You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
2Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
PluginsArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.285,
ImprovementsSection of the release
Unclear What the added note after "Plugin is now active." says is not known.
What
An MCP server is a helper program that gives Claude extra tools. Some plugins bundle one as an .mcpb package, and it may need settings, such as a key, before it can run. Claude Code now treats this as its own state, mcpb-needs-config, instead of failing quietly:
Skip message: "Bundled MCP server was not started: it needs configuration."
New hint: a bundled MCP server needs configuration before it can start, with directions to the plugin's Installed tab in /plugin and its Configure option.
Plugin error list: a new mcpb-needs-config error says to open the plugin in the Installed tab and choose Configure. It is listed once per server name, and it now comes with an action to fix it. Before, these errors had no action.
Warning record: a plugin whose bundled server needs setup now records a warning that names the skipped server. Before, only a debug log line existed, and it pointed to /plugin → Manage plugins. The path given is now /plugin → Installed → plugin → Configure.
Install and enable messages: a needs-config result now shows "Plugin is now active." followed by an extra note. Before, it fell through to "Run /reload-plugins to activate."
Plugin refresh: now returns a needs_config status when this warning applies to a plugin.
In the same area, the rules that allow or block MCP servers by policy gained extra checks. They now also look at servers given by URL and at servers that come from plugins.
Why
Before, a plugin could install fine while its bundled server simply never started, with no visible reason. Now you are told which server was skipped and where to fill in its settings, and the install message no longer suggests reloading when setup is what is missing.
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 sinceA small documentation edit on Scan your codebase for vulnerabilities touched a line naming /reload-plugins after this was published.Check the install summary. If it reports `Run /reload-plugins to apply.`, see [Apply plugin changes without restarting](/docs/en/plugins/cli-reference#reload-plugins) to activate the plugin in your current session.claude-securitysee the edit
Confirmed sinceAnthropic's documentation has since written up /reload-plugins, on Plugin loading reference.* **Relative-path plugins in a marketplace you added from a local path**: the plugin loads in place from its path inside the marketplace folder. Your edits to the source directory take effect at the next session start or `/reload-plugins`,…plugins/loadingsee 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 doubtWhat the added note after "Plugin is now active." says is not known.
Anthropic's documentation agreesAnthropic's documentation has since written up /reload-plugins, on Plugin loading reference.
