You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
1Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
PluginsArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.284,
ImprovementsSection of the release
Unclear It is not clear which names the built-in name mapping connects.
What
A channel is a plugin that can push messages into your session. --channels is a command-line option, and allowedChannelPlugins is an organisation setting that lists the approved channel plugins. Both used to compare plugin names exactly, so a plugin from the built-in marketplace could be refused after it had been renamed.
--channels now normalises the names of plugins from the built-in marketplace before checking them. A plugin:<name> entry also matches a built-in plugin's current, renamed name.
allowedChannelPlugins entries for the built-in marketplace now match through a name mapping, not only by the exact name.
Warnings about duplicate MCP servers that were skipped now name the plugin by its source when it comes from the built-in marketplace. An MCP server is a connector that gives Claude extra tools.
Plugin usage reports now include the plugin's previous name, as plugin_name_previous and plugin_id_hash_previous, when a built-in plugin has one.
Why
If you have --channels entries or an approved-channels list that name a built-in plugin, they should keep working after that plugin is renamed, instead of being refused with a message saying the plugin is not on your org's approved channels list.
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.
Confirmed sinceAnthropic's documentation has since written up allowedChannelPlugins, on All settings.| Restriction allowlists | Takes the list whole from the highest source that sets it, without adding entries from lower sources. When the highest source doesn't set one, takes it whole from the next source down | [`availableModels`](#avail…settings-referencesee the edit
How sure we are
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubtIt is not clear which names the built-in name mapping connects.
Anthropic's documentation agreesAnthropic's documentation has since written up allowedChannelPlugins, on All settings.
