What
- The plugin settings screen now tracks whether a change you made needs a reload, and when you exit, it either does nothing, queues a deferred reload, or takes you straight into
/reload-plugins, depending on what changed. - The confirmation message shown after saving plugin configuration (for both the regular schema-based config flow and the MCPB config flow) was shortened from telling you to run
/reload-pluginsyourself to a simple "Configuration saved." The enable/configure success message now uses a dynamic suffix instead of a hardcoded instruction to run/reload-plugins.
Why
Previously you had to remember to manually run /reload-plugins after changing plugin settings. Now Claude Code tracks that need for you and either handles it automatically or prompts you at the right moment.
Names in the bundle/reload-plugins
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 Week 32 · August 3–7, 2026 touched a line naming /reload-plugins after this was published.
<div>Plugins you install from <a href="/docs/en/plugins/install#install-a-plugin"><code>/plugin</code></a> activate in the current session when it's safe to do so; the install summary reports <code>Plugin is now active.</code> or tells you…whats-new/2026-w32 see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up /reload-plugins, on Push events into a running session with channels.
If the install summary reports `Run /reload-plugins to activate.`, you don't need to act on it here, because restarting in the next step picks up the plugin.channels 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 Push events into a running session with channels.
Anthropic's release notes agree
Improved /plugin: installing, enabling or disabling a plugin now takes effect when you close the menu; /reload-plugins is no longer needed…