Unclear The finding does not say how a plugin comes to have the plugin directory as its source.
What
A plugin is an add-on that extends Claude Code. Plugins whose source is the plugin directory now update automatically by default, the same way plugins from claude.ai already did. If you have set autoUpdate for a plugin yourself, your setting still takes priority.
Why
These plugins now stay current without you doing anything. To keep one on its current version, set autoUpdate to off for it.
Names in the bundleautoUpdate
Documented inclaude-code/settings
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 Deploy with MDM touched a line naming autoUpdate after this was published.
* The update keys `disableAutoUpdates`, `autoUpdaterEnforcementHours`, `updateViaUpdatesHost`, and [`releaseChannel`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#releasechannel).third-party/claude-desktop/mdm see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up autoUpdate, on All settings.
Set `"autoUpdate": true` alongside `source` to make Claude Code refresh that marketplace and update its installed plugins in the background after startup. When omitted, `claude-plugins-official` and most other official Anthropic marketplac…settings-reference see the edit
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubt
The finding does not say how a plugin comes to have the plugin directory as its source.
Anthropic's documentation agrees
Anthropic's documentation has since written up autoUpdate, on All settings.