You'll notice
Claude Code now watches plugin folders and reports live when plugins load, unload, or need a reload/restart
What
Claude Code now watches the folders where plugins live and reacts automatically when something changes there. When a plugin's files change, Claude Code reloads it and tells you what happened:
- the plugin loaded or unloaded
- the plugin didn't load, with a pointer to run
/pluginfor details - the change is held pending until you run
/reload-plugins - the change requires a full restart to take effect
Why
This means editing or updating a plugin can take effect without manually reloading or restarting Claude Code in many cases, while still telling you clearly when a manual step like /reload-plugins or a restart is actually required.
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Added since
A small documentation edit on Push events into a running session with channels touched a line naming /reload-plugins after this was published.
When the install asks for an installation scope, choose the user scope option so the plugin is available across all your projects. Check the install summary: if it reports `Run /reload-plugins to activate.`, see [Apply plugin changes witho…channels see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up /reload-plugins, on Claude Code changelog.
* Improved `/plugin`: installing, enabling or disabling a plugin now takes effect when you close the menu; `/reload-plugins` is no longer needed afterwardschangelog see the edit
Two sources agreeTwo things we can check say the same as this entry.
Anthropic's documentation agrees
Anthropic's documentation has since written up /reload-plugins, on Claude Code changelog.
Anthropic's release notes agree
Fixed a plugin's default component folder that the OS cannot check, such as a symlink loop, being silently skipped; it is now reported in…