost:8000".
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow.go b/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow.go
index d575ea7f5..c317c0b72 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow.go
@@ -24,48 +24,6 @@ const (
 	defaultServer                = "http://localhost:8000"
 )
 
-const configSample = `
-  ## Burrow API endpoints in format "schema://host:port".
-  ## Default is "http://localhost:8000".
-  servers = ["http://localhost:8000"]
-
-  ## Override Burrow API prefix.
-  ## Useful when Burrow is behind reverse-proxy.
-  # api_prefix = "/v3/kafka"
-
-  ## Maximum time to receive response.
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Limit per-server concurrent connections.
-  ## Useful in case of large number of topics or consumer groups.
-  # concurrent_connections = 20
-
-  ## Filter clusters, default is no filtering.
-  ## Values can be specified as glob patterns.
-  # clusters_include = []
-  # clusters_exclude = []
-
-  ## Filter consumer groups, default is no filtering.
-  ## Values can be specified as glob patterns.
-  # groups_include = []
-  # groups_exclude = []
-
-  ## Filter topics, default is no filtering.
-  ## Values can be specified as glob patterns.
-  # topics_include = []
-  # topics_exclude = []
-
-  ## Credentials for basic HTTP authentication.
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-
-  ## Optional SSL config
-  # ssl_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # ssl_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # ssl_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 type (
 	burrow struct {
 		tls.ClientConfig
@@ -133,14 +91,6 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
-func (b *burrow) SampleConfig() string {
-	return configSample
-}
-
-func (b *burrow) Description() string {
-	return "Collect Kafka topics and consumers status from Burrow HTTP API."
-}
-
 func (b *burrow) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..988d4ce9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/burrow/burrow_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package burrow
+
+func (b *burrow) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cassandra/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/README.md
index a68f07f22..210d7e998 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cassandra/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ See: [https://jolokia.org/](https://jolokia.org/) and [Cassandra Documentation](
 
 Cassandra plugin produces one or more measurements for each metric configured, adding Server's name  as `host` tag. More than one measurement is generated when querying table metrics with a wildcard for the keyspace or table name.
 
-Given a configuration like:
+## Configuration
 
 ```toml
 # Read Cassandra metrics through Jolokia
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra.go b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra.go
index d1c23caad..e73a4425e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra.go
@@ -165,33 +165,6 @@ func (c cassandraMetric) addTagsFields(out map[string]interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *Cassandra) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## DEPRECATED: The cassandra plugin has been deprecated.  Please use the
-  ## jolokia2 plugin instead.
-  ##
-  ## see https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/tree/master/plugins/inputs/jolokia2
-
-  context = "/jolokia/read"
-  ## List of cassandra servers exposing jolokia read service
-  servers = ["myuser:mypassword@10.10.10.1:8778","10.10.10.2:8778",":8778"]
-  ## List of metrics collected on above servers
-  ## Each metric consists of a jmx path.
-  ## This will collect all heap memory usage metrics from the jvm and
-  ## ReadLatency metrics for all keyspaces and tables.
-  ## "type=Table" in the query works with Cassandra3.0. Older versions might
-  ## need to use "type=ColumnFamily"
-  metrics  = [
-    "/java.lang:type=Memory/HeapMemoryUsage",
-    "/org.apache.cassandra.metrics:type=Table,keyspace=*,scope=*,name=ReadLatency"
-  ]
-`
-}
-
-func (c *Cassandra) Description() string {
-	return "Read Cassandra metrics through Jolokia"
-}
-
 func (c *Cassandra) getAttr(requestURL *url.URL) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	// Create + send request
 	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", requestURL.String(), nil)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b06286ad4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cassandra/cassandra_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cassandra
+
+func (c *Cassandra) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph.go b/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph.go
index efd61d563..6569b133f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph.go
@@ -42,57 +42,6 @@ type Ceph struct {
 	Log telegraf.Logger `toml:"-"`
 }
 
-func (c *Ceph) Description() string {
-	return "Collects performance metrics from the MON, OSD, MDS and RGW nodes in a Ceph storage cluster."
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## This is the recommended interval to poll.  Too frequent and you will lose
-  ## data points due to timeouts during rebalancing and recovery
-  interval = '1m'
-
-  ## All configuration values are optional, defaults are shown below
-
-  ## location of ceph binary
-  ceph_binary = "/usr/bin/ceph"
-
-  ## directory in which to look for socket files
-  socket_dir = "/var/run/ceph"
-
-  ## prefix of MON and OSD socket files, used to determine socket type
-  mon_prefix = "ceph-mon"
-  osd_prefix = "ceph-osd"
-  mds_prefix = "ceph-mds"
-  rgw_prefix = "ceph-client"
-
-  ## suffix used to identify socket files
-  socket_suffix = "asok"
-
-  ## Ceph user to authenticate as, ceph will search for the corresponding keyring
-  ## e.g. client.admin.keyring in /etc/ceph, or the explicit path defined in the
-  ## client section of ceph.conf for example:
-  ##
-  ##     [client.telegraf]
-  ##         keyring = /etc/ceph/client.telegraf.keyring
-  ##
-  ## Consult the ceph documentation for more detail on keyring generation.
-  ceph_user = "client.admin"
-
-  ## Ceph configuration to use to locate the cluster
-  ceph_config = "/etc/ceph/ceph.conf"
-
-  ## Whether to gather statistics via the admin socket
-  gather_admin_socket_stats = true
-
-  ## Whether to gather statistics via ceph commands, requires ceph_user and ceph_config
-  ## to be specified
-  gather_cluster_stats = false
-`
-
-func (c *Ceph) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (c *Ceph) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if c.GatherAdminSocketStats {
 		if err := c.gatherAdminSocketStats(acc); err != nil {
@@ -312,7 +261,11 @@ func (c *Ceph) flatten(data interface{}) []*metric {
 
 	switch val := data.(type) {
 	case float64:
-		metrics = []*metric{{make([]string, 0, 1), val}}
+		metrics = []*metric{
+			{
+				make([]string, 0, 1), val,
+			},
+		}
 	case map[string]interface{}:
 		metrics = make([]*metric, 0, len(val))
 		for k, v := range val {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..61cbd1092
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ceph/ceph_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ceph
+
+func (c *Ceph) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cgroup/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/README.md
index 4fbb696db..377a92619 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cgroup/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/README.md
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ All measurements have the `path` tag.
 
 ```toml
 # Read specific statistics per cgroup
-# [[inputs.cgroup]]
+[[inputs.cgroup]]
   ## Directories in which to look for files, globs are supported.
   ## Consider restricting paths to the set of cgroups you really
   ## want to monitor if you have a large number of cgroups, to avoid
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup.go b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup.go
index f3853a9da..d67315186 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup.go
@@ -10,29 +10,6 @@ type CGroup struct {
 	Files []string `toml:"files"`
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Directories in which to look for files, globs are supported.
-  ## Consider restricting paths to the set of cgroups you really
-  ## want to monitor if you have a large number of cgroups, to avoid
-  ## any cardinality issues.
-  # paths = [
-  #   "/sys/fs/cgroup/memory",
-  #   "/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/child1",
-  #   "/sys/fs/cgroup/memory/child2/*",
-  # ]
-  ## cgroup stat fields, as file names, globs are supported.
-  ## these file names are appended to each path from above.
-  # files = ["memory.*usage*", "memory.limit_in_bytes"]
-`
-
-func (g *CGroup) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (g *CGroup) Description() string {
-	return "Read specific statistics per cgroup"
-}
-
 func init() {
 	inputs.Add("cgroup", func() telegraf.Input { return &CGroup{} })
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..db6f84f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cgroup/cgroup_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cgroup
+
+func (g *CGroup) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony.go b/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony.go
index 3fe18e89c..2a3242ca8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony.go
@@ -22,17 +22,6 @@ type Chrony struct {
 	path      string
 }
 
-func (*Chrony) Description() string {
-	return "Get standard chrony metrics, requires chronyc executable."
-}
-
-func (*Chrony) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## If true, chronyc tries to perform a DNS lookup for the time server.
-  # dns_lookup = false
-  `
-}
-
 func (c *Chrony) Init() error {
 	var err error
 	c.path, err = exec.LookPath("chronyc")
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e0fc79ee7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/chrony/chrony_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package chrony
+
+func (*Chrony) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/README.md
index b3e641cc3..2c041ce85 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/README.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ The TCP dialout transport is supported on IOS XR (32-bit and 64-bit) 6.1.x and l
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Cisco model-driven telemetry (MDT) input plugin for IOS XR, IOS XE and NX-OS platforms
 [[inputs.cisco_telemetry_mdt]]
  ## Telemetry transport can be "tcp" or "grpc".  TLS is only supported when
  ## using the grpc transport.
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ The TCP dialout transport is supported on IOS XR (32-bit and 64-bit) 6.1.x and l
  ## Define aliases to map telemetry encoding paths to simple measurement names
  [inputs.cisco_telemetry_mdt.aliases]
    ifstats = "ietf-interfaces:interfaces-state/interface/statistics"
+ ## Define Property Xformation, please refer README and https://pubhub.devnetcloud.com/media/dme-docs-9-3-3/docs/appendix/ for Model details.
  [inputs.cisco_telemetry_mdt.dmes]
 #    Global Property Xformation.
 #    prop1 = "uint64 to int"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt.go b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt.go
index 25b5ec975..0de6ac328 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt.go
@@ -682,44 +682,6 @@ func (c *CiscoTelemetryMDT) Stop() {
 	c.wg.Wait()
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
- ## Telemetry transport can be "tcp" or "grpc".  TLS is only supported when
- ## using the grpc transport.
- transport = "grpc"
-
- ## Address and port to host telemetry listener
- service_address = ":57000"
-
- ## Enable TLS; grpc transport only.
- # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
- # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
- ## Enable TLS client authentication and define allowed CA certificates; grpc
- ##  transport only.
- # tls_allowed_cacerts = ["/etc/telegraf/clientca.pem"]
-
- ## Define (for certain nested telemetry measurements with embedded tags) which fields are tags
- # embedded_tags = ["Cisco-IOS-XR-qos-ma-oper:qos/interface-table/interface/input/service-policy-names/service-policy-instance/statistics/class-stats/class-name"]
-
- ## Define aliases to map telemetry encoding paths to simple measurement names
- [inputs.cisco_telemetry_mdt.aliases]
-   ifstats = "ietf-interfaces:interfaces-state/interface/statistics"
- ##Define Property Xformation, please refer README and https://pubhub.devnetcloud.com/media/dme-docs-9-3-3/docs/appendix/ for Model details.
- [inputs.cisco_telemetry_mdt.dmes]
-   ModTs = "ignore"
-   CreateTs = "ignore"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig of plugin
-func (c *CiscoTelemetryMDT) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description of plugin
-func (c *CiscoTelemetryMDT) Description() string {
-	return "Cisco model-driven telemetry (MDT) input plugin for IOS XR, IOS XE and NX-OS platforms"
-}
-
 // Gather plugin measurements (unused)
 func (c *CiscoTelemetryMDT) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fb474a507
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cisco_telemetry_mdt/cisco_telemetry_mdt_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cisco_telemetry_mdt
+
+func (c *CiscoTelemetryMDT) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse.go b/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse.go
index bdd4cf473..7973476e9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse.go
@@ -21,72 +21,6 @@ import (
 
 var defaultTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Username for authorization on ClickHouse server
-  ## example: username = "default"
-  username = "default"
-
-  ## Password for authorization on ClickHouse server
-  ## example: password = "super_secret"
-
-  ## HTTP(s) timeout while getting metrics values
-  ## The timeout includes connection time, any redirects, and reading the response body.
-  ##   example: timeout = 1s
-  # timeout = 5s
-
-  ## List of servers for metrics scraping
-  ## metrics scrape via HTTP(s) clickhouse interface
-  ## https://clickhouse.tech/docs/en/interfaces/http/
-  ##    example: servers = ["http://127.0.0.1:8123","https://custom-server.mdb.yandexcloud.net"]
-  servers         = ["http://127.0.0.1:8123"]
-
-  ## If "auto_discovery"" is "true" plugin tries to connect to all servers available in the cluster
-  ## with using same "user:password" described in "user" and "password" parameters
-  ## and get this server hostname list from "system.clusters" table
-  ## see
-  ## - https://clickhouse.tech/docs/en/operations/system_tables/#system-clusters
-  ## - https://clickhouse.tech/docs/en/operations/server_settings/settings/#server_settings_remote_servers
-  ## - https://clickhouse.tech/docs/en/operations/table_engines/distributed/
-  ## - https://clickhouse.tech/docs/en/operations/table_engines/replication/#creating-replicated-tables
-  ##    example: auto_discovery = false
-  # auto_discovery = true
-
-  ## Filter cluster names in "system.clusters" when "auto_discovery" is "true"
-  ## when this filter present then "WHERE cluster IN (...)" filter will apply
-  ## please use only full cluster names here, regexp and glob filters is not allowed
-  ## for "/etc/clickhouse-server/config.d/remote.xml"
-  ## <yandex>
-  ##  <remote_servers>
-  ##    <my-own-cluster>
-  ##        <shard>
-  ##          <replica><host>clickhouse-ru-1.local</host><port>9000</port></replica>
-  ##          <replica><host>clickhouse-ru-2.local</host><port>9000</port></replica>
-  ##        </shard>
-  ##        <shard>
-  ##          <replica><host>clickhouse-eu-1.local</host><port>9000</port></replica>
-  ##          <replica><host>clickhouse-eu-2.local</host><port>9000</port></replica>
-  ##        </shard>
-  ##    </my-onw-cluster>
-  ##  </remote_servers>
-  ##
-  ## </yandex>
-  ##
-  ## example: cluster_include = ["my-own-cluster"]
-  # cluster_include = []
-
-  ## Filter cluster names in "system.clusters" when "auto_discovery" is "true"
-  ## when this filter present then "WHERE cluster NOT IN (...)" filter will apply
-  ##    example: cluster_exclude = ["my-internal-not-discovered-cluster"]
-  # cluster_exclude = []
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 type connect struct {
 	Cluster  string `json:"cluster"`
 	ShardNum int    `json:"shard_num"`
@@ -119,16 +53,6 @@ type ClickHouse struct {
 	tls.ClientConfig
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns the sample config
-func (*ClickHouse) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description return plugin description
-func (*ClickHouse) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from one or many ClickHouse servers"
-}
-
 // Start ClickHouse input service
 func (ch *ClickHouse) Start(telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	timeout := defaultTimeout
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d6e2a4cce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/clickhouse/clickhouse_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package clickhouse
+
+func (*ClickHouse) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/README.md
index d05fea611..ea688faef 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/README.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ and creates metrics using one of the supported [input data formats][].
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from Google PubSub
 [[inputs.cloud_pubsub]]
   ## Required. Name of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Project that owns
   ## the given PubSub subscription.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/pubsub.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub.go
similarity index 68%
rename from plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/pubsub.go
rename to plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub.go
index 806f84f61..1593eaaf0 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/pubsub.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub.go
@@ -59,14 +59,6 @@ type PubSub struct {
 	sem         semaphore
 }
 
-func (ps *PubSub) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from Google PubSub"
-}
-
-func (ps *PubSub) SampleConfig() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf(sampleConfig, defaultMaxUndeliveredMessages)
-}
-
 // Gather does nothing for this service input.
 func (ps *PubSub) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
@@ -293,77 +285,3 @@ func init() {
 		return ps
 	})
 }
-
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Required. Name of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Project that owns
-  ## the given PubSub subscription.
-  project = "my-project"
-
-  ## Required. Name of PubSub subscription to ingest metrics from.
-  subscription = "my-subscription"
-
-  ## Required. Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options.
-  ## Read more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-
-  ## Optional. Filepath for GCP credentials JSON file to authorize calls to
-  ## PubSub APIs. If not set explicitly, Telegraf will attempt to use
-  ## Application Default Credentials, which is preferred.
-  # credentials_file = "path/to/my/creds.json"
-
-  ## Optional. Number of seconds to wait before attempting to restart the
-  ## PubSub subscription receiver after an unexpected error.
-  ## If the streaming pull for a PubSub Subscription fails (receiver),
-  ## the agent attempts to restart receiving messages after this many seconds.
-  # retry_delay_seconds = 5
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum byte length of a message to consume.
-  ## Larger messages are dropped with an error. If less than 0 or unspecified,
-  ## treated as no limit.
-  # max_message_len = 1000000
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum messages to read from PubSub that have not been written
-  ## to an output. Defaults to %d.
-  ## For best throughput set based on the number of metrics within
-  ## each message and the size of the output's metric_batch_size.
-  ##
-  ## For example, if each message contains 10 metrics and the output
-  ## metric_batch_size is 1000, setting this to 100 will ensure that a
-  ## full batch is collected and the write is triggered immediately without
-  ## waiting until the next flush_interval.
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## The following are optional Subscription ReceiveSettings in PubSub.
-  ## Read more about these values:
-  ## https://godoc.org/cloud.google.com/go/pubsub#ReceiveSettings
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum number of seconds for which a PubSub subscription
-  ## should auto-extend the PubSub ACK deadline for each message. If less than
-  ## 0, auto-extension is disabled.
-  # max_extension = 0
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum number of unprocessed messages in PubSub
-  ## (unacknowledged but not yet expired in PubSub).
-  ## A value of 0 is treated as the default PubSub value.
-  ## Negative values will be treated as unlimited.
-  # max_outstanding_messages = 0
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum size in bytes of unprocessed messages in PubSub
-  ## (unacknowledged but not yet expired in PubSub).
-  ## A value of 0 is treated as the default PubSub value.
-  ## Negative values will be treated as unlimited.
-  # max_outstanding_bytes = 0
-
-  ## Optional. Max number of goroutines a PubSub Subscription receiver can spawn
-  ## to pull messages from PubSub concurrently. This limit applies to each
-  ## subscription separately and is treated as the PubSub default if less than
-  ## 1. Note this setting does not limit the number of messages that can be
-  ## processed concurrently (use "max_outstanding_messages" instead).
-  # max_receiver_go_routines = 0
-
-  ## Optional. If true, Telegraf will attempt to base64 decode the
-  ## PubSub message data before parsing
-  # base64_data = false
-`
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c07b8e983
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cloud_pubsub
+
+func (ps *PubSub) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/pubsub_test.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/pubsub_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub/cloud_pubsub_test.go
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/README.md
index 3163d5bb4..b67259e37 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/README.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Enable mutually authenticated TLS and authorize client connections by signing ce
 This is a sample configuration for the plugin.
 
 ```toml
+# Google Cloud Pub/Sub Push HTTP listener
 [[inputs.cloud_pubsub_push]]
   ## Address and port to host HTTP listener on
   service_address = ":8080"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/pubsub_push.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push.go
similarity index 75%
rename from plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/pubsub_push.go
rename to plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push.go
index 48329e1cd..65018276d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/pubsub_push.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push.go
@@ -61,64 +61,6 @@ type Payload struct {
 	Subscription string  `json:"subscription"`
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Address and port to host HTTP listener on
-  service_address = ":8080"
-
-  ## Application secret to verify messages originate from Cloud Pub/Sub
-  # token = ""
-
-  ## Path to listen to.
-  # path = "/"
-
-  ## Maximum duration before timing out read of the request
-  # read_timeout = "10s"
-  ## Maximum duration before timing out write of the response. This should be set to a value
-  ## large enough that you can send at least 'metric_batch_size' number of messages within the
-  ## duration.
-  # write_timeout = "10s"
-
-  ## Maximum allowed http request body size in bytes.
-  ## 0 means to use the default of 524,288,00 bytes (500 mebibytes)
-  # max_body_size = "500MB"
-
-  ## Whether to add the pubsub metadata, such as message attributes and subscription as a tag.
-  # add_meta = false
-
-  ## Optional. Maximum messages to read from PubSub that have not been written
-  ## to an output. Defaults to 1000.
-  ## For best throughput set based on the number of metrics within
-  ## each message and the size of the output's metric_batch_size.
-  ##
-  ## For example, if each message contains 10 metrics and the output
-  ## metric_batch_size is 1000, setting this to 100 will ensure that a
-  ## full batch is collected and the write is triggered immediately without
-  ## waiting until the next flush_interval.
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## Set one or more allowed client CA certificate file names to
-  ## enable mutually authenticated TLS connections
-  # tls_allowed_cacerts = ["/etc/telegraf/clientca.pem"]
-
-  ## Add service certificate and key
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
-func (p *PubSubPush) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (p *PubSubPush) Description() string {
-	return "Google Cloud Pub/Sub Push HTTP listener"
-}
-
 func (p *PubSubPush) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ecb01a20f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cloud_pubsub_push
+
+func (p *PubSubPush) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/pubsub_push_test.go b/plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/pubsub_push_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/cloud_pubsub_push/cloud_pubsub_push_test.go
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/README.md b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/README.md
index a904eb1ea..4a9eb0348 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/README.md
@@ -31,14 +31,14 @@ API endpoint. In the following order the plugin will attempt to authenticate.
   ## 5) environment variables
   ## 6) shared credentials file
   ## 7) EC2 Instance Profile
-  #access_key = ""
-  #secret_key = ""
-  #token = ""
-  #role_arn = ""
-  #web_identity_token_file = ""
-  #role_session_name = ""
-  #profile = ""
-  #shared_credential_file = ""
+  # access_key = ""
+  # secret_key = ""
+  # token = ""
+  # role_arn = ""
+  # web_identity_token_file = ""
+  # role_session_name = ""
+  # profile = ""
+  # shared_credential_file = ""
 
   ## Endpoint to make request against, the correct endpoint is automatically
   ## determined and this option should only be set if you wish to override the
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
index bf0ab65bf..7c0215ebb 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch.go
@@ -90,110 +90,6 @@ type cloudwatchClient interface {
 	GetMetricData(context.Context, *cwClient.GetMetricDataInput, ...func(*cwClient.Options)) (*cwClient.GetMetricDataOutput, error)
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns the default configuration of the Cloudwatch input plugin.
-func (c *CloudWatch) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Amazon Region
-  region = "us-east-1"
-
-  ## Amazon Credentials
-  ## Credentials are loaded in the following order
-  ## 1) Web identity provider credentials via STS if role_arn and web_identity_token_file are specified
-  ## 2) Assumed credentials via STS if role_arn is specified
-  ## 3) explicit credentials from 'access_key' and 'secret_key'
-  ## 4) shared profile from 'profile'
-  ## 5) environment variables
-  ## 6) shared credentials file
-  ## 7) EC2 Instance Profile
-  # access_key = ""
-  # secret_key = ""
-  # token = ""
-  # role_arn = ""
-  # web_identity_token_file = ""
-  # role_session_name = ""
-  # profile = ""
-  # shared_credential_file = ""
-
-  ## Endpoint to make request against, the correct endpoint is automatically
-  ## determined and this option should only be set if you wish to override the
-  ## default.
-  ##   ex: endpoint_url = "http://localhost:8000"
-  # endpoint_url = ""
-
-  ## Set http_proxy (telegraf uses the system wide proxy settings if it's is not set)
-  # http_proxy_url = "http://localhost:8888"
-
-  # The minimum period for Cloudwatch metrics is 1 minute (60s). However not all
-  # metrics are made available to the 1 minute period. Some are collected at
-  # 3 minute, 5 minute, or larger intervals. See https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/faqs/#monitoring.
-  # Note that if a period is configured that is smaller than the minimum for a
-  # particular metric, that metric will not be returned by the Cloudwatch API
-  # and will not be collected by Telegraf.
-  #
-  ## Requested CloudWatch aggregation Period (required - must be a multiple of 60s)
-  period = "5m"
-
-  ## Collection Delay (required - must account for metrics availability via CloudWatch API)
-  delay = "5m"
-
-  ## Recommended: use metric 'interval' that is a multiple of 'period' to avoid
-  ## gaps or overlap in pulled data
-  interval = "5m"
-
-  ## Recommended if "delay" and "period" are both within 3 hours of request time. Invalid values will be ignored.
-  ## Recently Active feature will only poll for CloudWatch ListMetrics values that occurred within the last 3 Hours.
-  ## If enabled, it will reduce total API usage of the CloudWatch ListMetrics API and require less memory to retain.
-  ## Do not enable if "period" or "delay" is longer than 3 hours, as it will not return data more than 3 hours old.
-  ## See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/APIReference/API_ListMetrics.html
-  #recently_active = "PT3H"
-
-  ## Configure the TTL for the internal cache of metrics.
-  # cache_ttl = "1h"
-
-  ## Metric Statistic Namespaces (required)
-  namespaces = ["AWS/ELB"]
-  # A single metric statistic namespace that will be appended to namespaces on startup
-  # namespace = "AWS/ELB"
-
-  ## Maximum requests per second. Note that the global default AWS rate limit is
-  ## 50 reqs/sec, so if you define multiple namespaces, these should add up to a
-  ## maximum of 50.
-  ## See http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/cloudwatch_limits.html
-  # ratelimit = 25
-
-  ## Timeout for http requests made by the cloudwatch client.
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Namespace-wide statistic filters. These allow fewer queries to be made to
-  ## cloudwatch.
-  # statistic_include = [ "average", "sum", "minimum", "maximum", sample_count" ]
-  # statistic_exclude = []
-
-  ## Metrics to Pull
-  ## Defaults to all Metrics in Namespace if nothing is provided
-  ## Refreshes Namespace available metrics every 1h
-  #[[inputs.cloudwatch.metrics]]
-  #  names = ["Latency", "RequestCount"]
-  #
-  #  ## Statistic filters for Metric.  These allow for retrieving specific
-  #  ## statistics for an individual metric.
-  #  # statistic_include = [ "average", "sum", "minimum", "maximum", sample_count" ]
-  #  # statistic_exclude = []
-  #
-  #  ## Dimension filters for Metric.  All dimensions defined for the metric names
-  #  ## must be specified in order to retrieve the metric statistics.
-  #  ## 'value' has wildcard / 'glob' matching support such as 'p-*'.
-  #  [[inputs.cloudwatch.metrics.dimensions]]
-  #    name = "LoadBalancerName"
-  #    value = "p-example"
-`
-}
-
-// Description returns a one-sentence description on the Cloudwatch input plugin.
-func (c *CloudWatch) Description() string {
-	return "Pull Metric Statistics from Amazon CloudWatch"
-}
-
 func (c *CloudWatch) Init() error {
 	if len(c.Namespace) != 0 {
 		c.Namespaces = append(c.Namespaces, c.Namespace)
@@ -395,10 +291,12 @@ func getFilteredMetrics(c *CloudWatch) ([]filteredMetric, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		fMetrics = []filteredMetric{{
-			metrics:    metrics,
-			statFilter: c.statFilter,
-		}}
+		fMetrics = []filteredMetric{
+			{
+				metrics:    metrics,
+				statFilter: c.statFilter,
+			},
+		}
 	}
 
 	c.metricCache = &metricCache{
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2e9c84c46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cloudwatch/cloudwatch_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cloudwatch
+
+func (c *CloudWatch) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack.go b/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack.go
index d644f7c18..abbc0fc55 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack.go
@@ -47,29 +47,6 @@ func (c *Conntrack) setDefaults() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *Conntrack) Description() string {
-	return "Collects conntrack stats from the configured directories and files."
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-   ## The following defaults would work with multiple versions of conntrack.
-   ## Note the nf_ and ip_ filename prefixes are mutually exclusive across
-   ## kernel versions, as are the directory locations.
-
-   ## Superset of filenames to look for within the conntrack dirs.
-   ## Missing files will be ignored.
-   files = ["ip_conntrack_count","ip_conntrack_max",
-            "nf_conntrack_count","nf_conntrack_max"]
-
-   ## Directories to search within for the conntrack files above.
-   ## Missing directories will be ignored.
-   dirs = ["/proc/sys/net/ipv4/netfilter","/proc/sys/net/netfilter"]
-`
-
-func (c *Conntrack) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (c *Conntrack) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	c.setDefaults()
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f308c11d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/conntrack/conntrack_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package conntrack
+
+func (c *Conntrack) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/consul/consul.go b/plugins/inputs/consul/consul.go
index 431ebcbcb..135526d85 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/consul/consul.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/consul/consul.go
@@ -27,43 +27,6 @@ type Consul struct {
 	client *api.Client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Consul server address
-  # address = "localhost:8500"
-
-  ## URI scheme for the Consul server, one of "http", "https"
-  # scheme = "http"
-
-  ## Metric version controls the mapping from Consul metrics into
-  ## Telegraf metrics.
-  ##
-  ##   example: metric_version = 1; deprecated in 1.15
-  ##            metric_version = 2; recommended version
-  # metric_version = 1
-
-  ## ACL token used in every request
-  # token = ""
-
-  ## HTTP Basic Authentication username and password.
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-
-  ## Data center to query the health checks from
-  # datacenter = ""
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = true
-
-  ## Consul checks' tag splitting
-  # When tags are formatted like "key:value" with ":" as a delimiter then
-  # they will be splitted and reported as proper key:value in Telegraf
-  # tag_delimiter = ":"
-`
-
 func (c *Consul) Init() error {
 	if c.MetricVersion != 2 {
 		c.Log.Warnf("Use of deprecated configuration: 'metric_version = 1'; please update to 'metric_version = 2'")
@@ -72,14 +35,6 @@ func (c *Consul) Init() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (c *Consul) Description() string {
-	return "Gather health check statuses from services registered in Consul"
-}
-
-func (c *Consul) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (c *Consul) createAPIClient() (*api.Client, error) {
 	config := api.DefaultConfig()
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/consul/consul_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/consul/consul_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..38c4c2210
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/consul/consul_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package consul
+
+func (c *Consul) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/README.md b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/README.md
index 3cefdf2ca..58f5ad530 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ This plugin grabs metrics from a Consul agent. Telegraf may be present in every
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from the Consul Agent API
 [[inputs.consul_agent]]
   ## URL for the Consul agent
   # url = "http://127.0.0.1:8500"
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ This plugin grabs metrics from a Consul agent. Telegraf may be present in every
   ## OR
   # token = "a1234567-40c7-9048-7bae-378687048181"
 
-  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
+  ## Set timeout (default 5 seconds)
   # timeout = "5s"
 
   ## Optional TLS Config
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent.go b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent.go
index 80a082c37..d2d20b34d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent.go
@@ -31,25 +31,6 @@ type ConsulAgent struct {
 
 const timeLayout = "2006-01-02 15:04:05 -0700 MST"
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## URL for the Consul agent
-  # url = "http://127.0.0.1:8500"
-
-  ## Use auth token for authorization.
-  ## Only one of the options can be set. Leave empty to not use any token.
-  # token_file = "/path/to/auth/token"
-  ## OR
-  # token = "a1234567-40c7-9048-7bae-378687048181"
-
-  ## Set timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = /path/to/cafile
-  # tls_cert = /path/to/certfile
-  # tls_key = /path/to/keyfile
-`
-
 func init() {
 	inputs.Add("consul_agent", func() telegraf.Input {
 		return &ConsulAgent{
@@ -58,16 +39,6 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns a sample config
-func (n *ConsulAgent) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns a description of the plugin
-func (n *ConsulAgent) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from the Consul Agent API"
-}
-
 func (n *ConsulAgent) Init() error {
 	if n.URL == "" {
 		n.URL = "http://127.0.0.1:8500"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1c4cf1e38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/consul_agent/consul_agent_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package consul_agent
+
+func (n *ConsulAgent) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase.go b/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase.go
index f67e75096..2d34a4c6d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase.go
@@ -26,40 +26,8 @@ type Couchbase struct {
 	tls.ClientConfig
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## specify servers via a url matching:
-  ##  [protocol://][:password]@address[:port]
-  ##  e.g.
-  ##    http://couchbase-0.example.com/
-  ##    http://admin:secret@couchbase-0.example.com:8091/
-  ##
-  ## If no servers are specified, then localhost is used as the host.
-  ## If no protocol is specified, HTTP is used.
-  ## If no port is specified, 8091 is used.
-  servers = ["http://localhost:8091"]
-
-  ## Filter bucket fields to include only here.
-  # bucket_stats_included = ["quota_percent_used", "ops_per_sec", "disk_fetches", "item_count", "disk_used", "data_used", "mem_used"]
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification (defaults to false)
-  ## If set to false, tls_cert and tls_key are required
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 var regexpURI = regexp.MustCompile(`(\S+://)?(\S+\:\S+@)`)
 
-func (cb *Couchbase) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (cb *Couchbase) Description() string {
-	return "Read per-node and per-bucket metrics from Couchbase"
-}
-
 // Reads stats from all configured clusters. Accumulates stats.
 // Returns one of the errors encountered while gathering stats (if any).
 func (cb *Couchbase) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..984cffdcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/couchbase/couchbase_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package couchbase
+
+func (cb *Couchbase) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/couchdb/README.md b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/README.md
index a7a6a42f9..5e1b3c6df 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/couchdb/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ The CouchDB plugin gathers metrics of CouchDB using [_stats] endpoint.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read CouchDB Stats from one or more servers
 [[inputs.couchdb]]
   ## Works with CouchDB stats endpoints out of the box
   ## Multiple Hosts from which to read CouchDB stats:
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb.go b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb.go
index fc165f4cf..b2f30a4cf 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb.go
@@ -88,22 +88,6 @@ type (
 	}
 )
 
-func (*CouchDB) Description() string {
-	return "Read CouchDB Stats from one or more servers"
-}
-
-func (*CouchDB) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Works with CouchDB stats endpoints out of the box
-  ## Multiple Hosts from which to read CouchDB stats:
-  hosts = ["http://localhost:8086/_stats"]
-
-  ## Use HTTP Basic Authentication.
-  # basic_username = "telegraf"
-  # basic_password = "p@ssw0rd"
-`
-}
-
 func (c *CouchDB) Gather(accumulator telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	for _, u := range c.Hosts {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..64cde4bbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/couchdb/couchdb_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package couchdb
+
+func (*CouchDB) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu.go b/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu.go
index 8c22bb923..611902c29 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu.go
@@ -29,25 +29,6 @@ func NewCPUStats(ps system.PS) *CPUStats {
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *CPUStats) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about cpu usage"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Whether to report per-cpu stats or not
-  percpu = true
-  ## Whether to report total system cpu stats or not
-  totalcpu = true
-  ## If true, collect raw CPU time metrics
-  collect_cpu_time = false
-  ## If true, compute and report the sum of all non-idle CPU states
-  report_active = false
-`
-
-func (c *CPUStats) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (c *CPUStats) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	times, err := c.ps.CPUTimes(c.PerCPU, c.TotalCPU)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e195f9d83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/cpu/cpu_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package cpu
+
+func (c *CPUStats) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo.go b/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo.go
index 59d1110ad..1c344d1c3 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo.go
@@ -31,25 +31,6 @@ type CSGO struct {
 	Servers [][]string `toml:"servers"`
 }
 
-func (*CSGO) Description() string {
-	return "Fetch metrics from a CSGO SRCDS"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Specify servers using the following format:
-  ##    servers = [
-  ##      ["ip1:port1", "rcon_password1"],
-  ##      ["ip2:port2", "rcon_password2"],
-  ##    ]
-  #
-  ## If no servers are specified, no data will be collected
-  servers = []
-`
-
-func (*CSGO) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (s *CSGO) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a1603a1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/csgo/csgo_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package csgo
+
+func (*CSGO) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dcos/README.md b/plugins/inputs/dcos/README.md
index cd3a0c739..e3d4d9296 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dcos/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dcos/README.md
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ your database.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Input plugin for DC/OS metrics
 [[inputs.dcos]]
   ## The DC/OS cluster URL.
   cluster_url = "https://dcos-master-1"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos.go b/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos.go
index 5712afcfa..05e1e8f09 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos.go
@@ -69,57 +69,6 @@ type DCOS struct {
 	appFilter       filter.Filter
 }
 
-func (d *DCOS) Description() string {
-	return "Input plugin for DC/OS metrics"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## The DC/OS cluster URL.
-  cluster_url = "https://dcos-ee-master-1"
-
-  ## The ID of the service account.
-  service_account_id = "telegraf"
-  ## The private key file for the service account.
-  service_account_private_key = "/etc/telegraf/telegraf-sa-key.pem"
-
-  ## Path containing login token.  If set, will read on every gather.
-  # token_file = "/home/dcos/.dcos/token"
-
-  ## In all filter options if both include and exclude are empty all items
-  ## will be collected.  Arrays may contain glob patterns.
-  ##
-  ## Node IDs to collect metrics from.  If a node is excluded, no metrics will
-  ## be collected for its containers or apps.
-  # node_include = []
-  # node_exclude = []
-  ## Container IDs to collect container metrics from.
-  # container_include = []
-  # container_exclude = []
-  ## Container IDs to collect app metrics from.
-  # app_include = []
-  # app_exclude = []
-
-  ## Maximum concurrent connections to the cluster.
-  # max_connections = 10
-  ## Maximum time to receive a response from cluster.
-  # response_timeout = "20s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## If false, skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = true
-
-  ## Recommended filtering to reduce series cardinality.
-  # [inputs.dcos.tagdrop]
-  #   path = ["/var/lib/mesos/slave/slaves/*"]
-`
-
-func (d *DCOS) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (d *DCOS) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	err := d.init()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..91e8fd58d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dcos/dcos_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package dcos
+
+func (d *DCOS) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/README.md b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/README.md
index c4ad4c20e..44257f4f8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ This plugin is intended to read files that are moved or copied to the monitored
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Ingests files in a directory and then moves them to a target directory.
 [[inputs.directory_monitor]]
   ## The directory to monitor and read files from.
   directory = ""
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor.go b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor.go
index c5dfa7b78..45cafbe47 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor.go
@@ -24,51 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/selfstat"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## The directory to monitor and read files from.
-  directory = ""
-  #
-  ## The directory to move finished files to.
-  finished_directory = ""
-  #
-  ## The directory to move files to upon file error.
-  ## If not provided, erroring files will stay in the monitored directory.
-  # error_directory = ""
-  #
-  ## The amount of time a file is allowed to sit in the directory before it is picked up.
-  ## This time can generally be low but if you choose to have a very large file written to the directory and it's potentially slow,
-  ## set this higher so that the plugin will wait until the file is fully copied to the directory.
-  # directory_duration_threshold = "50ms"
-  #
-  ## A list of the only file names to monitor, if necessary. Supports regex. If left blank, all files are ingested.
-  # files_to_monitor = ["^.*\.csv"]
-  #
-  ## A list of files to ignore, if necessary. Supports regex.
-  # files_to_ignore = [".DS_Store"]
-  #
-  ## Maximum lines of the file to process that have not yet be written by the
-  ## output. For best throughput set to the size of the output's metric_buffer_limit.
-  ## Warning: setting this number higher than the output's metric_buffer_limit can cause dropped metrics.
-  # max_buffered_metrics = 10000
-  #
-  ## The maximum amount of file paths to queue up for processing at once, before waiting until files are processed to find more files.
-  ## Lowering this value will result in *slightly* less memory use, with a potential sacrifice in speed efficiency, if absolutely necessary.
-  #	file_queue_size = 100000
-  #
-  ## Name a tag containing the name of the file the data was parsed from.  Leave empty
-  ## to disable. Cautious when file name variation is high, this can increase the cardinality
-  ## significantly. Read more about cardinality here:
-  ## https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/cloud/reference/glossary/#series-cardinality
-  # file_tag = ""
-  #
-  ## The dataformat to be read from the files.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  ## NOTE: We currently only support parsing newline-delimited JSON. See the format here: https://github.com/ndjson/ndjson-spec
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
 var (
 	defaultFilesToMonitor             = []string{}
 	defaultFilesToIgnore              = []string{}
@@ -104,14 +59,6 @@ type DirectoryMonitor struct {
 	filesToProcess      chan string
 }
 
-func (monitor *DirectoryMonitor) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (monitor *DirectoryMonitor) Description() string {
-	return "Ingests files in a directory and then moves them to a target directory."
-}
-
 func (monitor *DirectoryMonitor) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	// Get all files sitting in the directory.
 	files, err := os.ReadDir(monitor.Directory)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1fca93b67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/directory_monitor/directory_monitor_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package directory_monitor
+
+func (monitor *DirectoryMonitor) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disk/README.md b/plugins/inputs/disk/README.md
index a055a61c9..91df0101a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/disk/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disk/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ Note that `used_percent` is calculated by doing `used / (used + free)`, _not_
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics about disk usage by mount point
 [[inputs.disk]]
   ## By default stats will be gathered for all mount points.
   ## Set mount_points will restrict the stats to only the specified mount points.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disk/disk.go b/plugins/inputs/disk/disk.go
index a995d72cc..461f4bdc9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/disk/disk.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disk/disk.go
@@ -21,23 +21,6 @@ type DiskStats struct {
 	Log telegraf.Logger `toml:"-"`
 }
 
-func (ds *DiskStats) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about disk usage by mount point"
-}
-
-var diskSampleConfig = `
-  ## By default stats will be gathered for all mount points.
-  ## Set mount_points will restrict the stats to only the specified mount points.
-  # mount_points = ["/"]
-
-  ## Ignore mount points by filesystem type.
-  ignore_fs = ["tmpfs", "devtmpfs", "devfs", "iso9660", "overlay", "aufs", "squashfs"]
-`
-
-func (ds *DiskStats) SampleConfig() string {
-	return diskSampleConfig
-}
-
 func (ds *DiskStats) Init() error {
 	// Legacy support:
 	if len(ds.LegacyMountPoints) != 0 {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disk/disk_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/disk/disk_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e7be4f911
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disk/disk_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package disk
+
+func (ds *DiskStats) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/diskio/README.md b/plugins/inputs/diskio/README.md
index 1e99e81fe..9fd0173bc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/diskio/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/diskio/README.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ The diskio input plugin gathers metrics about disk traffic and timing.
   ## By default, telegraf will gather stats for all devices including
   ## disk partitions.
   ## Setting devices will restrict the stats to the specified devices.
-  # devices = ["sda", "sdb"]
+  # devices = ["sda", "sdb", "vd*"]
   ## Uncomment the following line if you need disk serial numbers.
   # skip_serial_number = false
   #
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio.go b/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio.go
index 9458b2af7..ebd7791a2 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio.go
@@ -30,42 +30,6 @@ type DiskIO struct {
 	initialized  bool
 }
 
-func (d *DiskIO) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about disk IO by device"
-}
-
-var diskIOsampleConfig = `
-  ## By default, telegraf will gather stats for all devices including
-  ## disk partitions.
-  ## Setting devices will restrict the stats to the specified devices.
-  # devices = ["sda", "sdb", "vd*"]
-  ## Uncomment the following line if you need disk serial numbers.
-  # skip_serial_number = false
-  #
-  ## On systems which support it, device metadata can be added in the form of
-  ## tags.
-  ## Currently only Linux is supported via udev properties. You can view
-  ## available properties for a device by running:
-  ## 'udevadm info -q property -n /dev/sda'
-  ## Note: Most, but not all, udev properties can be accessed this way. Properties
-  ## that are currently inaccessible include DEVTYPE, DEVNAME, and DEVPATH.
-  # device_tags = ["ID_FS_TYPE", "ID_FS_USAGE"]
-  #
-  ## Using the same metadata source as device_tags, you can also customize the
-  ## name of the device via templates.
-  ## The 'name_templates' parameter is a list of templates to try and apply to
-  ## the device. The template may contain variables in the form of '$PROPERTY' or
-  ## '${PROPERTY}'. The first template which does not contain any variables not
-  ## present for the device is used as the device name tag.
-  ## The typical use case is for LVM volumes, to get the VG/LV name instead of
-  ## the near-meaningless DM-0 name.
-  # name_templates = ["$ID_FS_LABEL","$DM_VG_NAME/$DM_LV_NAME"]
-`
-
-func (d *DiskIO) SampleConfig() string {
-	return diskIOsampleConfig
-}
-
 // hasMeta reports whether s contains any special glob characters.
 func hasMeta(s string) bool {
 	return strings.ContainsAny(s, "*?[")
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a840e5eef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/diskio/diskio_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package diskio
+
+func (d *DiskIO) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disque/README.md b/plugins/inputs/disque/README.md
index 2312bd2c8..351ce6759 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/disque/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disque/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from one or many disque servers
 [[inputs.disque]]
   ## An array of URI to gather stats about. Specify an ip or hostname
   ## with optional port and password.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disque/disque.go b/plugins/inputs/disque/disque.go
index 6fa63ec8b..ead29c67d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/disque/disque.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disque/disque.go
@@ -21,24 +21,8 @@ type Disque struct {
 	c net.Conn
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of URI to gather stats about. Specify an ip or hostname
-  ## with optional port and password.
-  ## ie disque://localhost, disque://10.10.3.33:18832, 10.0.0.1:10000, etc.
-  ## If no servers are specified, then localhost is used as the host.
-  servers = ["localhost"]
-`
-
 var defaultTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
-func (d *Disque) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (d *Disque) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from one or many disque servers"
-}
-
 var Tracking = map[string]string{
 	"uptime_in_seconds":          "uptime",
 	"connected_clients":          "clients",
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/disque/disque_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/disque/disque_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc84362b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/disque/disque_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package disque
+
+func (d *Disque) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dmcache/README.md b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/README.md
index bfc30f678..b228b3f02 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dmcache/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ This plugin requires sudo, that is why you should setup and be sure that the tel
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Provide a native collection for dmsetup based statistics for dm-cache
 [[inputs.dmcache]]
   ## Whether to report per-device stats or not
   per_device = true
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache.go b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache.go
index 25a398194..5871fc6f8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache.go
@@ -10,19 +10,6 @@ type DMCache struct {
 	getCurrentStatus func() ([]string, error)
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Whether to report per-device stats or not
-  per_device = true
-`
-
-func (c *DMCache) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (c *DMCache) Description() string {
-	return "Provide a native collection for dmsetup based statistics for dm-cache"
-}
-
 func init() {
 	inputs.Add("dmcache", func() telegraf.Input {
 		return &DMCache{
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b10517fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dmcache/dmcache_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package dmcache
+
+func (c *DMCache) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query.go b/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query.go
index a3b2f262b..edf406a2c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query.go
@@ -41,34 +41,6 @@ type DNSQuery struct {
 	Timeout int
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## servers to query
-  servers = ["8.8.8.8"]
-
-  ## Network is the network protocol name.
-  # network = "udp"
-
-  ## Domains or subdomains to query.
-  # domains = ["."]
-
-  ## Query record type.
-  ## Possible values: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, PTR, TXT, SOA, SPF, SRV.
-  # record_type = "A"
-
-  ## Dns server port.
-  # port = 53
-
-  ## Query timeout in seconds.
-  # timeout = 2
-`
-
-func (d *DNSQuery) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (d *DNSQuery) Description() string {
-	return "Query given DNS server and gives statistics"
-}
 func (d *DNSQuery) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	d.setDefaultValues()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..14e14e350
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dns_query/dns_query_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package dns_query
+
+func (d *DNSQuery) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker/docker.go b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker.go
index d761a5894..d8850dbfc 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/docker/docker.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker.go
@@ -83,68 +83,6 @@ var (
 	now                    = time.Now
 )
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Docker Endpoint
-  ##   To use TCP, set endpoint = "tcp://[ip]:[port]"
-  ##   To use environment variables (ie, docker-machine), set endpoint = "ENV"
-  endpoint = "unix:///var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  ## Set to true to collect Swarm metrics(desired_replicas, running_replicas)
-  gather_services = false
-
-  ## Set the source tag for the metrics to the container ID hostname, eg first 12 chars
-  source_tag = false
-
-  ## Containers to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all containers
-  container_name_include = []
-  container_name_exclude = []
-
-  ## Container states to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## When empty only containers in the "running" state will be captured.
-  ## example: container_state_include = ["created", "restarting", "running", "removing", "paused", "exited", "dead"]
-  ## example: container_state_exclude = ["created", "restarting", "running", "removing", "paused", "exited", "dead"]
-  # container_state_include = []
-  # container_state_exclude = []
-
-  ## Timeout for docker list, info, and stats commands
-  timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Specifies for which classes a per-device metric should be issued
-  ## Possible values are 'cpu' (cpu0, cpu1, ...), 'blkio' (8:0, 8:1, ...) and 'network' (eth0, eth1, ...)
-  ## Please note that this setting has no effect if 'perdevice' is set to 'true'
-  # perdevice_include = ["cpu"]
-
-  ## Specifies for which classes a total metric should be issued. Total is an aggregated of the 'perdevice' values.
-  ## Possible values are 'cpu', 'blkio' and 'network'
-  ## Total 'cpu' is reported directly by Docker daemon, and 'network' and 'blkio' totals are aggregated by this plugin.
-  ## Please note that this setting has no effect if 'total' is set to 'false'
-  # total_include = ["cpu", "blkio", "network"]
-
-  ## Which environment variables should we use as a tag
-  ##tag_env = ["JAVA_HOME", "HEAP_SIZE"]
-
-  ## docker labels to include and exclude as tags.  Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all labels as tags
-  docker_label_include = []
-  docker_label_exclude = []
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the default Docker TOML configuration.
-func (d *Docker) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
-// Description the metrics returned.
-func (d *Docker) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about docker containers"
-}
-
 func (d *Docker) Init() error {
 	err := choice.CheckSlice(d.PerDeviceInclude, containerMetricClasses)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e25737232
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker/docker_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package docker
+
+func (d *Docker) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker_log/README.md b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/README.md
index 99fbcee05..0faaf962e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/docker_log/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/README.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ The docker plugin uses the [Official Docker Client][] to gather logs from the
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read logging output from the Docker engine
 [[inputs.docker_log]]
   ## Docker Endpoint
   ##   To use TCP, set endpoint = "tcp://[ip]:[port]"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log.go b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log.go
index 622f9924e..d340f4de2 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log.go
@@ -24,45 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 )
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Docker Endpoint
-  ##   To use TCP, set endpoint = "tcp://[ip]:[port]"
-  ##   To use environment variables (ie, docker-machine), set endpoint = "ENV"
-  # endpoint = "unix:///var/run/docker.sock"
-
-  ## When true, container logs are read from the beginning; otherwise
-  ## reading begins at the end of the log.
-  # from_beginning = false
-
-  ## Timeout for Docker API calls.
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Containers to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all containers
-  # container_name_include = []
-  # container_name_exclude = []
-
-  ## Container states to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## When empty only containers in the "running" state will be captured.
-  # container_state_include = []
-  # container_state_exclude = []
-
-  ## docker labels to include and exclude as tags.  Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all labels as tags
-  # docker_label_include = []
-  # docker_label_exclude = []
-
-  ## Set the source tag for the metrics to the container ID hostname, eg first 12 chars
-  source_tag = false
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 const (
 	defaultEndpoint = "unix:///var/run/docker.sock"
 )
@@ -100,14 +61,6 @@ type DockerLogs struct {
 	containerList   map[string]context.CancelFunc
 }
 
-func (d *DockerLogs) Description() string {
-	return "Read logging output from the Docker engine"
-}
-
-func (d *DockerLogs) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (d *DockerLogs) Init() error {
 	var err error
 	if d.Endpoint == "ENV" {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8194558c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/docker_log/docker_log_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package docker_log
+
+func (d *DockerLogs) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot.go b/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot.go
index fbc3b7905..86e6c3805 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot.go
@@ -20,34 +20,12 @@ type Dovecot struct {
 	Servers []string
 }
 
-func (d *Dovecot) Description() string {
-	return "Read statistics from one or many dovecot servers"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## specify dovecot servers via an address:port list
-  ##  e.g.
-  ##    localhost:24242
-  ##
-  ## If no servers are specified, then localhost is used as the host.
-  servers = ["localhost:24242"]
-
-  ## Type is one of "user", "domain", "ip", or "global"
-  type = "global"
-
-  ## Wildcard matches like "*.com". An empty string "" is same as "*"
-  ## If type = "ip" filters should be <IP/network>
-  filters = [""]
-`
-
 var defaultTimeout = time.Second * time.Duration(5)
 
 var validQuery = map[string]bool{
 	"user": true, "domain": true, "global": true, "ip": true,
 }
 
-func (d *Dovecot) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
 // Reads stats from all configured servers.
 func (d *Dovecot) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if !validQuery[d.Type] {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c396dd9d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dovecot/dovecot_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package dovecot
+
+func (d *Dovecot) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk.go b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk.go
index 261784942..41aaf46df 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk.go
@@ -17,39 +17,6 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	description  = "Reads metrics from DPDK applications using v2 telemetry interface."
-	sampleConfig = `
-  ## Path to DPDK telemetry socket. This shall point to v2 version of DPDK telemetry interface.
-  # socket_path = "/var/run/dpdk/rte/dpdk_telemetry.v2"
-
-  ## Duration that defines how long the connected socket client will wait for a response before terminating connection.
-  ## This includes both writing to and reading from socket. Since it's local socket access
-  ## to a fast packet processing application, the timeout should be sufficient for most users.
-  ## Setting the value to 0 disables the timeout (not recommended)
-  # socket_access_timeout = "200ms"
-
-  ## Enables telemetry data collection for selected device types.
-  ## Adding "ethdev" enables collection of telemetry from DPDK NICs (stats, xstats, link_status).
-  ## Adding "rawdev" enables collection of telemetry from DPDK Raw Devices (xstats).
-  # device_types = ["ethdev"]
-
-  ## List of custom, application-specific telemetry commands to query
-  ## The list of available commands depend on the application deployed. Applications can register their own commands
-  ##   via telemetry library API http://doc.dpdk.org/guides/prog_guide/telemetry_lib.html#registering-commands
-  ## For e.g. L3 Forwarding with Power Management Sample Application this could be: 
-  ##   additional_commands = ["/l3fwd-power/stats"]
-  # additional_commands = []
-
-  ## Allows turning off collecting data for individual "ethdev" commands.
-  ## Remove "/ethdev/link_status" from list to start getting link status metrics.
-  [inputs.dpdk.ethdev]
-    exclude_commands = ["/ethdev/link_status"]
-
-  ## When running multiple instances of the plugin it's recommended to add a unique tag to each instance to identify
-  ## metrics exposed by an instance of DPDK application. This is useful when multiple DPDK apps run on a single host.  
-  ##  [inputs.dpdk.tags]
-  ##    dpdk_instance = "my-fwd-app"
-`
 	defaultPathToSocket        = "/var/run/dpdk/rte/dpdk_telemetry.v2"
 	defaultAccessTimeout       = config.Duration(200 * time.Millisecond)
 	maxCommandLength           = 56
@@ -88,14 +55,6 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
-func (dpdk *dpdk) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (dpdk *dpdk) Description() string {
-	return description
-}
-
 // Performs validation of all parameters from configuration
 func (dpdk *dpdk) Init() error {
 	if dpdk.SocketPath == "" {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..63e76a961
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package dpdk
+
+func (dpdk *dpdk) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_test.go b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_test.go
index 41d2da3d0..ea000f5be 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/dpdk/dpdk_test.go
@@ -155,17 +155,6 @@ func Test_validateCommands(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
-func Test_dpdkPluginDescriber(t *testing.T) {
-	dpdk := dpdk{}
-	t.Run("sampleConfig function should return value from constant", func(t *testing.T) {
-		require.Equal(t, sampleConfig, dpdk.SampleConfig())
-	})
-
-	t.Run("description function should return value from constant", func(t *testing.T) {
-		require.Equal(t, description, dpdk.Description())
-	})
-}
-
 func prepareEnvironment() (*mocks.Conn, dpdk, *testutil.Accumulator) {
 	mockConnection := &mocks.Conn{}
 	dpdk := dpdk{
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs.go b/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs.go
index dfdc24e7a..8ef3a2f88 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs.go
@@ -45,43 +45,6 @@ const (
 	v2Endpoint = "http://169.254.170.2"
 )
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## ECS metadata url.
-  ## Metadata v2 API is used if set explicitly. Otherwise,
-  ## v3 metadata endpoint API is used if available.
-  # endpoint_url = ""
-
-  ## Containers to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all containers
-  # container_name_include = []
-  # container_name_exclude = []
-
-  ## Container states to include and exclude. Globs accepted.
-  ## When empty only containers in the "RUNNING" state will be captured.
-  ## Possible values are "NONE", "PULLED", "CREATED", "RUNNING",
-  ## "RESOURCES_PROVISIONED", "STOPPED".
-  # container_status_include = []
-  # container_status_exclude = []
-
-  ## ecs labels to include and exclude as tags.  Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all labels as tags
-  ecs_label_include = [ "com.amazonaws.ecs.*" ]
-  ecs_label_exclude = []
-
-  ## Timeout for queries.
-  # timeout = "5s"
-`
-
-// Description describes ECS plugin
-func (ecs *Ecs) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about docker containers from Fargate/ECS v2, v3 meta endpoints."
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns the ECS example config
-func (ecs *Ecs) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 // Gather is the entrypoint for telegraf metrics collection
 func (ecs *Ecs) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	err := initSetup(ecs)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7ea296648
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ecs/ecs_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ecs
+
+func (ecs *Ecs) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/README.md b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/README.md
index e39bc025e..c29173301 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/README.md
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ Note that specific statistics information can change between Elasticsearch versi
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read stats from one or more Elasticsearch servers or clusters
 [[inputs.elasticsearch]]
   ## specify a list of one or more Elasticsearch servers
   ## you can add username and password to your url to use basic authentication:
@@ -78,7 +79,9 @@ Note that specific statistics information can change between Elasticsearch versi
   # insecure_skip_verify = false
 
   ## Sets the number of most recent indices to return for indices that are configured with a date-stamped suffix.
-  ## Each 'indices_include' entry ending with a wildcard (*) or glob matching pattern will group together all indices that match it, and ## sort them by the date or number after the wildcard. Metrics then are gathered for only the 'num_most_recent_indices' amount of most ## recent indices.
+  ## Each 'indices_include' entry ending with a wildcard (*) or glob matching pattern will group together all indices that match it, and 
+  ## sort them by the date or number after the wildcard. Metrics then are gathered for only the 'num_most_recent_indices' amount of most 
+  ## recent indices.
   # num_most_recent_indices = 0
 ```
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch.go b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch.go
index 24142ba38..dcb37dac7 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch.go
@@ -86,64 +86,6 @@ type indexStat struct {
 	Shards    map[string][]interface{} `json:"shards"`
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## specify a list of one or more Elasticsearch servers
-  # you can add username and password to your url to use basic authentication:
-  # servers = ["http://user:pass@localhost:9200"]
-  servers = ["http://localhost:9200"]
-
-  ## Timeout for HTTP requests to the elastic search server(s)
-  http_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## When local is true (the default), the node will read only its own stats.
-  ## Set local to false when you want to read the node stats from all nodes
-  ## of the cluster.
-  local = true
-
-  ## Set cluster_health to true when you want to also obtain cluster health stats
-  cluster_health = false
-
-  ## Adjust cluster_health_level when you want to also obtain detailed health stats
-  ## The options are
-  ##  - indices (default)
-  ##  - cluster
-  # cluster_health_level = "indices"
-
-  ## Set cluster_stats to true when you want to also obtain cluster stats.
-  cluster_stats = false
-
-  ## Only gather cluster_stats from the master node. To work this require local = true
-  cluster_stats_only_from_master = true
-
-  ## Indices to collect; can be one or more indices names or _all
-  ## Use of wildcards is allowed. Use a wildcard at the end to retrieve index names that end with a changing value, like a date.
-  indices_include = ["_all"]
-
-  ## One of "shards", "cluster", "indices"
-  indices_level = "shards"
-
-  ## node_stats is a list of sub-stats that you want to have gathered. Valid options
-  ## are "indices", "os", "process", "jvm", "thread_pool", "fs", "transport", "http",
-  ## "breaker". Per default, all stats are gathered.
-  # node_stats = ["jvm", "http"]
-
-  ## HTTP Basic Authentication username and password.
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Sets the number of most recent indices to return for indices that are configured with a date-stamped suffix.
-  ## Each 'indices_include' entry ending with a wildcard (*) or glob matching pattern will group together all indices that match it, and sort them
-  ## by the date or number after the wildcard. Metrics then are gathered for only the 'num_most_recent_indices' amount of most recent indices.
-  # num_most_recent_indices = 0
-`
-
 // Elasticsearch is a plugin to read stats from one or many Elasticsearch
 // servers.
 type Elasticsearch struct {
@@ -214,16 +156,6 @@ func mapShardStatusToCode(s string) int {
 	return 0
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration for this plugin.
-func (e *Elasticsearch) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the plugin description.
-func (e *Elasticsearch) Description() string {
-	return "Read stats from one or more Elasticsearch servers or clusters"
-}
-
 // Init the plugin.
 func (e *Elasticsearch) Init() error {
 	// Compile the configured indexes to match for sorting.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..06f4a20fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch/elasticsearch_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package elasticsearch
+
+func (e *Elasticsearch) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/README.md b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/README.md
index 5e90d19e7..67ceff4b5 100755
--- a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Currently it is known to break on 7.x or greater versions.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Derive metrics from aggregating Elasticsearch query results
 [[inputs.elasticsearch_query]]
   ## The full HTTP endpoint URL for your Elasticsearch instance
   ## Multiple urls can be specified as part of the same cluster,
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query.go b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query.go
index 009577573..aa73b09bd 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query.go
@@ -17,78 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## The full HTTP endpoint URL for your Elasticsearch instance
-  ## Multiple urls can be specified as part of the same cluster,
-  ## this means that only ONE of the urls will be written to each interval.
-  urls = [ "http://node1.es.example.com:9200" ] # required.
-
-  ## Elasticsearch client timeout, defaults to "5s".
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Set to true to ask Elasticsearch a list of all cluster nodes,
-  ## thus it is not necessary to list all nodes in the urls config option
-  # enable_sniffer = false
-
-  ## Set the interval to check if the Elasticsearch nodes are available
-  ## This option is only used if enable_sniffer is also set (0s to disable it)
-  # health_check_interval = "10s"
-
-  ## HTTP basic authentication details (eg. when using x-pack)
-  # username = "telegraf"
-  # password = "mypassword"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  [[inputs.elasticsearch_query.aggregation]]
-    ## measurement name for the results of the aggregation query
-    measurement_name = "measurement"
-
-    ## Elasticsearch indexes to query (accept wildcards).
-    index = "index-*"
-
-    ## The date/time field in the Elasticsearch index (mandatory).
-    date_field = "@timestamp"
-
-    ## If the field used for the date/time field in Elasticsearch is also using
-    ## a custom date/time format it may be required to provide the format to
-    ## correctly parse the field.
-    ##
-    ## If using one of the built in elasticsearch formats this is not required.
-    # date_field_custom_format = ""
-
-    ## Time window to query (eg. "1m" to query documents from last minute).
-    ## Normally should be set to same as collection interval
-    query_period = "1m"
-
-    ## Lucene query to filter results
-    # filter_query = "*"
-
-    ## Fields to aggregate values (must be numeric fields)
-    # metric_fields = ["metric"]
-
-    ## Aggregation function to use on the metric fields
-    ## Must be set if 'metric_fields' is set
-    ## Valid values are: avg, sum, min, max, sum
-    # metric_function = "avg"
-
-    ## Fields to be used as tags
-    ## Must be text, non-analyzed fields. Metric aggregations are performed per tag
-    # tags = ["field.keyword", "field2.keyword"]
-
-    ## Set to true to not ignore documents when the tag(s) above are missing
-    # include_missing_tag = false
-
-    ## String value of the tag when the tag does not exist
-    ## Used when include_missing_tag is true
-    # missing_tag_value = "null"
-`
-
 // ElasticsearchQuery struct
 type ElasticsearchQuery struct {
 	URLs                []string        `toml:"urls"`
@@ -123,16 +51,6 @@ type esAggregation struct {
 	aggregationQueryList []aggregationQueryData
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration for this plugin.
-func (e *ElasticsearchQuery) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the plugin description.
-func (e *ElasticsearchQuery) Description() string {
-	return `Derive metrics from aggregating Elasticsearch query results`
-}
-
 // Init the plugin.
 func (e *ElasticsearchQuery) Init() error {
 	if e.URLs == nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c0c5b1357
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/elasticsearch_query/elasticsearch_query_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package elasticsearch_query
+
+func (e *ElasticsearchQuery) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool.go b/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool.go
index 256652640..951b5cee9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool.go
@@ -34,30 +34,4 @@ const (
 	tagInterface     = "interface"
 	tagDriverName    = "driver"
 	fieldInterfaceUp = "interface_up"
-
-	sampleConfig = `
-  ## List of interfaces to pull metrics for
-  # interface_include = ["eth0"]
-
-  ## List of interfaces to ignore when pulling metrics.
-  # interface_exclude = ["eth1"]
-
-  ## Some drivers declare statistics with extra whitespace, different spacing,
-  ## and mix cases. This list, when enabled, can be used to clean the keys.
-  ## Here are the current possible normalizations:
-  ##  * snakecase: converts fooBarBaz to foo_bar_baz
-  ##  * trim: removes leading and trailing whitespace
-  ##  * lower: changes all capitalized letters to lowercase
-  ##  * underscore: replaces spaces with underscores
-  # normalize_keys = ["snakecase", "trim", "lower", "underscore"]
-`
 )
-
-func (e *Ethtool) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns a one-sentence description on the Input
-func (e *Ethtool) Description() string {
-	return "Returns ethtool statistics for given interfaces"
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d3de2fdb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ethtool/ethtool_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ethtool
+
+func (e *Ethtool) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/README.md b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/README.md
index dc99bd281..c6964b9ec 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/README.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ The main focus for development of this plugin is Azure IoT hub:
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Azure Event Hubs service input plugin
 [[inputs.eventhub_consumer]]
   ## The default behavior is to create a new Event Hub client from environment variables.
   ## This requires one of the following sets of environment variables to be set:
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer.go b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer.go
index 064502b0e..fcc76e1af 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package eventhub
+package eventhub_consumer
 
 import (
 	"context"
@@ -63,99 +63,6 @@ type EventHub struct {
 	in     chan []telegraf.Metric
 }
 
-// SampleConfig is provided here
-func (*EventHub) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## The default behavior is to create a new Event Hub client from environment variables.
-  ## This requires one of the following sets of environment variables to be set:
-  ##
-  ## 1) Expected Environment Variables:
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_CONNECTION_STRING"
-  ##
-  ## 2) Expected Environment Variables:
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_NAMESPACE"
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_NAME"
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_KEY_NAME"
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_KEY_VALUE"
-
-  ## 3) Expected Environment Variables:
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_NAMESPACE"
-  ##    - "EVENTHUB_NAME"
-  ##    - "AZURE_TENANT_ID"
-  ##    - "AZURE_CLIENT_ID"
-  ##    - "AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET"
-
-  ## Uncommenting the option below will create an Event Hub client based solely on the connection string.
-  ## This can either be the associated environment variable or hard coded directly.
-  ## If this option is uncommented, environment variables will be ignored.
-  ## Connection string should contain EventHubName (EntityPath)
-  # connection_string = ""
-
-  ## Set persistence directory to a valid folder to use a file persister instead of an in-memory persister
-  # persistence_dir = ""
-
-  ## Change the default consumer group
-  # consumer_group = ""
-
-  ## By default the event hub receives all messages present on the broker, alternative modes can be set below.
-  ## The timestamp should be in https://github.com/toml-lang/toml#offset-date-time format (RFC 3339).
-  ## The 3 options below only apply if no valid persister is read from memory or file (e.g. first run).
-  # from_timestamp =
-  # latest = true
-
-  ## Set a custom prefetch count for the receiver(s)
-  # prefetch_count = 1000
-
-  ## Add an epoch to the receiver(s)
-  # epoch = 0
-
-  ## Change to set a custom user agent, "telegraf" is used by default
-  # user_agent = "telegraf"
-
-  ## To consume from a specific partition, set the partition_ids option.
-  ## An empty array will result in receiving from all partitions.
-  # partition_ids = ["0","1"]
-
-  ## Max undelivered messages
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## Set either option below to true to use a system property as timestamp.
-  ## You have the choice between EnqueuedTime and IoTHubEnqueuedTime.
-  ## It is recommended to use this setting when the data itself has no timestamp.
-  # enqueued_time_as_ts = true
-  # iot_hub_enqueued_time_as_ts = true
-
-  ## Tags or fields to create from keys present in the application property bag.
-  ## These could for example be set by message enrichments in Azure IoT Hub.
-  # application_property_tags = []
-  # application_property_fields = []
-
-  ## Tag or field name to use for metadata
-  ## By default all metadata is disabled
-  # sequence_number_field = "SequenceNumber"
-  # enqueued_time_field = "EnqueuedTime"
-  # offset_field = "Offset"
-  # partition_id_tag = "PartitionID"
-  # partition_key_tag = "PartitionKey"
-  # iot_hub_device_connection_id_tag = "IoTHubDeviceConnectionID"
-  # iot_hub_auth_generation_id_tag = "IoTHubAuthGenerationID"
-  # iot_hub_connection_auth_method_tag = "IoTHubConnectionAuthMethod"
-  # iot_hub_connection_module_id_tag = "IoTHubConnectionModuleID"
-  # iot_hub_enqueued_time_field = "IoTHubEnqueuedTime"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-  `
-}
-
-// Description of the plugin
-func (*EventHub) Description() string {
-	return "Azure Event Hubs service input plugin"
-}
-
 // SetParser sets the parser
 func (e *EventHub) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	e.parser = parser
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bda841e8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/eventhub_consumer/eventhub_consumer_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package eventhub_consumer
+
+func (*EventHub) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/example/example.go b/plugins/inputs/example/example.go
index c8f5992fe..1e61a51d1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/example/example.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/example/example.go
@@ -32,37 +32,6 @@ type Example struct {
 	count int64
 }
 
-// Usually the default (example) configuration is contained in this constant.
-// Please use '## '' to denote comments and '# ' to specify default settings and start each line with two spaces.
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Device name used as a tag
-  ## This is a mandatory option that needs to be set by the user, so we do not
-  ## comment it.
-  device_name = ""
-
-  ## Number of fields contained in the output
-  ## This should be greater than zero and less then ten.
-	## Here, two is the default, so we comment the option with the default value shown.
-  # number_fields = 2
-
-  ## Enable setting the field(s) to random values
-  ## By default, the field values are set to zero.
-  # enable_random = false
-
-  ## Specify a duration allowing time-unit suffixes ('ns','ms', 's', 'm', etc.)
-	# timeout = "100ms"
-`
-
-// Description will appear directly above the plugin definition in the config file
-func (m *Example) Description() string {
-	return `This is an example plugin`
-}
-
-// SampleConfig will populate the sample configuration portion of the plugin's configuration
-func (m *Example) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 // Init can be implemented to do one-time processing stuff like initializing variables
 func (m *Example) Init() error {
 	// Check your options according to your requirements
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/example/example_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/example/example_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a5ca2518f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/example/example_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package example
+
+func (m *Example) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md b/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
index e682ef4ab..a7266c98f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ This plugin can be used to poll for custom metrics from any source.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from one or more commands that can output to stdout
 [[inputs.exec]]
   ## Commands array
   commands = [
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
index e8ba23db4..e0c497d34 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec.go
@@ -21,27 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers/nagios"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Commands array
-  commands = [
-    "/tmp/test.sh",
-    "/usr/bin/mycollector --foo=bar",
-    "/tmp/collect_*.sh"
-  ]
-
-  ## Timeout for each command to complete.
-  timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## measurement name suffix (for separating different commands)
-  name_suffix = "_mycollector"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
 const MaxStderrBytes int = 512
 
 type Exec struct {
@@ -166,14 +145,6 @@ func (e *Exec) ProcessCommand(command string, acc telegraf.Accumulator, wg *sync
 	}
 }
 
-func (e *Exec) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (e *Exec) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from one or more commands that can output to stdout"
-}
-
 func (e *Exec) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	e.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/exec/exec_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d0d8bbf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/exec/exec_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package exec
+
+func (e *Exec) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/execd/README.md b/plugins/inputs/execd/README.md
index c5299713c..42acbc36e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/execd/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/execd/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ STDERR from the process will be relayed to Telegraf as errors in the logs.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Run executable as long-running input plugin
 [[inputs.execd]]
   ## One program to run as daemon.
   ## NOTE: process and each argument should each be their own string
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/execd/execd.go b/plugins/inputs/execd/execd.go
index a55b2f052..afd0214a6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/execd/execd.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/execd/execd.go
@@ -17,30 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers/prometheus"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Program to run as daemon
-  command = ["telegraf-smartctl", "-d", "/dev/sda"]
-
-  ## Define how the process is signaled on each collection interval.
-  ## Valid values are:
-  ##   "none"   : Do not signal anything.
-  ##              The process must output metrics by itself.
-  ##   "STDIN"   : Send a newline on STDIN.
-  ##   "SIGHUP"  : Send a HUP signal. Not available on Windows.
-  ##   "SIGUSR1" : Send a USR1 signal. Not available on Windows.
-  ##   "SIGUSR2" : Send a USR2 signal. Not available on Windows.
-  signal = "none"
-
-  ## Delay before the process is restarted after an unexpected termination
-  restart_delay = "10s"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
 type Execd struct {
 	Command      []string        `toml:"command"`
 	Signal       string          `toml:"signal"`
@@ -52,14 +28,6 @@ type Execd struct {
 	parser  parsers.Parser
 }
 
-func (e *Execd) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (e *Execd) Description() string {
-	return "Run executable as long-running input plugin"
-}
-
 func (e *Execd) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	e.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/execd/execd_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/execd/execd_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bc59d8ef3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/execd/execd_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package execd
+
+func (e *Execd) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban.go b/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban.go
index 37afb87b6..7961a473d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban.go
@@ -21,11 +21,6 @@ type Fail2ban struct {
 	UseSudo bool
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Use sudo to run fail2ban-client
-  use_sudo = false
-`
-
 var metricsTargets = []struct {
 	target string
 	field  string
@@ -40,14 +35,6 @@ var metricsTargets = []struct {
 	},
 }
 
-func (f *Fail2ban) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from fail2ban."
-}
-
-func (f *Fail2ban) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (f *Fail2ban) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if len(f.path) == 0 {
 		return errors.New("fail2ban-client not found: verify that fail2ban is installed and that fail2ban-client is in your PATH")
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ea8e27d36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fail2ban/fail2ban_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package fail2ban
+
+func (f *Fail2ban) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro.go b/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro.go
index b60eecfa8..aa3532868 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro.go
@@ -14,21 +14,6 @@ import (
 
 const defaultTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Required Fibaro controller address/hostname.
-  ## Note: at the time of writing this plugin, Fibaro only implemented http - no https available
-  url = "http://<controller>:80"
-
-  ## Required credentials to access the API (http://<controller/api/<component>)
-  username = "<username>"
-  password = "<password>"
-
-  ## Amount of time allowed to complete the HTTP request
-  # timeout = "5s"
-`
-
-const description = "Read devices value(s) from a Fibaro controller"
-
 // Fibaro contains connection information
 type Fibaro struct {
 	URL string `toml:"url"`
@@ -78,12 +63,6 @@ type Devices struct {
 	} `json:"properties"`
 }
 
-// Description returns a string explaining the purpose of this plugin
-func (f *Fibaro) Description() string { return description }
-
-// SampleConfig returns text explaining how plugin should be configured
-func (f *Fibaro) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
 // getJSON connects, authenticates and reads JSON payload returned by Fibaro box
 func (f *Fibaro) getJSON(path string, dataStruct interface{}) error {
 	var requestURL = f.URL + path
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fb556a448
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fibaro/fibaro_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package fibaro
+
+func (f *Fibaro) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/file/README.md b/plugins/inputs/file/README.md
index 91ed7a8e1..439c9f996 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/file/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/file/README.md
@@ -9,11 +9,21 @@ plugin instead.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Parse a complete file each interval
 [[inputs.file]]
   ## Files to parse each interval.  Accept standard unix glob matching rules,
   ## as well as ** to match recursive files and directories.
   files = ["/tmp/metrics.out"]
 
+  ## Character encoding to use when interpreting the file contents.  Invalid
+  ## characters are replaced using the unicode replacement character.  When set
+  ## to the empty string the data is not decoded to text.
+  ##   ex: character_encoding = "utf-8"
+  ##       character_encoding = "utf-16le"
+  ##       character_encoding = "utf-16be"
+  ##       character_encoding = ""
+  # character_encoding = ""
+
   ## Data format to consume.
   ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
   ## more about them here:
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/file/file.go b/plugins/inputs/file/file.go
index 5670fc34a..0dfd30ab4 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/file/file.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/file/file.go
@@ -23,44 +23,6 @@ type File struct {
 	decoder    *encoding.Decoder
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Files to parse each interval.  Accept standard unix glob matching rules,
-  ## as well as ** to match recursive files and directories.
-  files = ["/tmp/metrics.out"]
-
-
-  ## Name a tag containing the name of the file the data was parsed from.  Leave empty
-  ## to disable. Cautious when file name variation is high, this can increase the cardinality
-  ## significantly. Read more about cardinality here:
-  ## https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/cloud/reference/glossary/#series-cardinality
-  # file_tag = ""
-  #
-
-  ## Character encoding to use when interpreting the file contents.  Invalid
-  ## characters are replaced using the unicode replacement character.  When set
-  ## to the empty string the data is not decoded to text.
-  ##   ex: character_encoding = "utf-8"
-  ##       character_encoding = "utf-16le"
-  ##       character_encoding = "utf-16be"
-  ##       character_encoding = ""
-  # character_encoding = ""
-
-  ## The dataformat to be read from files
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the default configuration of the Input
-func (f *File) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (f *File) Description() string {
-	return "Parse a complete file each interval"
-}
-
 func (f *File) Init() error {
 	var err error
 	f.decoder, err = encoding.NewDecoder(f.CharacterEncoding)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/file/file_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/file/file_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aae05dce6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/file/file_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package file
+
+func (f *File) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/filecount/README.md b/plugins/inputs/filecount/README.md
index 9c0d4d79d..1a56dd5be 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/filecount/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/filecount/README.md
@@ -5,11 +5,8 @@ Reports the number and total size of files in specified directories.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Count files in a directory
 [[inputs.filecount]]
-  ## Directory to gather stats about.
-  ##   deprecated in 1.9; use the directories option
-  # directory = "/var/cache/apt/archives"
-
   ## Directories to gather stats about.
   ## This accept standard unit glob matching rules, but with the addition of
   ## ** as a "super asterisk". ie:
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount.go b/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount.go
index a8e762144..e796a4163 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount.go
@@ -13,39 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Directories to gather stats about.
-  ## This accept standard unit glob matching rules, but with the addition of
-  ## ** as a "super asterisk". ie:
-  ##   /var/log/**    -> recursively find all directories in /var/log and count files in each directories
-  ##   /var/log/*/*   -> find all directories with a parent dir in /var/log and count files in each directories
-  ##   /var/log       -> count all files in /var/log and all of its subdirectories
-  directories = ["/var/cache/apt/archives"]
-
-  ## Only count files that match the name pattern. Defaults to "*".
-  name = "*.deb"
-
-  ## Count files in subdirectories. Defaults to true.
-  recursive = false
-
-  ## Only count regular files. Defaults to true.
-  regular_only = true
-
-  ## Follow all symlinks while walking the directory tree. Defaults to false.
-  follow_symlinks = false
-
-  ## Only count files that are at least this size. If size is
-  ## a negative number, only count files that are smaller than the
-  ## absolute value of size. Acceptable units are B, KiB, MiB, KB, ...
-  ## Without quotes and units, interpreted as size in bytes.
-  size = "0B"
-
-  ## Only count files that have not been touched for at least this
-  ## duration. If mtime is negative, only count files that have been
-  ## touched in this duration. Defaults to "0s".
-  mtime = "0s"
-`
-
 type FileCount struct {
 	Directory      string `toml:"directory" deprecated:"1.9.0;use 'directories' instead"`
 	Directories    []string
@@ -61,12 +28,6 @@ type FileCount struct {
 	Log            telegraf.Logger
 }
 
-func (fc *FileCount) Description() string {
-	return "Count files in a directory"
-}
-
-func (fc *FileCount) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
 type fileFilterFunc func(os.FileInfo) (bool, error)
 
 func rejectNilFilters(filters []fileFilterFunc) []fileFilterFunc {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8d3bf3a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/filecount/filecount_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package filecount
+
+func (fc *FileCount) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat.go b/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat.go
index 7d1143b74..2811786ee 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat.go
@@ -11,22 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Files to gather stats about.
-  ## These accept standard unix glob matching rules, but with the addition of
-  ## ** as a "super asterisk". ie:
-  ##   "/var/log/**.log"  -> recursively find all .log files in /var/log
-  ##   "/var/log/*/*.log" -> find all .log files with a parent dir in /var/log
-  ##   "/var/log/apache.log" -> just tail the apache log file
-  ##
-  ## See https://github.com/gobwas/glob for more examples
-  ##
-  files = ["/var/log/**.log"]
-
-  ## If true, read the entire file and calculate an md5 checksum.
-  md5 = false
-`
-
 type FileStat struct {
 	Md5   bool
 	Files []string
@@ -50,12 +34,6 @@ func NewFileStat() *FileStat {
 	}
 }
 
-func (*FileStat) Description() string {
-	return "Read stats about given file(s)"
-}
-
-func (*FileStat) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
 func (f *FileStat) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var err error
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c58f483a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/filestat/filestat_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package filestat
+
+func (*FileStat) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fireboard/README.md b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/README.md
index 9b118c081..cb5abe835 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/fireboard/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/README.md
@@ -7,13 +7,16 @@ the [Fireboard REST API](https://docs.fireboard.io/reference/restapi.html).
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read real time temps from fireboard.io servers
 [[inputs.fireboard]]
   ## Specify auth token for your account
   auth_token = "invalidAuthToken"
   ## You can override the fireboard server URL if necessary
   # url = https://fireboard.io/api/v1/devices.json
   ## You can set a different http_timeout if you need to
-  # http_timeout = 4
+  ## You should set a string using an number and time indicator
+  ## for example "12s" for 12 seconds.
+  # http_timeout = "4s"
 ```
 
 ### auth_token
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard.go b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard.go
index eba11d619..ff197ab7b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard.go
@@ -45,28 +45,6 @@ type fireboardStats struct {
 	Latesttemps []RTT  `json:"latest_temps"`
 }
 
-// A sample configuration to only gather stats from localhost, default port.
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Specify auth token for your account
-  auth_token = "invalidAuthToken"
-  ## You can override the fireboard server URL if necessary
-  # url = https://fireboard.io/api/v1/devices.json
-  ## You can set a different http_timeout if you need to
-  ## You should set a string using an number and time indicator
-  ## for example "12s" for 12 seconds.
-  # http_timeout = "4s"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig Returns a sample configuration for the plugin
-func (r *Fireboard) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description Returns a description of the plugin
-func (r *Fireboard) Description() string {
-	return "Read real time temps from fireboard.io servers"
-}
-
 // Init the things
 func (r *Fireboard) Init() error {
 	if len(r.AuthToken) == 0 {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4ed9bdb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fireboard/fireboard_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package fireboard
+
+func (r *Fireboard) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd.go b/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd.go
index 9ebd1682a..af1c912d1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd.go
@@ -12,24 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 )
 
-const (
-	measurement  = "fluentd"
-	description  = "Read metrics exposed by fluentd in_monitor plugin"
-	sampleConfig = `
-  ## This plugin reads information exposed by fluentd (using /api/plugins.json endpoint).
-  ##
-  ## Endpoint:
-  ## - only one URI is allowed
-  ## - https is not supported
-  endpoint = "http://localhost:24220/api/plugins.json"
-
-  ## Define which plugins have to be excluded (based on "type" field - e.g. monitor_agent)
-  exclude = [
-	  "monitor_agent",
-	  "dummy",
-  ]
-`
-)
+const measurement = "fluentd"
 
 // Fluentd - plugin main structure
 type Fluentd struct {
@@ -70,12 +53,6 @@ func parse(data []byte) (datapointArray []pluginData, err error) {
 	return datapointArray, err
 }
 
-// Description - display description
-func (h *Fluentd) Description() string { return description }
-
-// SampleConfig - generate configuration
-func (h *Fluentd) SampleConfig() string { return sampleConfig }
-
 // Gather - Main code responsible for gathering, processing and creating metrics
 func (h *Fluentd) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	_, err := url.Parse(h.Endpoint)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..286cfc268
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/fluentd/fluentd_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package fluentd
+
+func (h *Fluentd) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/github/README.md b/plugins/inputs/github/README.md
index ed47cdfc4..549916ef0 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/github/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/github/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ alternative method for collecting repository information.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Gather repository information from GitHub hosted repositories.
 [[inputs.github]]
   ## List of repositories to monitor
   repositories = [
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/github/github.go b/plugins/inputs/github/github.go
index 31fcc56ae..d78df6477 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/github/github.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/github/github.go
@@ -33,41 +33,6 @@ type GitHub struct {
 	RateRemaining   selfstat.Stat
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## List of repositories to monitor.
-  repositories = [
-	  "influxdata/telegraf",
-	  "influxdata/influxdb"
-  ]
-
-  ## Github API access token.  Unauthenticated requests are limited to 60 per hour.
-  # access_token = ""
-
-  ## Github API enterprise url. Github Enterprise accounts must specify their base url.
-  # enterprise_base_url = ""
-
-  ## Timeout for HTTP requests.
-  # http_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## List of additional fields to query.
-	## NOTE: Getting those fields might involve issuing additional API-calls, so please
-	##       make sure you do not exceed the rate-limit of GitHub.
-	##
-	## Available fields are:
-	## 	- pull-requests			-- number of open and closed pull requests (2 API-calls per repository)
-  # additional_fields = []
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration for this plugin.
-func (g *GitHub) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the plugin description.
-func (g *GitHub) Description() string {
-	return "Gather repository information from GitHub hosted repositories."
-}
-
 // Create GitHub Client
 func (g *GitHub) createGitHubClient(ctx context.Context) (*githubLib.Client, error) {
 	httpClient := &http.Client{
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/github/github_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/github/github_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc01a79c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/github/github_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package github
+
+func (g *GitHub) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/gnmi/README.md b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/README.md
index d25e52efa..49f2a160c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/gnmi/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ It has been optimized to support gNMI telemetry as produced by Cisco IOS XR (64-
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# gNMI telemetry input plugin
 [[inputs.gnmi]]
   ## Address and port of the gNMI GRPC server
   addresses = ["10.49.234.114:57777"]
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi.go b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi.go
index 9f83d755d..e4b0fcd3a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi.go
@@ -538,85 +538,6 @@ func (c *GNMI) Stop() {
 	c.wg.Wait()
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
- ## Address and port of the gNMI GRPC server
- addresses = ["10.49.234.114:57777"]
-
- ## define credentials
- username = "cisco"
- password = "cisco"
-
- ## gNMI encoding requested (one of: "proto", "json", "json_ietf", "bytes")
- # encoding = "proto"
-
- ## redial in case of failures after
- redial = "10s"
-
- ## enable client-side TLS and define CA to authenticate the device
- # enable_tls = true
- # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
- # insecure_skip_verify = true
-
- ## define client-side TLS certificate & key to authenticate to the device
- # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
- # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
- ## gNMI subscription prefix (optional, can usually be left empty)
- ## See: https://github.com/openconfig/reference/blob/master/rpc/gnmi/gnmi-specification.md#222-paths
- # origin = ""
- # prefix = ""
- # target = ""
-
- ## Define additional aliases to map telemetry encoding paths to simple measurement names
- #[inputs.gnmi.aliases]
- #  ifcounters = "openconfig:/interfaces/interface/state/counters"
-
- [[inputs.gnmi.subscription]]
-  ## Name of the measurement that will be emitted
-  name = "ifcounters"
-
-  ## Origin and path of the subscription
-  ## See: https://github.com/openconfig/reference/blob/master/rpc/gnmi/gnmi-specification.md#222-paths
-  ##
-  ## origin usually refers to a (YANG) data model implemented by the device
-  ## and path to a specific substructure inside it that should be subscribed to (similar to an XPath)
-  ## YANG models can be found e.g. here: https://github.com/YangModels/yang/tree/master/vendor/cisco/xr
-  origin = "openconfig-interfaces"
-  path = "/interfaces/interface/state/counters"
-
-  # Subscription mode (one of: "target_defined", "sample", "on_change") and interval
-  subscription_mode = "sample"
-  sample_interval = "10s"
-
-  ## Suppress redundant transmissions when measured values are unchanged
-  # suppress_redundant = false
-
-  ## If suppression is enabled, send updates at least every X seconds anyway
-  # heartbeat_interval = "60s"
-
-  #[[inputs.gnmi.subscription]]
-    # name = "descr"
-    # origin = "openconfig-interfaces"
-    # path = "/interfaces/interface/state/description"
-    # subscription_mode = "on_change"
-
-    ## If tag_only is set, the subscription in question will be utilized to maintain a map of
-    ## tags to apply to other measurements emitted by the plugin, by matching path keys
-    ## All fields from the tag-only subscription will be applied as tags to other readings,
-    ## in the format <name>_<fieldBase>.
-    # tag_only = true
-`
-
-// SampleConfig of plugin
-func (c *GNMI) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description of plugin
-func (c *GNMI) Description() string {
-	return "gNMI telemetry input plugin"
-}
-
 // Gather plugin measurements (unused)
 func (c *GNMI) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4454fedee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/gnmi/gnmi_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package gnmi
+
+func (c *GNMI) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/graylog/README.md b/plugins/inputs/graylog/README.md
index 29ca3f694..deb822ac5 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/graylog/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/graylog/README.md
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ Note: if namespace end point specified metrics array will be ignored for that ca
 [[inputs.graylog]]
   ## API endpoint, currently supported API:
   ##
-  ##   - multiple  (e.g. `http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/multiple`)
-  ##   - namespace (e.g. `http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/namespace/{namespace}`)
+  ##   - multiple  (e.g. http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/multiple)
+  ##   - namespace (e.g. http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/namespace/{namespace})
   ##
   ## For namespace endpoint, the metrics array will be ignored for that call.
   ## Endpoint can contain namespace and multiple type calls.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog.go b/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog.go
index 0fe9c68d0..34614af89 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog.go
@@ -76,53 +76,6 @@ func (c *RealHTTPClient) HTTPClient() *http.Client {
 	return c.client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## API endpoint, currently supported API:
-  ##
-  ##   - multiple  (e.g. http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/multiple)
-  ##   - namespace (e.g. http://<host>:9000/api/system/metrics/namespace/{namespace})
-  ##
-  ## For namespace endpoint, the metrics array will be ignored for that call.
-  ## Endpoint can contain namespace and multiple type calls.
-  ##
-  ## Please check http://[graylog-server-ip]:9000/api/api-browser for full list
-  ## of endpoints
-  servers = [
-    "http://[graylog-server-ip]:9000/api/system/metrics/multiple",
-  ]
-
-  ## Set timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Metrics list
-  ## List of metrics can be found on Graylog webservice documentation.
-  ## Or by hitting the web service api at:
-  ##   http://[graylog-host]:9000/api/system/metrics
-  metrics = [
-    "jvm.cl.loaded",
-    "jvm.memory.pools.Metaspace.committed"
-  ]
-
-  ## Username and password
-  username = ""
-  password = ""
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-func (h *GrayLog) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *GrayLog) Description() string {
-	return "Read flattened metrics from one or more GrayLog HTTP endpoints"
-}
-
 // Gathers data for all servers.
 func (h *GrayLog) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8191695e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/graylog/graylog_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package graylog
+
+func (h *GrayLog) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy.go b/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy.go
index f95dbcc9f..045dc7c79 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy.go
@@ -30,45 +30,6 @@ type haproxy struct {
 	client *http.Client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of address to gather stats about. Specify an ip on hostname
-  ## with optional port. ie localhost, 10.10.3.33:1936, etc.
-  ## Make sure you specify the complete path to the stats endpoint
-  ## including the protocol, ie http://10.10.3.33:1936/haproxy?stats
-
-  ## If no servers are specified, then default to 127.0.0.1:1936/haproxy?stats
-  servers = ["http://myhaproxy.com:1936/haproxy?stats"]
-
-  ## Credentials for basic HTTP authentication
-  # username = "admin"
-  # password = "admin"
-
-  ## You can also use local socket with standard wildcard globbing.
-  ## Server address not starting with 'http' will be treated as a possible
-  ## socket, so both examples below are valid.
-  # servers = ["socket:/run/haproxy/admin.sock", "/run/haproxy/*.sock"]
-
-  ## By default, some of the fields are renamed from what haproxy calls them.
-  ## Setting this option to true results in the plugin keeping the original
-  ## field names.
-  # keep_field_names = false
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-func (h *haproxy) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *haproxy) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics of haproxy, via socket or csv stats page"
-}
-
 // Reads stats from all configured servers accumulates stats.
 // Returns one of the errors encountered while gather stats (if any).
 func (h *haproxy) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7381c3ab1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/haproxy/haproxy_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package haproxy
+
+func (h *haproxy) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/README.md b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/README.md
index 71801a4eb..0f7523986 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Hddtemp should be installed and its daemon running.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Monitor disks' temperatures using hddtemp
 [[inputs.hddtemp]]
   ## By default, telegraf gathers temps data from all disks detected by the
   ## hddtemp.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp.go b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp.go
index 2e6d3a53c..82d06f0b4 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp.go
@@ -20,10 +20,6 @@ type Fetcher interface {
 	Fetch(address string) ([]gohddtemp.Disk, error)
 }
 
-func (h *HDDTemp) Description() string {
-	return "Monitor disks' temperatures using hddtemp"
-}
-
 var hddtempSampleConfig = `
   ## By default, telegraf gathers temps data from all disks detected by the
   ## hddtemp.
@@ -36,10 +32,6 @@ var hddtempSampleConfig = `
   # devices = ["sda", "*"]
 `
 
-func (h *HDDTemp) SampleConfig() string {
-	return hddtempSampleConfig
-}
-
 func (h *HDDTemp) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if h.fetcher == nil {
 		h.fetcher = gohddtemp.New()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c1fb51286
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/hddtemp/hddtemp_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package hddtemp
+
+func (h *HDDTemp) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http/http.go b/plugins/inputs/http/http.go
index 4555d8909..8b8d95fbf 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/http/http.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http/http.go
@@ -40,82 +40,6 @@ type HTTP struct {
 	parserFunc telegraf.ParserFunc
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## One or more URLs from which to read formatted metrics
-  urls = [
-    "http://localhost/metrics"
-  ]
-
-  ## HTTP method
-  # method = "GET"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP headers
-  # headers = {"X-Special-Header" = "Special-Value"}
-
-  ## Optional file with Bearer token
-  ## file content is added as an Authorization header
-  # bearer_token = "/path/to/file"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP Basic Auth Credentials
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## HTTP entity-body to send with POST/PUT requests.
-  # body = ""
-
-  ## HTTP Content-Encoding for write request body, can be set to "gzip" to
-  ## compress body or "identity" to apply no encoding.
-  # content_encoding = "identity"
-
-  ## HTTP Proxy support
-  # http_proxy_url = ""
-
-  ## OAuth2 Client Credentials Grant
-  # client_id = "clientid"
-  # client_secret = "secret"
-  # token_url = "https://indentityprovider/oauth2/v1/token"
-  # scopes = ["urn:opc:idm:__myscopes__"]
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Optional Cookie authentication
-  # cookie_auth_url = "https://localhost/authMe"
-  # cookie_auth_method = "POST"
-  # cookie_auth_username = "username"
-  # cookie_auth_password = "pa$$word"
-  # cookie_auth_headers = '{"Content-Type": "application/json", "X-MY-HEADER":"hello"}'
-  # cookie_auth_body = '{"username": "user", "password": "pa$$word", "authenticate": "me"}'
-  ## cookie_auth_renewal not set or set to "0" will auth once and never renew the cookie
-  # cookie_auth_renewal = "5m"
-
-  ## Amount of time allowed to complete the HTTP request
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## List of success status codes
-  # success_status_codes = [200]
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  # data_format = "influx"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the default configuration of the Input
-func (*HTTP) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns a one-sentence description on the Input
-func (*HTTP) Description() string {
-	return "Read formatted metrics from one or more HTTP endpoints"
-}
-
 func (h *HTTP) Init() error {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	client, err := h.HTTPClientConfig.CreateClient(ctx, h.Log)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http/http_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/http/http_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4edad1626
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http/http_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package http
+
+func (*HTTP) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/README.md b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/README.md
index 9eebb3cd9..e0b68ffef 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/README.md
@@ -14,14 +14,11 @@ InfluxDB it is recommended to use [`influxdb_listener`][influxdb_listener] or [`
 This is a sample configuration for the plugin.
 
 ```toml
+# Generic HTTP write listener
 [[inputs.http_listener_v2]]
   ## Address and port to host HTTP listener on
   service_address = ":8080"
 
-  ## Path to listen to.
-  ## This option is deprecated and only available for backward-compatibility. Please use paths instead.
-  # path = ""
-
   ## Paths to listen to.
   # paths = ["/telegraf"]
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2.go b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2.go
index c81f8d02b..8ce14c7b0 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2.go
@@ -67,65 +67,6 @@ type HTTPListenerV2 struct {
 	acc telegraf.Accumulator
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Address and port to host HTTP listener on
-  service_address = ":8080"
-
-  ## Paths to listen to.
-  # paths = ["/telegraf"]
-
-  ## Save path as http_listener_v2_path tag if set to true
-  # path_tag = false
-
-  ## HTTP methods to accept.
-  # methods = ["POST", "PUT"]
-
-  ## maximum duration before timing out read of the request
-  # read_timeout = "10s"
-  ## maximum duration before timing out write of the response
-  # write_timeout = "10s"
-
-  ## Maximum allowed http request body size in bytes.
-  ## 0 means to use the default of 524,288,000 bytes (500 mebibytes)
-  # max_body_size = "500MB"
-
-  ## Part of the request to consume.  Available options are "body" and
-  ## "query".
-  # data_source = "body"
-
-  ## Set one or more allowed client CA certificate file names to
-  ## enable mutually authenticated TLS connections
-  # tls_allowed_cacerts = ["/etc/telegraf/clientca.pem"]
-
-  ## Add service certificate and key
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
-  ## Optional username and password to accept for HTTP basic authentication.
-  ## You probably want to make sure you have TLS configured above for this.
-  # basic_username = "foobar"
-  # basic_password = "barfoo"
-
-  ## Optional setting to map http headers into tags
-  ## If the http header is not present on the request, no corresponding tag will be added
-  ## If multiple instances of the http header are present, only the first value will be used
-  # http_header_tags = {"HTTP_HEADER" = "TAG_NAME"}
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
-func (h *HTTPListenerV2) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *HTTPListenerV2) Description() string {
-	return "Generic HTTP write listener"
-}
-
 func (h *HTTPListenerV2) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3b2d52077
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_listener_v2/http_listener_v2_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package http_listener_v2
+
+func (h *HTTPListenerV2) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_response/README.md b/plugins/inputs/http_response/README.md
index bd800457f..fded2cd91 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/http_response/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_response/README.md
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ This input plugin checks HTTP/HTTPS connections.
 ```toml
 # HTTP/HTTPS request given an address a method and a timeout
 [[inputs.http_response]]
-  ## address is Deprecated in 1.12, use 'urls'
-
   ## List of urls to query.
   # urls = ["http://localhost"]
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response.go b/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response.go
index 1b31791fd..1520a82e3 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response.go
@@ -59,85 +59,6 @@ type httpClient interface {
 	Do(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error)
 }
 
-// Description returns the plugin Description
-func (h *HTTPResponse) Description() string {
-	return "HTTP/HTTPS request given an address a method and a timeout"
-}
-
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## List of urls to query.
-  # urls = ["http://localhost"]
-
-  ## Set http_proxy (telegraf uses the system wide proxy settings if it's is not set)
-  # http_proxy = "http://localhost:8888"
-
-  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## HTTP Request Method
-  # method = "GET"
-
-  ## Whether to follow redirects from the server (defaults to false)
-  # follow_redirects = false
-
-  ## Optional file with Bearer token
-  ## file content is added as an Authorization header
-  # bearer_token = "/path/to/file"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP Basic Auth Credentials
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP Request Body
-  # body = '''
-  # {'fake':'data'}
-  # '''
-
-  ## Optional name of the field that will contain the body of the response.
-  ## By default it is set to an empty String indicating that the body's content won't be added
-  # response_body_field = ''
-
-  ## Maximum allowed HTTP response body size in bytes.
-  ## 0 means to use the default of 32MiB.
-  ## If the response body size exceeds this limit a "body_read_error" will be raised
-  # response_body_max_size = "32MiB"
-
-  ## Optional substring or regex match in body of the response (case sensitive)
-  # response_string_match = "\"service_status\": \"up\""
-  # response_string_match = "ok"
-  # response_string_match = "\".*_status\".?:.?\"up\""
-
-  ## Expected response status code.
-  ## The status code of the response is compared to this value. If they match, the field
-  ## "response_status_code_match" will be 1, otherwise it will be 0. If the
-  ## expected status code is 0, the check is disabled and the field won't be added.
-  # response_status_code = 0
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## HTTP Request Headers (all values must be strings)
-  # [inputs.http_response.headers]
-  #   Host = "github.com"
-
-  ## Optional setting to map response http headers into tags
-  ## If the http header is not present on the request, no corresponding tag will be added
-  ## If multiple instances of the http header are present, only the first value will be used
-  # http_header_tags = {"HTTP_HEADER" = "TAG_NAME"}
-
-  ## Interface to use when dialing an address
-  # interface = "eth0"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the plugin SampleConfig
-func (h *HTTPResponse) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 // ErrRedirectAttempted indicates that a redirect occurred
 var ErrRedirectAttempted = errors.New("redirect")
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d679aa76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/http_response/http_response_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package http_response
+
+func (h *HTTPResponse) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson.go b/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson.go
index d7eb66d9d..233f3e1a9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson.go
@@ -66,55 +66,6 @@ func (c *RealHTTPClient) HTTPClient() *http.Client {
 	return c.client
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## NOTE This plugin only reads numerical measurements, strings and booleans
-  ## will be ignored.
-
-  ## URL of each server in the service's cluster
-  servers = [
-    "http://localhost:9999/stats/",
-    "http://localhost:9998/stats/",
-  ]
-  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## HTTP method to use: GET or POST (case-sensitive)
-  method = "GET"
-
-  ## List of tag names to extract from top-level of JSON server response
-  # tag_keys = [
-  #   "my_tag_1",
-  #   "my_tag_2"
-  # ]
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## HTTP parameters (all values must be strings).  For "GET" requests, data
-  ## will be included in the query.  For "POST" requests, data will be included
-  ## in the request body as "x-www-form-urlencoded".
-  # [inputs.httpjson.parameters]
-  #   event_type = "cpu_spike"
-  #   threshold = "0.75"
-
-  ## HTTP Headers (all values must be strings)
-  # [inputs.httpjson.headers]
-  #   X-Auth-Token = "my-xauth-token"
-  #   apiVersion = "v1"
-`
-
-func (h *HTTPJSON) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *HTTPJSON) Description() string {
-	return "Read flattened metrics from one or more JSON HTTP endpoints"
-}
-
 // Gathers data for all servers.
 func (h *HTTPJSON) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8a2281b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/httpjson/httpjson_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package httpjson
+
+func (h *HTTPJSON) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages.go b/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages.go
index aeef3b7b8..5280932c6 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages.go
@@ -26,14 +26,6 @@ const (
 	rootHugepages    = "root"
 	perNodeHugepages = "per_node"
 	meminfoHugepages = "meminfo"
-
-	hugepagesSampleConfig = `
-  ## Supported huge page types:
-  ##   - "root" - based on root huge page control directory: /sys/kernel/mm/hugepages
-  ##   - "per_node" - based on per NUMA node directories: /sys/devices/system/node/node[0-9]*/hugepages
-  ##   - "meminfo" - based on /proc/meminfo file
-  # types = ["root", "per_node"]
-`
 )
 
 var (
@@ -80,14 +72,6 @@ type Hugepages struct {
 	meminfoPath      string
 }
 
-func (h *Hugepages) Description() string {
-	return "Gathers huge pages measurements."
-}
-
-func (h *Hugepages) SampleConfig() string {
-	return hugepagesSampleConfig
-}
-
 func (h *Hugepages) Init() error {
 	err := h.parseHugepagesConfig()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d2929fa43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/hugepages/hugepages_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package hugepages
+
+func (h *Hugepages) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/icinga2/README.md b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/README.md
index c6ecadb0c..da6824e7f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/icinga2/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/README.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ services and hosts. You can read Icinga2's documentation for their remote API
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Description
+# Gather Icinga2 status
 [[inputs.icinga2]]
   ## Required Icinga2 server address
   # server = "https://localhost:5665"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2.go b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2.go
index f56192a7a..5cfb64ed1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2.go
@@ -50,36 +50,6 @@ var levels = []string{"ok", "warning", "critical", "unknown"}
 
 type ObjectType string
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Required Icinga2 server address
-  # server = "https://localhost:5665"
-
-  ## Required Icinga2 object type ("services" or "hosts")
-  # object_type = "services"
-
-  ## Credentials for basic HTTP authentication
-  # username = "admin"
-  # password = "admin"
-
-  ## Maximum time to receive response.
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = true
-  `
-
-func (i *Icinga2) Description() string {
-	return "Gather Icinga2 status"
-}
-
-func (i *Icinga2) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (i *Icinga2) GatherStatus(acc telegraf.Accumulator, checks []Object) {
 	for _, check := range checks {
 		serverURL, err := url.Parse(i.Server)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..214f537a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/icinga2/icinga2_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package icinga2
+
+func (i *Icinga2) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/infiniband/README.md b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/README.md
index 28eed67c7..441e427f3 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/infiniband/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ system. These are the counters that can be found in
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Gets counters from all InfiniBand cards and ports installed
 [[inputs.infiniband]]
   # no configuration
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband.go b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband.go
index 8a99bb0e4..dbb6d639b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband.go
@@ -9,14 +9,3 @@ import (
 type Infiniband struct {
 	Log telegraf.Logger `toml:"-"`
 }
-
-// Sample configuration for plugin
-var InfinibandConfig = ``
-
-func (i *Infiniband) SampleConfig() string {
-	return InfinibandConfig
-}
-
-func (i *Infiniband) Description() string {
-	return "Gets counters from all InfiniBand cards and ports installed"
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e2dc0ef99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/infiniband/infiniband_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package infiniband
+
+func (i *Infiniband) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb.go
index b8c028f05..3e07437fa 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb.go
@@ -43,38 +43,6 @@ type InfluxDB struct {
 	client *http.Client
 }
 
-func (*InfluxDB) Description() string {
-	return "Read InfluxDB-formatted JSON metrics from one or more HTTP endpoints"
-}
-
-func (*InfluxDB) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Works with InfluxDB debug endpoints out of the box,
-  ## but other services can use this format too.
-  ## See the influxdb plugin's README for more details.
-
-  ## Multiple URLs from which to read InfluxDB-formatted JSON
-  ## Default is "http://localhost:8086/debug/vars".
-  urls = [
-    "http://localhost:8086/debug/vars"
-  ]
-
-  ## Username and password to send using HTTP Basic Authentication.
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## http request & header timeout
-  timeout = "5s"
-`
-}
-
 func (i *InfluxDB) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if len(i.URLs) == 0 {
 		i.URLs = []string{"http://localhost:8086/debug/vars"}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e35777fdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb/influxdb_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package influxdb
+
+func (*InfluxDB) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener.go
index ec19f10ce..674433db9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener.go
@@ -63,56 +63,6 @@ type InfluxDBListener struct {
 	mux http.ServeMux
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Address and port to host InfluxDB listener on
-  service_address = ":8186"
-
-  ## maximum duration before timing out read of the request
-  read_timeout = "10s"
-  ## maximum duration before timing out write of the response
-  write_timeout = "10s"
-
-  ## Maximum allowed HTTP request body size in bytes.
-  ## 0 means to use the default of 32MiB.
-  max_body_size = "32MiB"
-
-  ## Optional tag name used to store the database.
-  ## If the write has a database in the query string then it will be kept in this tag name.
-  ## This tag can be used in downstream outputs.
-  ## The default value of nothing means it will be off and the database will not be recorded.
-  # database_tag = ""
-
-  ## If set the retention policy specified in the write query will be added as
-  ## the value of this tag name.
-  # retention_policy_tag = ""
-
-  ## Set one or more allowed client CA certificate file names to
-  ## enable mutually authenticated TLS connections
-  tls_allowed_cacerts = ["/etc/telegraf/clientca.pem"]
-
-  ## Add service certificate and key
-  tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
-  ## Optional username and password to accept for HTTP basic authentication.
-  ## You probably want to make sure you have TLS configured above for this.
-  # basic_username = "foobar"
-  # basic_password = "barfoo"
-
-  ## Influx line protocol parser
-  ## 'internal' is the default. 'upstream' is a newer parser that is faster
-  ## and more memory efficient.
-  # parser_type = "internal"
-`
-
-func (h *InfluxDBListener) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *InfluxDBListener) Description() string {
-	return "Accept metrics over InfluxDB 1.x HTTP API"
-}
-
 func (h *InfluxDBListener) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..53000d4d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_listener/influxdb_listener_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package influxdb_listener
+
+func (h *InfluxDBListener) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/README.md b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/README.md
index dd7a258a3..116a7a937 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/README.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Telegraf minimum version: Telegraf 1.16.0
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Accept metrics over InfluxDB 2.x HTTP API
 [[inputs.influxdb_v2_listener]]
   ## Address and port to host InfluxDB listener on
   ## (Double check the port. Could be 9999 if using OSS Beta)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener.go
index 3f8cae777..a393e5e64 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener.go
@@ -71,47 +71,6 @@ type InfluxDBV2Listener struct {
 	mux http.ServeMux
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Address and port to host InfluxDB listener on
-  ## (Double check the port. Could be 9999 if using OSS Beta)
-  service_address = ":8086"
-
-  ## Maximum allowed HTTP request body size in bytes.
-  ## 0 means to use the default of 32MiB.
-  # max_body_size = "32MiB"
-
-  ## Optional tag to determine the bucket.
-  ## If the write has a bucket in the query string then it will be kept in this tag name.
-  ## This tag can be used in downstream outputs.
-  ## The default value of nothing means it will be off and the database will not be recorded.
-  # bucket_tag = ""
-
-  ## Set one or more allowed client CA certificate file names to
-  ## enable mutually authenticated TLS connections
-  # tls_allowed_cacerts = ["/etc/telegraf/clientca.pem"]
-
-  ## Add service certificate and key
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
-  ## Optional token to accept for HTTP authentication.
-  ## You probably want to make sure you have TLS configured above for this.
-  # token = "some-long-shared-secret-token"
-
-  ## Influx line protocol parser
-  ## 'internal' is the default. 'upstream' is a newer parser that is faster
-  ## and more memory efficient.
-  # parser_type = "internal"
-`
-
-func (h *InfluxDBV2Listener) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (h *InfluxDBV2Listener) Description() string {
-	return "Accept metrics over InfluxDB 2.x HTTP API"
-}
-
 func (h *InfluxDBV2Listener) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..66b7c1808
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/influxdb_v2_listener/influxdb_v2_listener_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package influxdb_v2_listener
+
+func (h *InfluxDBV2Listener) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu.go
index 99818c4a7..63072c992 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu.go
@@ -111,60 +111,6 @@ type eventWithQuals struct {
 	custom ia.CustomizableEvent
 }
 
-func (i *IntelPMU) Description() string {
-	return "Intel Performance Monitoring Unit plugin exposes Intel PMU metrics available through Linux Perf subsystem"
-}
-
-func (i *IntelPMU) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## List of filesystem locations of JSON files that contain PMU event definitions.
-  event_definitions = ["/var/cache/pmu/GenuineIntel-6-55-4-core.json", "/var/cache/pmu/GenuineIntel-6-55-4-uncore.json"]
-  
-  ## List of core events measurement entities. There can be more than one core_events sections.
-  [[inputs.intel_pmu.core_events]]
-    ## List of events to be counted. Event names shall match names from event_definitions files.
-    ## Single entry can contain name of the event (case insensitive) augmented with config options and perf modifiers.
-    ## If absent, all core events from provided event_definitions are counted skipping unresolvable ones.
-    events = ["INST_RETIRED.ANY", "CPU_CLK_UNHALTED.THREAD_ANY:config1=0x4043200000000k"]
-
-    ## Limits the counting of events to core numbers specified.
-    ## If absent, events are counted on all cores.
-    ## Single "0", multiple "0,1,2" and range "0-2" notation is supported for each array element.
-    ##   example: cores = ["0,2", "4", "12-16"]
-    cores = ["0"]
-
-    ## Indicator that plugin shall attempt to run core_events.events as a single perf group.
-    ## If absent or set to false, each event is counted individually. Defaults to false.
-    ## This limits the number of events that can be measured to a maximum of available hardware counters per core.
-    ## Could vary depending on type of event, use of fixed counters.
-    # perf_group = false
-
-    ## Optionally set a custom tag value that will be added to every measurement within this events group. 
-    ## Can be applied to any group of events, unrelated to perf_group setting.
-    # events_tag = ""
-
-  ## List of uncore event measurement entities. There can be more than one uncore_events sections.
-  [[inputs.intel_pmu.uncore_events]]
-    ## List of events to be counted. Event names shall match names from event_definitions files.
-    ## Single entry can contain name of the event (case insensitive) augmented with config options and perf modifiers.
-    ## If absent, all uncore events from provided event_definitions are counted skipping unresolvable ones.
-    events = ["UNC_CHA_CLOCKTICKS", "UNC_CHA_TOR_OCCUPANCY.IA_MISS"]
-
-    ## Limits the counting of events to specified sockets.
-    ## If absent, events are counted on all sockets.
-    ## Single "0", multiple "0,1" and range "0-1" notation is supported for each array element.
-    ##   example: sockets = ["0-2"]
-    sockets = ["0"]
-
-    ## Indicator that plugin shall provide an aggregated value for multiple units of same type distributed in an uncore.
-    ## If absent or set to false, events for each unit are exposed as separate metric. Defaults to false.
-    # aggregate_uncore_units = false
-
-    ## Optionally set a custom tag value that will be added to every measurement within this events group.
-    # events_tag = ""
-`
-}
-
 // Start is required for IntelPMU to implement the telegraf.ServiceInput interface.
 // Necessary initialization and config checking are done in Init.
 func (IntelPMU) Start(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce91a4426
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_pmu/intel_pmu_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux && amd64
+// +build linux,amd64
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package intel_pmu
+
+func (i *IntelPMU) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat.go
index 181e7642d..983909e8c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat.go
@@ -43,24 +43,6 @@ type PowerStat struct {
 	skipFirstIteration  bool
 }
 
-// Description returns a one-sentence description on the plugin.
-func (p *PowerStat) Description() string {
-	return `Intel PowerStat plugin enables monitoring of platform metrics (power, TDP) and Core metrics like temperature, power and utilization.`
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns the default configuration of the plugin.
-func (p *PowerStat) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## All global metrics are always collected by Intel PowerStat plugin.
-  ## User can choose which per-CPU metrics are monitored by the plugin in cpu_metrics array.
-  ## Empty array means no per-CPU specific metrics will be collected by the plugin - in this case only platform level
-  ## telemetry will be exposed by Intel PowerStat plugin.
-  ## Supported options:
-  ## "cpu_frequency", "cpu_busy_frequency", "cpu_temperature", "cpu_c1_state_residency", "cpu_c6_state_residency", "cpu_busy_cycles"
-  # cpu_metrics = []
-`
-}
-
 // Init performs one time setup of the plugin.
 func (p *PowerStat) Init() error {
 	p.parseCPUMetricsConfig()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24bb2d804
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_powerstat/intel_powerstat_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package intel_powerstat
+
+func (p *PowerStat) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt.go
index d354bb855..a7044428f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt.go
@@ -77,41 +77,6 @@ func (r *IntelRDT) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (r *IntelRDT) Description() string {
-	return "Intel Resource Director Technology plugin"
-}
-
-func (r *IntelRDT) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-	## Optionally set sampling interval to Nx100ms. 
-	## This value is propagated to pqos tool. Interval format is defined by pqos itself.
-	## If not provided or provided 0, will be set to 10 = 10x100ms = 1s.
-	# sampling_interval = "10"
-	
-	## Optionally specify the path to pqos executable. 
-	## If not provided, auto discovery will be performed.
-	# pqos_path = "/usr/local/bin/pqos"
-
-	## Optionally specify if IPC and LLC_Misses metrics shouldn't be propagated.
-	## If not provided, default value is false.
-	# shortened_metrics = false
-	
-	## Specify the list of groups of CPU core(s) to be provided as pqos input. 
-	## Mandatory if processes aren't set and forbidden if processes are specified.
-	## e.g. ["0-3", "4,5,6"] or ["1-3,4"]
-	# cores = ["0-3"]
-	
-	## Specify the list of processes for which Metrics will be collected.
-	## Mandatory if cores aren't set and forbidden if cores are specified.
-	## e.g. ["qemu", "pmd"]
-	# processes = ["process"]
-
-	## Specify if the pqos process should be called with sudo.
-	## Mandatory if the telegraf process does not run as root.
-	# use_sudo = false
-`
-}
-
 func (r *IntelRDT) Start(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	r.cancel = cancel
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..44b33b4b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/intel_rdt/intel_rdt_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build !windows
+// +build !windows
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package intel_rdt
+
+func (r *IntelRDT) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/internal/internal.go b/plugins/inputs/internal/internal.go
index 2eb8b91c9..0106dbc92 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/internal/internal.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/internal/internal.go
@@ -20,19 +20,6 @@ func NewSelf() telegraf.Input {
 	}
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## If true, collect telegraf memory stats.
-  # collect_memstats = true
-`
-
-func (s *Self) Description() string {
-	return "Collect statistics about itself"
-}
-
-func (s *Self) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (s *Self) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if s.CollectMemstats {
 		m := &runtime.MemStats{}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/internal/internal_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/internal/internal_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2c200e902
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/internal/internal_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package internal
+
+func (s *Self) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/README.md b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/README.md
index 4600ab473..23c60dd56 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/README.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ The `Internet Speed Monitor` collects data about the internet speed on the syste
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Monitors internet speed in the network
+# Monitors internet speed using speedtest.net service
 [[inputs.internet_speed]]
   ## Sets if runs file download test
   # enable_file_download = false
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed.go b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed.go
index bacbe3ce4..a4bce6b74 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed.go
@@ -17,24 +17,6 @@ type InternetSpeed struct {
 	serverCache        *speedtest.Server
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Sets if runs file download test
-  # enable_file_download = false
-
-  ## Caches the closest server location
-  # cache = false
-`
-
-// Description returns information about the plugin.
-func (is *InternetSpeed) Description() string {
-	return "Monitors internet speed using speedtest.net service"
-}
-
-// SampleConfig displays configuration instructions.
-func (is *InternetSpeed) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 const measurement = "internet_speed"
 
 func (is *InternetSpeed) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1283d0be7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/internet_speed/internet_speed_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package internet_speed
+
+func (is *InternetSpeed) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/interrupts/README.md b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/README.md
index 5bd586fa1..712240395 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/interrupts/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ The interrupts plugin gathers metrics about IRQs from `/proc/interrupts` and `/p
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# This plugin gathers interrupts data from /proc/interrupts and /proc/softirqs.
 [[inputs.interrupts]]
   ## When set to true, cpu metrics are tagged with the cpu.  Otherwise cpu is
   ## stored as a field.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts.go b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts.go
index d9e9dd287..7d3458a0e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts.go
@@ -28,28 +28,6 @@ func NewIRQ(id string) *IRQ {
 	return &IRQ{ID: id, Cpus: []int64{}}
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## When set to true, cpu metrics are tagged with the cpu.  Otherwise cpu is
-  ## stored as a field.
-  ##
-  ## The default is false for backwards compatibility, and will be changed to
-  ## true in a future version.  It is recommended to set to true on new
-  ## deployments.
-  # cpu_as_tag = false
-
-  ## To filter which IRQs to collect, make use of tagpass / tagdrop, i.e.
-  # [inputs.interrupts.tagdrop]
-  #   irq = [ "NET_RX", "TASKLET" ]
-`
-
-func (s *Interrupts) Description() string {
-	return "This plugin gathers interrupts data from /proc/interrupts and /proc/softirqs."
-}
-
-func (s *Interrupts) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func parseInterrupts(r io.Reader) ([]IRQ, error) {
 	var irqs []IRQ
 	var cpucount int
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..de5477f6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/interrupts/interrupts_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package interrupts
+
+func (s *Interrupts) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi.go b/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor.go
similarity index 82%
rename from plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi.go
rename to plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor.go
index 801188130..d79b4d522 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor.go
@@ -42,60 +42,6 @@ type Ipmi struct {
 	Log telegraf.Logger `toml:"-"`
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## optionally specify the path to the ipmitool executable
-  # path = "/usr/bin/ipmitool"
-  ##
-  ## Setting 'use_sudo' to true will make use of sudo to run ipmitool.
-  ## Sudo must be configured to allow the telegraf user to run ipmitool
-  ## without a password.
-  # use_sudo = false
-  ##
-  ## optionally force session privilege level. Can be CALLBACK, USER, OPERATOR, ADMINISTRATOR
-  # privilege = "ADMINISTRATOR"
-  ##
-  ## optionally specify one or more servers via a url matching
-  ##  [username[:password]@][protocol[(address)]]
-  ##  e.g.
-  ##    root:passwd@lan(127.0.0.1)
-  ##
-  ## if no servers are specified, local machine sensor stats will be queried
-  ##
-  # servers = ["USERID:PASSW0RD@lan(192.168.1.1)"]
-
-  ## Recommended: use metric 'interval' that is a multiple of 'timeout' to avoid
-  ## gaps or overlap in pulled data
-  interval = "30s"
-
-  ## Timeout for the ipmitool command to complete
-  timeout = "20s"
-
-  ## Schema Version: (Optional, defaults to version 1)
-  metric_version = 2
-
-  ## Optionally provide the hex key for the IMPI connection.
-  # hex_key = ""
-
-  ## If ipmitool should use a cache
-  ## for me ipmitool runs about 2 to 10 times faster with cache enabled on HP G10 servers (when using ubuntu20.04)
-  ## the cache file may not work well for you if some sensors come up late
-  # use_cache = false
-
-  ## Path to the ipmitools cache file (defaults to OS temp dir)
-  ## The provided path must exist and must be writable
-  # cache_path = ""
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the documentation about the sample configuration
-func (m *Ipmi) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns a basic description for the plugin functions
-func (m *Ipmi) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from the bare metal servers via IPMI"
-}
-
 // Gather is the main execution function for the plugin
 func (m *Ipmi) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if len(m.Path) == 0 {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a3ab73163
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ipmi_sensor
+
+func (m *Ipmi) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_test.go b/plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/ipmi_sensor/ipmi_sensor_test.go
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipset/README.md b/plugins/inputs/ipset/README.md
index 945ed4384..77b840f01 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ipset/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipset/README.md
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ Defaults!IPSETSAVE !logfile, !syslog, !pam_session
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Gather packets and bytes counters from Linux ipsets
   [[inputs.ipset]]
     ## By default, we only show sets which have already matched at least 1 packet.
     ## set include_unmatched_sets = true to gather them all.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset.go b/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset.go
index 68e7db026..6e98ac4c4 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset.go
@@ -29,24 +29,6 @@ const measurement = "ipset"
 
 var defaultTimeout = config.Duration(time.Second)
 
-// Description returns a short description of the plugin
-func (i *Ipset) Description() string {
-	return "Gather packets and bytes counters from Linux ipsets"
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration options.
-func (i *Ipset) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## By default, we only show sets which have already matched at least 1 packet.
-  ## set include_unmatched_sets = true to gather them all.
-  include_unmatched_sets = false
-  ## Adjust your sudo settings appropriately if using this option ("sudo ipset save")
-  use_sudo = false
-  ## The default timeout of 1s for ipset execution can be overridden here:
-  # timeout = "1s"
-`
-}
-
 func (i *Ipset) Init() error {
 	_, err := exec.LookPath("ipset")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce21dcdb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipset/ipset_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ipset
+
+func (i *Ipset) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/iptables/README.md b/plugins/inputs/iptables/README.md
index c6d14dd2d..015b0b0a8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/iptables/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/iptables/README.md
@@ -52,15 +52,23 @@ Defining multiple instances of this plugin in telegraf.conf can lead to concurre
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-  # use sudo to run iptables
+# Gather packets and bytes throughput from iptables
+[[inputs.iptables]]
+  ## iptables require root access on most systems.
+  ## Setting 'use_sudo' to true will make use of sudo to run iptables.
+  ## Users must configure sudo to allow telegraf user to run iptables with no password.
+  ## iptables can be restricted to only list command "iptables -nvL".
   use_sudo = false
-  # run iptables with the lock option
+  ## Setting 'use_lock' to true runs iptables with the "-w" option.
+  ## Adjust your sudo settings appropriately if using this option ("iptables -w 5 -nvl")
   use_lock = false
-  # Define an alternate executable, such as "ip6tables". Default is "iptables".
+  ## Define an alternate executable, such as "ip6tables". Default is "iptables".
   # binary = "ip6tables"
-  # defines the table to monitor:
+  ## defines the table to monitor:
   table = "filter"
-  # defines the chains to monitor:
+  ## defines the chains to monitor.
+  ## NOTE: iptables rules without a comment will not be monitored.
+  ## Read the plugin documentation for more information.
   chains = [ "INPUT" ]
 ```
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables.go b/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables.go
index 89924b88d..a1160d0ef 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables.go
@@ -24,33 +24,6 @@ type Iptables struct {
 	lister  chainLister
 }
 
-// Description returns a short description of the plugin.
-func (ipt *Iptables) Description() string {
-	return "Gather packets and bytes throughput from iptables"
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration options.
-func (ipt *Iptables) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## iptables require root access on most systems.
-  ## Setting 'use_sudo' to true will make use of sudo to run iptables.
-  ## Users must configure sudo to allow telegraf user to run iptables with no password.
-  ## iptables can be restricted to only list command "iptables -nvL".
-  use_sudo = false
-  ## Setting 'use_lock' to true runs iptables with the "-w" option.
-  ## Adjust your sudo settings appropriately if using this option ("iptables -w 5 -nvl")
-  use_lock = false
-  ## Define an alternate executable, such as "ip6tables". Default is "iptables".
-  # binary = "ip6tables"
-  ## defines the table to monitor:
-  table = "filter"
-  ## defines the chains to monitor.
-  ## NOTE: iptables rules without a comment will not be monitored.
-  ## Read the plugin documentation for more information.
-  chains = [ "INPUT" ]
-`
-}
-
 // Gather gathers iptables packets and bytes throughput from the configured tables and chains.
 func (ipt *Iptables) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if ipt.Table == "" || len(ipt.Chains) == 0 {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..572222aab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/iptables/iptables_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package iptables
+
+func (ipt *Iptables) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipvs/README.md b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/README.md
index 2a44c9d15..d195fa57e 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ipvs/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ metrics about ipvs virtual and real servers.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Collect virtual and real server stats from Linux IPVS
 [[inputs.ipvs]]
   # no configuration
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs.go b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs.go
index 7dea5240a..7e7092995 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs.go
@@ -21,16 +21,6 @@ type IPVS struct {
 	Log    telegraf.Logger
 }
 
-// Description returns a description string
-func (i *IPVS) Description() string {
-	return "Collect virtual and real server stats from Linux IPVS"
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns a sample configuration for this input plugin
-func (i *IPVS) SampleConfig() string {
-	return ``
-}
-
 // Gather gathers the stats
 func (i *IPVS) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if i.handle == nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f917971a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/ipvs/ipvs_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package ipvs
+
+func (i *IPVS) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jenkins/README.md b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/README.md
index 5726af2cb..9bcc7eb1d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jenkins/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ This plugin does not require a plugin on jenkins and it makes use of Jenkins API
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read jobs and cluster metrics from Jenkins instances
 [[inputs.jenkins]]
   ## The Jenkins URL in the format "schema://host:port"
   url = "http://my-jenkins-instance:8080"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins.go b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins.go
index 9543c3ab1..73eb3330a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins.go
@@ -47,54 +47,6 @@ type Jenkins struct {
 	semaphore chan struct{}
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## The Jenkins URL in the format "schema://host:port"
-  url = "http://my-jenkins-instance:8080"
-  # username = "admin"
-  # password = "admin"
-
-  ## Set response_timeout
-  response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use SSL but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Optional Max Job Build Age filter
-  ## Default 1 hour, ignore builds older than max_build_age
-  # max_build_age = "1h"
-
-  ## Optional Sub Job Depth filter
-  ## Jenkins can have unlimited layer of sub jobs
-  ## This config will limit the layers of pulling, default value 0 means
-  ## unlimited pulling until no more sub jobs
-  # max_subjob_depth = 0
-
-  ## Optional Sub Job Per Layer
-  ## In workflow-multibranch-plugin, each branch will be created as a sub job.
-  ## This config will limit to call only the lasted branches in each layer,
-  ## empty will use default value 10
-  # max_subjob_per_layer = 10
-
-  ## Jobs to include or exclude from gathering
-  ## When using both lists, job_exclude has priority.
-  ## Wildcards are supported: [ "jobA/*", "jobB/subjob1/*"]
-  # job_include = [ "*" ]
-  # job_exclude = [ ]
-
-  ## Nodes to include or exclude from gathering
-  ## When using both lists, node_exclude has priority.
-  # node_include = [ "*" ]
-  # node_exclude = [ ]
-
-  ## Worker pool for jenkins plugin only
-  ## Empty this field will use default value 5
-  # max_connections = 5
-`
-
 // measurement
 const (
 	measurementJenkins = "jenkins"
@@ -102,16 +54,6 @@ const (
 	measurementJob     = "jenkins_job"
 )
 
-// SampleConfig implements telegraf.Input interface
-func (j *Jenkins) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description implements telegraf.Input interface
-func (j *Jenkins) Description() string {
-	return "Read jobs and cluster metrics from Jenkins instances"
-}
-
 // Gather implements telegraf.Input interface
 func (j *Jenkins) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if j.client == nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1edb6b8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jenkins/jenkins_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package jenkins
+
+func (j *Jenkins) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia.go
index af5e3de28..d0cac7d0b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia.go
@@ -59,81 +59,6 @@ type Jolokia struct {
 	Log                   telegraf.Logger `toml:"-"`
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  # DEPRECATED: the jolokia plugin has been deprecated in favor of the
-  # jolokia2 plugin
-  # see https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/tree/master/plugins/inputs/jolokia2
-
-  ## This is the context root used to compose the jolokia url
-  ## NOTE that Jolokia requires a trailing slash at the end of the context root
-  ## NOTE that your jolokia security policy must allow for POST requests.
-  context = "/jolokia/"
-
-  ## This specifies the mode used
-  # mode = "proxy"
-  #
-  ## When in proxy mode this section is used to specify further
-  ## proxy address configurations.
-  ## Remember to change host address to fit your environment.
-  # [inputs.jolokia.proxy]
-  #   host = "127.0.0.1"
-  #   port = "8080"
-
-  ## Optional http timeouts
-  ##
-  ## response_header_timeout, if non-zero, specifies the amount of time to wait
-  ## for a server's response headers after fully writing the request.
-  # response_header_timeout = "3s"
-  ##
-  ## client_timeout specifies a time limit for requests made by this client.
-  ## Includes connection time, any redirects, and reading the response body.
-  # client_timeout = "4s"
-
-  ## Attribute delimiter
-  ##
-  ## When multiple attributes are returned for a single
-  ## [inputs.jolokia.metrics], the field name is a concatenation of the metric
-  ## name, and the attribute name, separated by the given delimiter.
-  # delimiter = "_"
-
-  ## List of servers exposing jolokia read service
-  [[inputs.jolokia.servers]]
-    name = "as-server-01"
-    host = "127.0.0.1"
-    port = "8080"
-    # username = "myuser"
-    # password = "mypassword"
-
-  ## List of metrics collected on above servers
-  ## Each metric consists in a name, a jmx path and either
-  ## a pass or drop slice attribute.
-  ## This collect all heap memory usage metrics.
-  [[inputs.jolokia.metrics]]
-    name = "heap_memory_usage"
-    mbean  = "java.lang:type=Memory"
-    attribute = "HeapMemoryUsage"
-
-  ## This collect thread counts metrics.
-  [[inputs.jolokia.metrics]]
-    name = "thread_count"
-    mbean  = "java.lang:type=Threading"
-    attribute = "TotalStartedThreadCount,ThreadCount,DaemonThreadCount,PeakThreadCount"
-
-  ## This collect number of class loaded/unloaded counts metrics.
-  [[inputs.jolokia.metrics]]
-    name = "class_count"
-    mbean  = "java.lang:type=ClassLoading"
-    attribute = "LoadedClassCount,UnloadedClassCount,TotalLoadedClassCount"
-`
-
-func (j *Jolokia) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (j *Jolokia) Description() string {
-	return "Read JMX metrics through Jolokia"
-}
-
 func (j *Jolokia) doRequest(req *http.Request) ([]map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	resp, err := j.jClient.MakeRequest(req)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..292682c93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia/jolokia_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package jolokia
+
+func (j *Jolokia) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/README.md b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/README.md
index ae4b6a501..1377df84b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 The [Jolokia](http://jolokia.org) _agent_ and _proxy_ input plugins collect JMX metrics from an HTTP endpoint using Jolokia's [JSON-over-HTTP protocol](https://jolokia.org/reference/html/protocol.html).
 
+* [jolokia2_agent Configuration](jolokia2_agent/README.md)
+* [jolokia2_proxy Configuration](jolokia2_proxy/README.md)
+
 ## Configuration
 
 ### Jolokia Agent Configuration
@@ -172,16 +175,16 @@ Both `jolokia2_agent` and `jolokia2_proxy` plugins support default configuration
 
 ## Example Configurations
 
-- [ActiveMQ](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/activemq.conf)
-- [BitBucket](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/bitbucket.conf)
-- [Cassandra](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/cassandra.conf)
-- [Hadoop-HDFS](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/hadoop-hdfs.conf)
-- [Java JVM](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/java.conf)
-- [JBoss](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/jboss.conf)
-- [Kafka](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/kafka.conf)
-- [Kafka Connect](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/kafka-connect.conf)
-- [Tomcat](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/tomcat.conf)
-- [Weblogic](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/weblogic.conf)
-- [ZooKeeper](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/zookeeper.conf)
+* [ActiveMQ](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/activemq.conf)
+* [BitBucket](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/bitbucket.conf)
+* [Cassandra](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/cassandra.conf)
+* [Hadoop-HDFS](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/hadoop-hdfs.conf)
+* [Java JVM](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/java.conf)
+* [JBoss](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/jboss.conf)
+* [Kafka](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/kafka.conf)
+* [Kafka Connect](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/kafka-connect.conf)
+* [Tomcat](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/tomcat.conf)
+* [Weblogic](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/weblogic.conf)
+* [ZooKeeper](/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/examples/zookeeper.conf)
 
 Please help improve this list and contribute new configuration files by opening an issue or pull request.
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client_test.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client_test.go
index a1bd5f4a2..e55daf6b1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package jolokia2_test
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_ClientAuthRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer server.Close()
 
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(`
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(`
 		[jolokia2_agent]
 			urls = ["%s/jolokia"]
 			username = "sally"
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_ClientProxyAuthRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer server.Close()
 
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(`
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(`
 		[jolokia2_proxy]
 			url = "%s/jolokia"
 			username = "sally"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/client.go
similarity index 99%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/client.go
index e3b42f660..04624eb26 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/client.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/client.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package common
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer.go
similarity index 98%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer.go
index 1dfdc057e..270e74730 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package common
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (g *Gatherer) generatePoints(metric Metric, responses []ReadResponse) ([]po
 			continue
 		}
 
-		pb := newPointBuilder(metric, response.RequestAttributes, response.RequestPath)
+		pb := NewPointBuilder(metric, response.RequestAttributes, response.RequestPath)
 		for _, point := range pb.Build(metric.Mbean, response.Value) {
 			if response.RequestTarget != "" {
 				point.Tags["jolokia_agent_url"] = response.RequestTarget
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer_test.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer_test.go
similarity index 99%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer_test.go
index e01c603ad..02e2f9f74 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/gatherer_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/gatherer_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package common
 
 import (
 	"testing"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/metric.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/metric.go
similarity index 99%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/metric.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/metric.go
index 0f438b3c0..f5e299460 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/metric.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/metric.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package common
 
 import "strings"
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/point_builder.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/point_builder.go
similarity index 93%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/point_builder.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/point_builder.go
index c1b985155..feba74b11 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/point_builder.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common/point_builder.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package common
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ type pointBuilder struct {
 	substitutions    []string
 }
 
-func newPointBuilder(metric Metric, attributes []string, path string) *pointBuilder {
+func NewPointBuilder(metric Metric, attributes []string, path string) *pointBuilder {
 	return &pointBuilder{
 		metric:           metric,
 		objectAttributes: attributes,
@@ -97,18 +97,18 @@ func (pb *pointBuilder) extractFields(mbean string, value interface{}) map[strin
 		if len(pb.objectAttributes) == 0 {
 			// if there were no attributes requested,
 			// then the keys are attributes
-			pb.fillFields("", valueMap, fieldMap)
+			pb.FillFields("", valueMap, fieldMap)
 		} else if len(pb.objectAttributes) == 1 {
 			// if there was a single attribute requested,
 			// then the keys are the attribute's properties
 			fieldName := pb.formatFieldName(pb.objectAttributes[0], pb.objectPath)
-			pb.fillFields(fieldName, valueMap, fieldMap)
+			pb.FillFields(fieldName, valueMap, fieldMap)
 		} else {
 			// if there were multiple attributes requested,
 			// then the keys are the attribute names
 			for _, attribute := range pb.objectAttributes {
 				fieldName := pb.formatFieldName(attribute, pb.objectPath)
-				pb.fillFields(fieldName, valueMap[attribute], fieldMap)
+				pb.FillFields(fieldName, valueMap[attribute], fieldMap)
 			}
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func (pb *pointBuilder) extractFields(mbean string, value interface{}) map[strin
 			fieldName = pb.formatFieldName(pb.objectAttributes[0], pb.objectPath)
 		}
 
-		pb.fillFields(fieldName, value, fieldMap)
+		pb.FillFields(fieldName, value, fieldMap)
 	}
 
 	if len(pb.substitutions) > 1 {
@@ -149,9 +149,9 @@ func (pb *pointBuilder) formatFieldName(attribute, path string) string {
 	return fieldName
 }
 
-// fillFields recurses into the supplied value object, generating a named field
+// FillFields recurses into the supplied value object, generating a named field
 // for every value it discovers.
-func (pb *pointBuilder) fillFields(name string, value interface{}, fieldMap map[string]interface{}) {
+func (pb *pointBuilder) FillFields(name string, value interface{}, fieldMap map[string]interface{}) {
 	if valueMap, ok := value.(map[string]interface{}); ok {
 		// keep going until we get to something that is not a map
 		for key, innerValue := range valueMap {
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ func (pb *pointBuilder) fillFields(name string, value interface{}, fieldMap map[
 				innerName = name + pb.metric.FieldSeparator + key
 			}
 
-			pb.fillFields(innerName, innerValue, fieldMap)
+			pb.FillFields(innerName, innerValue, fieldMap)
 		}
 
 		return
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 430f58741..000000000
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-package jolokia2
-
-import (
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
-)
-
-func init() {
-	inputs.Add("jolokia2_agent", func() telegraf.Input {
-		return &JolokiaAgent{
-			Metrics:               []MetricConfig{},
-			DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
-		}
-	})
-	inputs.Add("jolokia2_proxy", func() telegraf.Input {
-		return &JolokiaProxy{
-			Metrics:               []MetricConfig{},
-			DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
-		}
-	})
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bf124e2e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2.go
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package jolokia2
+
+import (
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	inputs.Add("jolokia2_agent", func() telegraf.Input {
+		return &jolokia2_agent.JolokiaAgent{
+			Metrics:               []common.MetricConfig{},
+			DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
+		}
+	})
+	inputs.Add("jolokia2_proxy", func() telegraf.Input {
+		return &jolokia2_proxy.JolokiaProxy{
+			Metrics:               []common.MetricConfig{},
+			DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/README.md b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..54f1428c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Jolokia2 Proxy input plugin
+
+The `jolokia2_proxy` input plugin reads JMX metrics from one or more _targets_ by interacting with a [Jolokia proxy](https://jolokia.org/features/proxy.html) REST endpoint.
+
+## Configuration
+
+```toml
+# Read JMX metrics from a Jolokia REST agent endpoint
+[[inputs.jolokia2_agent]]
+  # default_tag_prefix      = ""
+  # default_field_prefix    = ""
+  # default_field_separator = "."
+
+  # Add agents URLs to query
+  urls = ["http://localhost:8080/jolokia"]
+  # username = ""
+  # password = ""
+  # response_timeout = "5s"
+
+  ## Optional TLS config
+  # tls_ca   = "/var/private/ca.pem"
+  # tls_cert = "/var/private/client.pem"
+  # tls_key  = "/var/private/client-key.pem"
+  # insecure_skip_verify = false
+
+  ## Add metrics to read
+  [[inputs.jolokia2_agent.metric]]
+    name  = "java_runtime"
+    mbean = "java.lang:type=Runtime"
+    paths = ["Uptime"]
+```
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_agent.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent.go
similarity index 54%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_agent.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent.go
index 23336dd6f..4cb80f4b0 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_agent.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package jolokia2_agent
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/config"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/common/tls"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common"
 )
 
 type JolokiaAgent struct {
@@ -22,49 +23,19 @@ type JolokiaAgent struct {
 
 	tls.ClientConfig
 
-	Metrics  []MetricConfig `toml:"metric"`
-	gatherer *Gatherer
-	clients  []*Client
-}
-
-func (ja *JolokiaAgent) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  # default_tag_prefix      = ""
-  # default_field_prefix    = ""
-  # default_field_separator = "."
-
-  # Add agents URLs to query
-  urls = ["http://localhost:8080/jolokia"]
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS config
-  # tls_ca   = "/var/private/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/var/private/client.pem"
-  # tls_key  = "/var/private/client-key.pem"
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Add metrics to read
-  [[inputs.jolokia2_agent.metric]]
-    name  = "java_runtime"
-    mbean = "java.lang:type=Runtime"
-    paths = ["Uptime"]
-`
-}
-
-func (ja *JolokiaAgent) Description() string {
-	return "Read JMX metrics from a Jolokia REST agent endpoint"
+	Metrics  []common.MetricConfig `toml:"metric"`
+	gatherer *common.Gatherer
+	clients  []*common.Client
 }
 
 func (ja *JolokiaAgent) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if ja.gatherer == nil {
-		ja.gatherer = NewGatherer(ja.createMetrics())
+		ja.gatherer = common.NewGatherer(ja.createMetrics())
 	}
 
 	// Initialize clients once
 	if ja.clients == nil {
-		ja.clients = make([]*Client, 0, len(ja.URLs))
+		ja.clients = make([]*common.Client, 0, len(ja.URLs))
 		for _, url := range ja.URLs {
 			client, err := ja.createClient(url)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -79,7 +50,7 @@ func (ja *JolokiaAgent) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 
 	for _, client := range ja.clients {
 		wg.Add(1)
-		go func(client *Client) {
+		go func(client *common.Client) {
 			defer wg.Done()
 
 			err := ja.gatherer.Gather(client, acc)
@@ -94,19 +65,19 @@ func (ja *JolokiaAgent) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (ja *JolokiaAgent) createMetrics() []Metric {
-	var metrics []Metric
+func (ja *JolokiaAgent) createMetrics() []common.Metric {
+	var metrics []common.Metric
 
 	for _, metricConfig := range ja.Metrics {
-		metrics = append(metrics, NewMetric(metricConfig,
+		metrics = append(metrics, common.NewMetric(metricConfig,
 			ja.DefaultFieldPrefix, ja.DefaultFieldSeparator, ja.DefaultTagPrefix))
 	}
 
 	return metrics
 }
 
-func (ja *JolokiaAgent) createClient(url string) (*Client, error) {
-	return NewClient(url, &ClientConfig{
+func (ja *JolokiaAgent) createClient(url string) (*common.Client, error) {
+	return common.NewClient(url, &common.ClientConfig{
 		Username:        ja.Username,
 		Password:        ja.Password,
 		ResponseTimeout: time.Duration(ja.ResponseTimeout),
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..27840458d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent/jolokia2_agent_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package jolokia2_agent
+
+func (ja *JolokiaAgent) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/README.md b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..861ef19cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Jolokia2 Agent plugin
+
+The `jolokia2_agent` input plugin reads JMX metrics from one or more [Jolokia agent](https://jolokia.org/agent/jvm.html) REST endpoints.
+
+## Configuration
+
+```toml
+# Read JMX metrics from a Jolokia REST proxy endpoint
+[[inputs.jolokia2_proxy]]
+  # default_tag_prefix      = ""
+  # default_field_prefix    = ""
+  # default_field_separator = "."
+
+  ## Proxy agent
+  url = "http://localhost:8080/jolokia"
+  # username = ""
+  # password = ""
+  # response_timeout = "5s"
+
+  ## Optional TLS config
+  # tls_ca   = "/var/private/ca.pem"
+  # tls_cert = "/var/private/client.pem"
+  # tls_key  = "/var/private/client-key.pem"
+  # insecure_skip_verify = false
+
+  ## Add proxy targets to query
+  # default_target_username = ""
+  # default_target_password = ""
+  [[inputs.jolokia2_proxy.target]]
+    url = "service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://targethost:9999/jmxrmi"
+    # username = ""
+    # password = ""
+
+  ## Add metrics to read
+  [[inputs.jolokia2_proxy.metric]]
+    name  = "java_runtime"
+    mbean = "java.lang:type=Runtime"
+    paths = ["Uptime"]
+```
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia2_proxy_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia2_proxy_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b99cf0aa9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia2_proxy_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package jolokia2_proxy
+
+func (ja *JolokiaProxy) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_proxy.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia_proxy.go
similarity index 51%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_proxy.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia_proxy.go
index 8654c9308..1354182e1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_proxy.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy/jolokia_proxy.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package jolokia2_proxy
 
 import (
 	"time"
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/config"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/common/tls"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common"
 )
 
 type JolokiaProxy struct {
@@ -23,9 +24,9 @@ type JolokiaProxy struct {
 	ResponseTimeout config.Duration `toml:"response_timeout"`
 	tls.ClientConfig
 
-	Metrics  []MetricConfig `toml:"metric"`
-	client   *Client
-	gatherer *Gatherer
+	Metrics  []common.MetricConfig `toml:"metric"`
+	client   *common.Client
+	gatherer *common.Gatherer
 }
 
 type JolokiaProxyTargetConfig struct {
@@ -34,47 +35,9 @@ type JolokiaProxyTargetConfig struct {
 	Password string
 }
 
-func (jp *JolokiaProxy) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  # default_tag_prefix      = ""
-  # default_field_prefix    = ""
-  # default_field_separator = "."
-
-  ## Proxy agent
-  url = "http://localhost:8080/jolokia"
-  # username = ""
-  # password = ""
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS config
-  # tls_ca   = "/var/private/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/var/private/client.pem"
-  # tls_key  = "/var/private/client-key.pem"
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Add proxy targets to query
-  # default_target_username = ""
-  # default_target_password = ""
-  [[inputs.jolokia2_proxy.target]]
-    url = "service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://targethost:9999/jmxrmi"
-    # username = ""
-    # password = ""
-
-  ## Add metrics to read
-  [[inputs.jolokia2_proxy.metric]]
-    name  = "java_runtime"
-    mbean = "java.lang:type=Runtime"
-    paths = ["Uptime"]
-`
-}
-
-func (jp *JolokiaProxy) Description() string {
-	return "Read JMX metrics from a Jolokia REST proxy endpoint"
-}
-
 func (jp *JolokiaProxy) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if jp.gatherer == nil {
-		jp.gatherer = NewGatherer(jp.createMetrics())
+		jp.gatherer = common.NewGatherer(jp.createMetrics())
 	}
 
 	if jp.client == nil {
@@ -90,32 +53,32 @@ func (jp *JolokiaProxy) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return jp.gatherer.Gather(jp.client, acc)
 }
 
-func (jp *JolokiaProxy) createMetrics() []Metric {
-	var metrics []Metric
+func (jp *JolokiaProxy) createMetrics() []common.Metric {
+	var metrics []common.Metric
 
 	for _, metricConfig := range jp.Metrics {
-		metrics = append(metrics, NewMetric(metricConfig,
+		metrics = append(metrics, common.NewMetric(metricConfig,
 			jp.DefaultFieldPrefix, jp.DefaultFieldSeparator, jp.DefaultTagPrefix))
 	}
 
 	return metrics
 }
 
-func (jp *JolokiaProxy) createClient() (*Client, error) {
-	proxyConfig := &ProxyConfig{
+func (jp *JolokiaProxy) createClient() (*common.Client, error) {
+	proxyConfig := &common.ProxyConfig{
 		DefaultTargetUsername: jp.DefaultTargetUsername,
 		DefaultTargetPassword: jp.DefaultTargetPassword,
 	}
 
 	for _, target := range jp.Targets {
-		proxyConfig.Targets = append(proxyConfig.Targets, ProxyTargetConfig{
+		proxyConfig.Targets = append(proxyConfig.Targets, common.ProxyTargetConfig{
 			URL:      target.URL,
 			Username: target.Username,
 			Password: target.Password,
 		})
 	}
 
-	return NewClient(jp.URL, &ClientConfig{
+	return common.NewClient(jp.URL, &common.ClientConfig{
 		Username:        jp.Username,
 		Password:        jp.Password,
 		ResponseTimeout: time.Duration(jp.ResponseTimeout),
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_test.go b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_test.go
similarity index 93%
rename from plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_test.go
index af22a2735..0320c2d51 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_test.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package jolokia2
+package jolokia2_test
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/common"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_agent"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jolokia2/jolokia2_proxy"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
 	"github.com/influxdata/toml"
 	"github.com/influxdata/toml/ast"
@@ -77,7 +80,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_ScalarValues(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -237,7 +240,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_ObjectValues(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -325,7 +328,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_StatusCodes(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -375,7 +378,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_TagRenaming(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -468,7 +471,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_FieldRenaming(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -576,7 +579,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_MetricMbeanMatching(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -669,7 +672,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_MetricCompaction(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -730,7 +733,7 @@ func TestJolokia2_ProxyTargets(t *testing.T) {
 
 	server := setupServer(response)
 	defer server.Close()
-	plugin := setupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
+	plugin := SetupPlugin(t, fmt.Sprintf(config, server.URL))
 
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	require.NoError(t, plugin.Gather(&acc))
@@ -754,11 +757,11 @@ func TestFillFields(t *testing.T) {
 	scalarPoint := []interface{}{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}
 
 	results := map[string]interface{}{}
-	newPointBuilder(Metric{Name: "test", Mbean: "complex"}, []string{"this", "that"}, "/").fillFields("", complexPoint, results)
+	common.NewPointBuilder(common.Metric{Name: "test", Mbean: "complex"}, []string{"this", "that"}, "/").FillFields("", complexPoint, results)
 	require.Equal(t, map[string]interface{}{}, results)
 
 	results = map[string]interface{}{}
-	newPointBuilder(Metric{Name: "test", Mbean: "scalar"}, []string{"this", "that"}, "/").fillFields("", scalarPoint, results)
+	common.NewPointBuilder(common.Metric{Name: "test", Mbean: "scalar"}, []string{"this", "that"}, "/").FillFields("", scalarPoint, results)
 	require.Equal(t, map[string]interface{}{}, results)
 }
 
@@ -771,7 +774,7 @@ func setupServer(resp string) *httptest.Server {
 	}))
 }
 
-func setupPlugin(t *testing.T, conf string) telegraf.Input {
+func SetupPlugin(t *testing.T, conf string) telegraf.Input {
 	table, err := toml.Parse([]byte(conf))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to parse config! %v", err)
@@ -781,8 +784,8 @@ func setupPlugin(t *testing.T, conf string) telegraf.Input {
 		object := table.Fields[name]
 		switch name {
 		case "jolokia2_agent":
-			plugin := JolokiaAgent{
-				Metrics:               []MetricConfig{},
+			plugin := jolokia2_agent.JolokiaAgent{
+				Metrics:               []common.MetricConfig{},
 				DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
 			}
 
@@ -793,8 +796,8 @@ func setupPlugin(t *testing.T, conf string) telegraf.Input {
 			return &plugin
 
 		case "jolokia2_proxy":
-			plugin := JolokiaProxy{
-				Metrics:               []MetricConfig{},
+			plugin := jolokia2_proxy.JolokiaProxy{
+				Metrics:               []common.MetricConfig{},
 				DefaultFieldSeparator: ".",
 			}
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/openconfig_telemetry.go b/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry.go
similarity index 84%
rename from plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/openconfig_telemetry.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry.go
index b95930cd4..b4ca80468 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/openconfig_telemetry.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry.go
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/config"
 	internaltls "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/common/tls"
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/auth"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/oc"
+	authentication "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/auth"
+	telemetry "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/oc"
 )
 
 type OpenConfigTelemetry struct {
@@ -44,65 +44,8 @@ type OpenConfigTelemetry struct {
 var (
 	// Regex to match and extract data points from path value in received key
 	keyPathRegex = regexp.MustCompile(`/([^/]*)\[([A-Za-z0-9\-/]*=[^\[]*)]`)
-	sampleConfig = `
-  ## List of device addresses to collect telemetry from
-  servers = ["localhost:1883"]
-
-  ## Authentication details. Username and password are must if device expects
-  ## authentication. Client ID must be unique when connecting from multiple instances
-  ## of telegraf to the same device
-  username = "user"
-  password = "pass"
-  client_id = "telegraf"
-
-  ## Frequency to get data
-  sample_frequency = "1000ms"
-
-  ## Sensors to subscribe for
-  ## A identifier for each sensor can be provided in path by separating with space
-  ## Else sensor path will be used as identifier
-  ## When identifier is used, we can provide a list of space separated sensors.
-  ## A single subscription will be created with all these sensors and data will
-  ## be saved to measurement with this identifier name
-  sensors = [
-   "/interfaces/",
-   "collection /components/ /lldp",
-  ]
-
-  ## We allow specifying sensor group level reporting rate. To do this, specify the
-  ## reporting rate in Duration at the beginning of sensor paths / collection
-  ## name. For entries without reporting rate, we use configured sample frequency
-  sensors = [
-   "1000ms customReporting /interfaces /lldp",
-   "2000ms collection /components",
-   "/interfaces",
-  ]
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # enable_tls = true
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Delay between retry attempts of failed RPC calls or streams. Defaults to 1000ms.
-  ## Failed streams/calls will not be retried if 0 is provided
-  retry_delay = "1000ms"
-
-  ## To treat all string values as tags, set this to true
-  str_as_tags = false
-`
 )
 
-func (m *OpenConfigTelemetry) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (m *OpenConfigTelemetry) Description() string {
-	return "Read JTI OpenConfig Telemetry from listed sensors"
-}
-
 func (m *OpenConfigTelemetry) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8094b58dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package jti_openconfig_telemetry
+
+func (m *OpenConfigTelemetry) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/openconfig_telemetry_test.go b/plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/openconfig_telemetry_test.go
rename to plugins/inputs/jti_openconfig_telemetry/jti_openconfig_telemetry_test.go
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/README.md
index 0083142fe..12d8005c1 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/README.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ and use the old zookeeper connection method.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from Kafka topics
 [[inputs.kafka_consumer]]
   ## Kafka brokers.
   brokers = ["localhost:9092"]
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer.go b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer.go
index 777d7261d..393d7e932 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer.go
@@ -17,107 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Kafka brokers.
-  brokers = ["localhost:9092"]
-
-  ## Topics to consume.
-  topics = ["telegraf"]
-
-  ## When set this tag will be added to all metrics with the topic as the value.
-  # topic_tag = ""
-
-  ## Optional Client id
-  # client_id = "Telegraf"
-
-  ## Set the minimal supported Kafka version.  Setting this enables the use of new
-  ## Kafka features and APIs.  Must be 0.10.2.0 or greater.
-  ##   ex: version = "1.1.0"
-  # version = ""
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## SASL authentication credentials.  These settings should typically be used
-  ## with TLS encryption enabled
-  # sasl_username = "kafka"
-  # sasl_password = "secret"
-
-  ## Optional SASL:
-  ## one of: OAUTHBEARER, PLAIN, SCRAM-SHA-256, SCRAM-SHA-512, GSSAPI
-  ## (defaults to PLAIN)
-  # sasl_mechanism = ""
-
-  ## used if sasl_mechanism is GSSAPI (experimental)
-  # sasl_gssapi_service_name = ""
-  # ## One of: KRB5_USER_AUTH and KRB5_KEYTAB_AUTH
-  # sasl_gssapi_auth_type = "KRB5_USER_AUTH"
-  # sasl_gssapi_kerberos_config_path = "/"
-  # sasl_gssapi_realm = "realm"
-  # sasl_gssapi_key_tab_path = ""
-  # sasl_gssapi_disable_pafxfast = false
-
-  ## used if sasl_mechanism is OAUTHBEARER (experimental)
-  # sasl_access_token = ""
-
-  ## SASL protocol version.  When connecting to Azure EventHub set to 0.
-  # sasl_version = 1
-
-  # Disable Kafka metadata full fetch
-  # metadata_full = false
-
-  ## Name of the consumer group.
-  # consumer_group = "telegraf_metrics_consumers"
-
-  ## Compression codec represents the various compression codecs recognized by
-  ## Kafka in messages.
-  ##  0 : None
-  ##  1 : Gzip
-  ##  2 : Snappy
-  ##  3 : LZ4
-  ##  4 : ZSTD
-   # compression_codec = 0
-
-  ## Initial offset position; one of "oldest" or "newest".
-  # offset = "oldest"
-
-  ## Consumer group partition assignment strategy; one of "range", "roundrobin" or "sticky".
-  # balance_strategy = "range"
-
-  ## Maximum length of a message to consume, in bytes (default 0/unlimited);
-  ## larger messages are dropped
-  max_message_len = 1000000
-
-  ## Maximum messages to read from the broker that have not been written by an
-  ## output.  For best throughput set based on the number of metrics within
-  ## each message and the size of the output's metric_batch_size.
-  ##
-  ## For example, if each message from the queue contains 10 metrics and the
-  ## output metric_batch_size is 1000, setting this to 100 will ensure that a
-  ## full batch is collected and the write is triggered immediately without
-  ## waiting until the next flush_interval.
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## Maximum amount of time the consumer should take to process messages. If
-  ## the debug log prints messages from sarama about 'abandoning subscription
-  ## to [topic] because consuming was taking too long', increase this value to
-  ## longer than the time taken by the output plugin(s).
-  ##
-  ## Note that the effective timeout could be between 'max_processing_time' and
-  ## '2 * max_processing_time'.
-  # max_processing_time = "100ms"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-`
-
 const (
 	defaultMaxUndeliveredMessages = 1000
 	defaultMaxProcessingTime      = config.Duration(100 * time.Millisecond)
@@ -168,14 +67,6 @@ func (*SaramaCreator) Create(brokers []string, group string, cfg *sarama.Config)
 	return sarama.NewConsumerGroup(brokers, group, cfg)
 }
 
-func (k *KafkaConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (k *KafkaConsumer) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from Kafka topics"
-}
-
 func (k *KafkaConsumer) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	k.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..985786650
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer/kafka_consumer_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kafka_consumer
+
+func (k *KafkaConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/README.md
index 59b176781..755277ed8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/README.md
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ from the same topic in parallel.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+## DEPRECATED: The 'kafka_consumer_legacy' plugin is deprecated in version 1.4.0, use 'inputs.kafka_consumer' instead, NOTE: 'kafka_consumer' only supports Kafka v0.8+.
 # Read metrics from Kafka topic(s)
-[[inputs.kafka_consumer]]
+[[inputs.kafka_consumer_legacy]]
   ## topic(s) to consume
   topics = ["telegraf"]
 
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy.go b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy.go
index ab19e0875..58d6b207f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy.go
@@ -47,41 +47,6 @@ type Kafka struct {
 	doNotCommitMsgs bool
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## topic(s) to consume
-  topics = ["telegraf"]
-
-  ## an array of Zookeeper connection strings
-  zookeeper_peers = ["localhost:2181"]
-
-  ## Zookeeper Chroot
-  zookeeper_chroot = ""
-
-  ## the name of the consumer group
-  consumer_group = "telegraf_metrics_consumers"
-
-  ## Offset (must be either "oldest" or "newest")
-  offset = "oldest"
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-
-  ## Maximum length of a message to consume, in bytes (default 0/unlimited);
-  ## larger messages are dropped
-  max_message_len = 65536
-`
-
-func (k *Kafka) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (k *Kafka) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from Kafka topic(s)"
-}
-
 func (k *Kafka) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	k.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee4143ddd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kafka_consumer_legacy/kafka_consumer_legacy_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kafka_consumer_legacy
+
+func (k *Kafka) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/README.md
index ece2210e6..f089cee8f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ The Kapacitor plugin collects metrics from the given Kapacitor instances.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read Kapacitor-formatted JSON metrics from one or more HTTP endpoints
 [[inputs.kapacitor]]
   ## Multiple URLs from which to read Kapacitor-formatted JSON
   ## Default is "http://localhost:9092/kapacitor/v1/debug/vars".
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor.go b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor.go
index b2e8da4cc..a624bfc30 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor.go
@@ -25,30 +25,6 @@ type Kapacitor struct {
 	client *http.Client
 }
 
-func (*Kapacitor) Description() string {
-	return "Read Kapacitor-formatted JSON metrics from one or more HTTP endpoints"
-}
-
-func (*Kapacitor) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Multiple URLs from which to read Kapacitor-formatted JSON
-  ## Default is "http://localhost:9092/kapacitor/v1/debug/vars".
-  urls = [
-    "http://localhost:9092/kapacitor/v1/debug/vars"
-  ]
-
-  ## Time limit for http requests
-  timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-}
-
 func (k *Kapacitor) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if k.client == nil {
 		client, err := k.createHTTPClient()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a82a9d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kapacitor/kapacitor_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kapacitor
+
+func (*Kapacitor) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel.go b/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel.go
index c16c68bf4..3afcd4bff 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel.go
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ type Kernel struct {
 	entropyStatFile string
 }
 
-func (k *Kernel) Description() string {
-	return "Get kernel statistics from /proc/stat"
-}
-
-func (k *Kernel) SampleConfig() string { return "" }
-
 func (k *Kernel) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	data, err := k.getProcStat()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7109de4c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kernel/kernel_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kernel
+
+func (k *Kernel) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat.go b/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat.go
index 95a7a5e32..b34d2654d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat.go
@@ -17,14 +17,6 @@ type KernelVmstat struct {
 	statFile string
 }
 
-func (k *KernelVmstat) Description() string {
-	return "Get kernel statistics from /proc/vmstat"
-}
-
-func (k *KernelVmstat) SampleConfig() string {
-	return ""
-}
-
 func (k *KernelVmstat) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	data, err := k.getProcVmstat()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..98f0dd27a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kernel_vmstat/kernel_vmstat_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build linux
+// +build linux
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kernel_vmstat
+
+func (k *KernelVmstat) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kibana/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kibana/README.md
index f59a9efc0..d3391eb2b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kibana/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kibana/README.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ The `kibana` plugin queries the [Kibana][] API to obtain the service status.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read status information from one or more Kibana servers
 [[inputs.kibana]]
   ## Specify a list of one or more Kibana servers
   servers = ["http://localhost:5601"]
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana.go b/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana.go
index d3c4c73e3..749c8d927 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana.go
@@ -80,25 +80,6 @@ type heap struct {
 	SizeLimit    int64 `json:"size_limit"`
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Specify a list of one or more Kibana servers
-  servers = ["http://localhost:5601"]
-
-  ## Timeout for HTTP requests
-  timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## HTTP Basic Auth credentials
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 type Kibana struct {
 	Local    bool
 	Servers  []string
@@ -129,16 +110,6 @@ func mapHealthStatusToCode(s string) int {
 	return 0
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration for this plugin.
-func (k *Kibana) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the plugin description.
-func (k *Kibana) Description() string {
-	return "Read status information from one or more Kibana servers"
-}
-
 func (k *Kibana) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if k.client == nil {
 		client, err := k.createHTTPClient()
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d4d889e2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kibana/kibana_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kibana
+
+func (k *Kibana) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/README.md
index 681c77c63..0306627ee 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/README.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ and creates metrics using one of the supported [input data formats][].
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Configuration for the AWS Kinesis input.
 [[inputs.kinesis_consumer]]
   ## Amazon REGION of kinesis endpoint.
   region = "ap-southeast-2"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer.go b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer.go
index 4ff66ed1d..343c4b082 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer.go
@@ -73,81 +73,6 @@ type processContent func([]byte) ([]byte, error)
 // this is the largest sequence number allowed - https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kinesis/latest/APIReference/API_SequenceNumberRange.html
 var maxSeq = strToBint(strings.Repeat("9", 129))
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## Amazon REGION of kinesis endpoint.
-  region = "ap-southeast-2"
-
-  ## Amazon Credentials
-  ## Credentials are loaded in the following order
-  ## 1) Web identity provider credentials via STS if role_arn and web_identity_token_file are specified
-  ## 2) Assumed credentials via STS if role_arn is specified
-  ## 3) explicit credentials from 'access_key' and 'secret_key'
-  ## 4) shared profile from 'profile'
-  ## 5) environment variables
-  ## 6) shared credentials file
-  ## 7) EC2 Instance Profile
-  # access_key = ""
-  # secret_key = ""
-  # token = ""
-  # role_arn = ""
-  # web_identity_token_file = ""
-  # role_session_name = ""
-  # profile = ""
-  # shared_credential_file = ""
-
-  ## Endpoint to make request against, the correct endpoint is automatically
-  ## determined and this option should only be set if you wish to override the
-  ## default.
-  ##   ex: endpoint_url = "http://localhost:8000"
-  # endpoint_url = ""
-
-  ## Kinesis StreamName must exist prior to starting telegraf.
-  streamname = "StreamName"
-
-  ## Shard iterator type (only 'TRIM_HORIZON' and 'LATEST' currently supported)
-  # shard_iterator_type = "TRIM_HORIZON"
-
-  ## Maximum messages to read from the broker that have not been written by an
-  ## output.  For best throughput set based on the number of metrics within
-  ## each message and the size of the output's metric_batch_size.
-  ##
-  ## For example, if each message from the queue contains 10 metrics and the
-  ## output metric_batch_size is 1000, setting this to 100 will ensure that a
-  ## full batch is collected and the write is triggered immediately without
-  ## waiting until the next flush_interval.
-  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
-
-  ## Data format to consume.
-  ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read
-  ## more about them here:
-  ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md
-  data_format = "influx"
-
-  ##
-  ## The content encoding of the data from kinesis
-  ## If you are processing a cloudwatch logs kinesis stream then set this to "gzip"
-  ## as AWS compresses cloudwatch log data before it is sent to kinesis (aws
-  ## also base64 encodes the zip byte data before pushing to the stream.  The base64 decoding
-  ## is done automatically by the golang sdk, as data is read from kinesis)
-  ##
-  # content_encoding = "identity"
-
-  ## Optional
-  ## Configuration for a dynamodb checkpoint
-  [inputs.kinesis_consumer.checkpoint_dynamodb]
-	## unique name for this consumer
-	app_name = "default"
-	table_name = "default"
-`
-
-func (k *KinesisConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (k *KinesisConsumer) Description() string {
-	return "Configuration for the AWS Kinesis input."
-}
-
 func (k *KinesisConsumer) SetParser(parser parsers.Parser) {
 	k.parser = parser
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..df1e931f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kinesis_consumer/kinesis_consumer_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kinesis_consumer
+
+func (k *KinesisConsumer) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener.go b/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener.go
index 3896d649b..6ecd1865c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener.go
@@ -42,35 +42,6 @@ type KNXListener struct {
 	wg  sync.WaitGroup
 }
 
-func (kl *KNXListener) Description() string {
-	return "Listener capable of handling KNX bus messages provided through a KNX-IP Interface."
-}
-
-func (kl *KNXListener) SampleConfig() string {
-	return `
-  ## Type of KNX-IP interface.
-  ## Can be either "tunnel" or "router".
-  # service_type = "tunnel"
-
-  ## Address of the KNX-IP interface.
-  service_address = "localhost:3671"
-
-  ## Measurement definition(s)
-  # [[inputs.knx_listener.measurement]]
-  #   ## Name of the measurement
-  #   name = "temperature"
-  #   ## Datapoint-Type (DPT) of the KNX messages
-  #   dpt = "9.001"
-  #   ## List of Group-Addresses (GAs) assigned to the measurement
-  #   addresses = ["5/5/1"]
-
-  # [[inputs.knx_listener.measurement]]
-  #   name = "illumination"
-  #   dpt = "9.004"
-  #   addresses = ["5/5/3"]
-`
-}
-
 func (kl *KNXListener) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a40272dd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/knx_listener/knx_listener_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package knx_listener
+
+func (kl *KNXListener) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/README.md
index 2a7a01025..f58f0e2f8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/README.md
@@ -34,9 +34,10 @@ avoid cardinality issues:
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from the Kubernetes api
 [[inputs.kube_inventory]]
   ## URL for the Kubernetes API
-  url = "https://$HOSTIP:6443"
+  url = "https://127.0.0.1"
 
   ## Namespace to use. Set to "" to use all namespaces.
   # namespace = "default"
@@ -64,8 +65,8 @@ avoid cardinality issues:
   ## selectors to include and exclude as tags.  Globs accepted.
   ## Note that an empty array for both will include all selectors as tags
   ## selector_exclude overrides selector_include if both set.
-  selector_include = []
-  selector_exclude = ["*"]
+  # selector_include = []
+  # selector_exclude = ["*"]
 
   ## Optional TLS Config
   ## Trusted root certificates for server
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_state.go b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory.go
similarity index 72%
rename from plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_state.go
rename to plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory.go
index a1167a8ed..87af3b4de 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_state.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory.go
@@ -44,58 +44,6 @@ type KubernetesInventory struct {
 	selectorFilter filter.Filter
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## URL for the Kubernetes API
-  url = "https://127.0.0.1"
-
-  ## Namespace to use. Set to "" to use all namespaces.
-  # namespace = "default"
-
-  ## Use bearer token for authorization. ('bearer_token' takes priority)
-  ## If both of these are empty, we'll use the default serviceaccount:
-  ## at: /run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token
-  # bearer_token = "/path/to/bearer/token"
-  ## OR
-  # bearer_token_string = "abc_123"
-
-  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional Resources to exclude from gathering
-  ## Leave them with blank with try to gather everything available.
-  ## Values can be - "daemonsets", deployments", "endpoints", "ingress", "nodes",
-  ## "persistentvolumes", "persistentvolumeclaims", "pods", "services", "statefulsets"
-  # resource_exclude = [ "deployments", "nodes", "statefulsets" ]
-
-  ## Optional Resources to include when gathering
-  ## Overrides resource_exclude if both set.
-  # resource_include = [ "deployments", "nodes", "statefulsets" ]
-
-  ## selectors to include and exclude as tags.  Globs accepted.
-  ## Note that an empty array for both will include all selectors as tags
-  ## selector_exclude overrides selector_include if both set.
-  # selector_include = []
-  # selector_exclude = ["*"]
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = "/path/to/cafile"
-  # tls_cert = "/path/to/certfile"
-  # tls_key = "/path/to/keyfile"
-  # tls_server_name = "kubernetes.example.com"
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns a sample config
-func (ki *KubernetesInventory) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the description of this plugin
-func (ki *KubernetesInventory) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from the Kubernetes api"
-}
-
 func (ki *KubernetesInventory) Init() error {
 	// If neither are provided, use the default service account.
 	if ki.BearerToken == "" && ki.BearerTokenString == "" {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c18c20175
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kube_inventory/kube_inventory_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kube_inventory
+
+func (ki *KubernetesInventory) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/README.md b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/README.md
index 07907f7eb..035bdb856 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/README.md
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ avoid cardinality issues:
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics from the kubernetes kubelet api
 [[inputs.kubernetes]]
   ## URL for the kubelet
   url = "http://127.0.0.1:10255"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes.go b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
index 8ca636d48..7a2301919 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
@@ -36,33 +36,6 @@ type Kubernetes struct {
 	RoundTripper http.RoundTripper
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## URL for the kubelet
-  url = "http://127.0.0.1:10255"
-
-  ## Use bearer token for authorization. ('bearer_token' takes priority)
-  ## If both of these are empty, we'll use the default serviceaccount:
-  ## at: /run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token
-  # bearer_token = "/path/to/bearer/token"
-  ## OR
-  # bearer_token_string = "abc_123"
-
-  ## Pod labels to be added as tags.  An empty array for both include and
-  ## exclude will include all labels.
-  # label_include = []
-  # label_exclude = ["*"]
-
-  ## Set response_timeout (default 5 seconds)
-  # response_timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config
-  # tls_ca = /path/to/cafile
-  # tls_cert = /path/to/certfile
-  # tls_key = /path/to/keyfile
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-`
-
 const (
 	defaultServiceAccountPath = "/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token"
 )
@@ -76,16 +49,6 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
-//SampleConfig returns a sample config
-func (k *Kubernetes) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-//Description returns the description of this plugin
-func (k *Kubernetes) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from the kubernetes kubelet api"
-}
-
 func (k *Kubernetes) Init() error {
 	// If neither are provided, use the default service account.
 	if k.BearerToken == "" && k.BearerTokenString == "" {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..777ed7f4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/kubernetes/kubernetes_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package kubernetes
+
+func (k *Kubernetes) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lanz/README.md b/plugins/inputs/lanz/README.md
index f308b1218..589f6773a 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/lanz/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lanz/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ You will need to configure LANZ and enable streaming LANZ data.
 - <https://www.arista.com/en/um-eos/eos-section-44-3-configuring-lanz#ww1149292>
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics off Arista LANZ, via socket
 [[inputs.lanz]]
+  ## URL to Arista LANZ endpoint
   servers = [
     "tcp://switch1.int.example.com:50001",
     "tcp://switch2.int.example.com:50001",
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz.go b/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz.go
index a77e99df6..6af46f096 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz.go
@@ -13,13 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/inputs"
 )
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## URL to Arista LANZ endpoint
-  servers = [
-    "tcp://127.0.0.1:50001"
-  ]
-`
-
 func init() {
 	inputs.Add("lanz", func() telegraf.Input {
 		return NewLanz()
@@ -36,14 +29,6 @@ func NewLanz() *Lanz {
 	return &Lanz{}
 }
 
-func (l *Lanz) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (l *Lanz) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics off Arista LANZ, via socket"
-}
-
 func (l *Lanz) Gather(_ telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..31c66d7d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lanz/lanz_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package lanz
+
+func (l *Lanz) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/leofs/README.md b/plugins/inputs/leofs/README.md
index db77e8a52..4034a7fe9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/leofs/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/leofs/README.md
@@ -5,10 +5,11 @@ The LeoFS plugin gathers metrics of LeoGateway, LeoManager, and LeoStorage using
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
-# Sample Config:
-
+# Read metrics from a LeoFS Server via SNMP
 [[inputs.leofs]]
-        servers = ["127.0.0.1:4010"]
+  ## An array of URLs of the form:
+  ##   host [ ":" port]
+  servers = ["127.0.0.1:4010"]
 ```
 
 ## Measurements & Fields
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs.go b/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs.go
index bcb992b6f..2888cb23c 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs.go
@@ -146,20 +146,6 @@ var serverTypeMapping = map[string]ServerType{
 	"4001": ServerTypeGateway,
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of URLs of the form:
-  ##   host [ ":" port]
-  servers = ["127.0.0.1:4020"]
-`
-
-func (l *LeoFS) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-func (l *LeoFS) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from a LeoFS Server via SNMP"
-}
-
 func (l *LeoFS) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	if len(l.Servers) == 0 {
 		return l.gatherServer(defaultEndpoint, ServerTypeManagerMaster, acc)
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94cd25f1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/leofs/leofs_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package leofs
+
+func (l *LeoFS) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/README.md b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/README.md
index 30e2f3088..a5a03037f 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/README.md
@@ -7,3 +7,11 @@ Example output:
 ```shell
 > linux_sysctl_fs,host=foo dentry-want-pages=0i,file-max=44222i,aio-max-nr=65536i,inode-preshrink-nr=0i,dentry-nr=64340i,dentry-unused-nr=55274i,file-nr=1568i,aio-nr=0i,inode-nr=35952i,inode-free-nr=12957i,dentry-age-limit=45i 1490982022000000000
 ```
+
+## Configuration
+
+```toml
+# Provides Linux sysctl fs metrics
+[[inputs.linux_sysctl_fs]]
+  # no configuration
+```
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs.go b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs.go
index 19848b6db..61fa3709b 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs.go
@@ -20,13 +20,6 @@ type SysctlFS struct {
 var sysctlFSDescription = `Provides Linux sysctl fs metrics`
 var sysctlFSSampleConfig = ``
 
-func (sfs SysctlFS) Description() string {
-	return sysctlFSDescription
-}
-func (sfs SysctlFS) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sysctlFSSampleConfig
-}
-
 func (sfs *SysctlFS) gatherList(file string, fields map[string]interface{}, fieldNames ...string) error {
 	bs, err := os.ReadFile(sfs.path + "/" + file)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a232cf557
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/linux_sysctl_fs/linux_sysctl_fs_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package linux_sysctl_fs
+
+func (sfs SysctlFS) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logparser/README.md b/plugins/inputs/logparser/README.md
index 6406e8845..3fd2f1de8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/logparser/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logparser/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ Migration Example:
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+## DEPRECATED: The 'logparser' plugin is deprecated in version 1.15.0, use 'inputs.tail' with 'grok' data format instead.
+# Read metrics off Arista LANZ, via socket
 [[inputs.logparser]]
   ## Log files to parse.
   ## These accept standard unix glob matching rules, but with the addition of
@@ -95,6 +97,10 @@ Migration Example:
     ##   2. "Canada/Eastern"  -- Unix TZ values like those found in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
     ##   3. UTC               -- or blank/unspecified, will return timestamp in UTC
     # timezone = "Canada/Eastern"
+
+    ## When set to "disable", timestamp will not incremented if there is a
+    ## duplicate.
+    # unique_timestamp = "auto"
 ```
 
 ## Grok Parser
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser.go b/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser.go
index db3b1f2b4..5c21659e9 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser.go
@@ -76,69 +76,6 @@ func NewLogParser() *LogParserPlugin {
 	}
 }
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## Log files to parse.
-  ## These accept standard unix glob matching rules, but with the addition of
-  ## ** as a "super asterisk". ie:
-  ##   /var/log/**.log     -> recursively find all .log files in /var/log
-  ##   /var/log/*/*.log    -> find all .log files with a parent dir in /var/log
-  ##   /var/log/apache.log -> only tail the apache log file
-  files = ["/var/log/apache/access.log"]
-
-  ## Read files that currently exist from the beginning. Files that are created
-  ## while telegraf is running (and that match the "files" globs) will always
-  ## be read from the beginning.
-  from_beginning = false
-
-  ## Method used to watch for file updates.  Can be either "inotify" or "poll".
-  # watch_method = "inotify"
-
-  ## Parse logstash-style "grok" patterns:
-  [inputs.logparser.grok]
-    ## This is a list of patterns to check the given log file(s) for.
-    ## Note that adding patterns here increases processing time. The most
-    ## efficient configuration is to have one pattern per logparser.
-    ## Other common built-in patterns are:
-    ##   %{COMMON_LOG_FORMAT}   (plain apache & nginx access logs)
-    ##   %{COMBINED_LOG_FORMAT} (access logs + referrer & agent)
-    patterns = ["%{COMBINED_LOG_FORMAT}"]
-
-    ## Name of the outputted measurement name.
-    measurement = "apache_access_log"
-
-    ## Full path(s) to custom pattern files.
-    custom_pattern_files = []
-
-    ## Custom patterns can also be defined here. Put one pattern per line.
-    custom_patterns = '''
-    '''
-
-    ## Timezone allows you to provide an override for timestamps that
-    ## don't already include an offset
-    ## e.g. 04/06/2016 12:41:45 data one two 5.43µs
-    ##
-    ## Default: "" which renders UTC
-    ## Options are as follows:
-    ##   1. Local             -- interpret based on machine localtime
-    ##   2. "Canada/Eastern"  -- Unix TZ values like those found in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
-    ##   3. UTC               -- or blank/unspecified, will return timestamp in UTC
-    # timezone = "Canada/Eastern"
-
-	## When set to "disable", timestamp will not incremented if there is a
-	## duplicate.
-    # unique_timestamp = "auto"
-`
-
-// SampleConfig returns the sample configuration for the plugin
-func (l *LogParserPlugin) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns the human readable description for the plugin
-func (l *LogParserPlugin) Description() string {
-	return "Stream and parse log file(s)."
-}
-
 func (l *LogParserPlugin) Init() error {
 	l.Log.Warnf(`The logparser plugin is deprecated; please use the 'tail' input with the 'grok' data_format`)
 	return nil
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aa052b898
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logparser/logparser_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package logparser
+
+func (l *LogParserPlugin) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logstash/README.md b/plugins/inputs/logstash/README.md
index ee8ff59fe..d582262d8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/logstash/README.md
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logstash/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Logstash 5 and later is supported.
 ## Configuration
 
 ```toml
+# Read metrics exposed by Logstash
 [[inputs.logstash]]
   ## The URL of the exposed Logstash API endpoint.
   url = "http://127.0.0.1:9600"
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash.go b/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash.go
index 9f5a19858..a8508f5a4 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash.go
@@ -17,38 +17,6 @@ import (
 	jsonParser "github.com/influxdata/telegraf/plugins/parsers/json"
 )
 
-const sampleConfig = `
-  ## The URL of the exposed Logstash API endpoint.
-  url = "http://127.0.0.1:9600"
-
-  ## Use Logstash 5 single pipeline API, set to true when monitoring
-  ## Logstash 5.
-  # single_pipeline = false
-
-  ## Enable optional collection components.  Can contain
-  ## "pipelines", "process", and "jvm".
-  # collect = ["pipelines", "process", "jvm"]
-
-  ## Timeout for HTTP requests.
-  # timeout = "5s"
-
-  ## Optional HTTP Basic Auth credentials.
-  # username = "username"
-  # password = "pa$$word"
-
-  ## Optional TLS Config.
-  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
-  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
-  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
-
-  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification.
-  # insecure_skip_verify = false
-
-  ## Optional HTTP headers.
-  # [inputs.logstash.headers]
-  #   "X-Special-Header" = "Special-Value"
-`
-
 type Logstash struct {
 	URL string `toml:"url"`
 
@@ -75,16 +43,6 @@ func NewLogstash() *Logstash {
 	}
 }
 
-// Description returns short info about plugin
-func (logstash *Logstash) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics exposed by Logstash"
-}
-
-// SampleConfig returns details how to configure plugin
-func (logstash *Logstash) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 type ProcessStats struct {
 	ID      string      `json:"id"`
 	Process interface{} `json:"process"`
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c9c62e6d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/logstash/logstash_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package logstash
+
+func (logstash *Logstash) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2.go b/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2.go
index 6ffe8086b..73762be8d 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2.go
@@ -32,23 +32,6 @@ type Lustre2 struct {
 	allFields map[tags]map[string]interface{}
 }
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-  ## An array of /proc globs to search for Lustre stats
-  ## If not specified, the default will work on Lustre 2.5.x
-  ##
-  # ost_procfiles = [
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/obdfilter/*/stats",
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/osd-ldiskfs/*/stats",
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/obdfilter/*/job_stats",
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/obdfilter/*/exports/*/stats",
-  # ]
-  # mds_procfiles = [
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/mdt/*/md_stats",
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/mdt/*/job_stats",
-  #   "/proc/fs/lustre/mdt/*/exports/*/stats",
-  # ]
-`
-
 /* The wanted fields would be a []string if not for the
 lines that start with read_bytes/write_bytes and contain
    both the byte count and the function call count
@@ -448,16 +431,6 @@ func (l *Lustre2) GetLustreProcStats(fileglob string, wantedFields []*mapping) e
 	return nil
 }
 
-// SampleConfig returns sample configuration message
-func (l *Lustre2) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
-// Description returns description of Lustre2 plugin
-func (l *Lustre2) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics from local Lustre service on OST, MDS"
-}
-
 // Gather reads stats from all lustre targets
 func (l *Lustre2) Gather(acc telegraf.Accumulator) error {
 	//l.allFields = make(map[string]map[string]interface{})
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2e1a031f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lustre2/lustre2_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build !windows
+// +build !windows
+
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package lustre2
+
+func (l *Lustre2) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm.go b/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm.go
index ce46af8a3..8ae6526b8 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm.go
@@ -17,23 +17,10 @@ var (
 	execCommand = exec.Command
 )
 
-var sampleConfig = `
-## Use sudo to run LVM commands
-use_sudo = false
-`
-
 type LVM struct {
 	UseSudo bool `toml:"use_sudo"`
 }
 
-func (lvm *LVM) Description() string {
-	return "Read metrics about LVM physical volumes, volume groups, logical volumes."
-}
-
-func (lvm *LVM) SampleConfig() string {
-	return sampleConfig
-}
-
 func (lvm *LVM) Init() error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm_sample_config.go b/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm_sample_config.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7caf7252
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/inputs/lvm/lvm_sample_config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go
+//go:generate go run ../../../tools/generate_plugindata/main.go --clean
+// DON'T EDIT; This file is used as a template by tools/generate_plugindata
+package lvm
+
+func (lvm *LVM) SampleConfig() string {
+	return `{{ .SampleConfig }}`
+}