{"version":"2.1.246","anchor":"plugin-and-marketplace-json-is-cleaned-up-before-parsing","canonical_anchor":"plugin-and-marketplace-json-is-cleaned-up-before-parsing","heading":"Plugin and marketplace JSON is cleaned up before parsing","tier":"notice","area":"Plugins","scope":null,"heads_up":null,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.246\/e\/plugin-and-marketplace-json-is-cleaned-up-before-parsing","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.246","markdown":"### Plugin and marketplace JSON is cleaned up before parsing\n\nPlugin and marketplace manifests with hidden leading characters now parse instead of failing.\n\n**What**\n\nPlugin manifests, marketplace manifests and the plugin scan for MCP servers now pass the file text through a normalising helper before parsing it, instead of parsing the raw bytes. Manifests that previously failed to load, most likely ones carrying a byte-order mark or other hidden leading characters, can now parse. The failure message is unchanged.\n\n**Details**\n\n- Failures still report as `Invalid JSON syntax:` followed by the parser error.\n- The exact normalisation the helper performs is not pinned down in the bundle; stripping a leading byte-order mark is the likely intent.\n\n**Evidence**\n\n`r = lt(cy(e));`, `Invalid JSON syntax: `, `plugin-json`\n\n- Area: Plugins\n- Tier: You'll notice\n- Useful: 3\/5\n- Signal: 1\/5"}