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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [DOCS] Plugin install docs missing already-installed dependency repair behavior [1 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#51773•Fetched 2026-04-22 07:53:14
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Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference

Section/Topic

plugin install in the CLI commands reference, plus the reinstall guidance in plugin troubleshooting

Current Documentation

The plugin install reference currently says:

Install a plugin from available marketplaces.

claude plugin install <plugin> [options]

The install guide and troubleshooting page also says:

You can also install directly from the command line:

/plugin install commit-commands@anthropics-claude-code

and later:

Plugin skills not appearing: Clear the cache with rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache, restart Claude Code, and reinstall the plugin.

These pages do not explain what happens if you run plugin install for a plugin that is already installed, or that re-running install can repair a broken install by fetching missing dependencies.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Claude Code's changelog for v2.1.117 states that plugin install on an already-installed plugin now installs any missing dependencies instead of stopping at "already installed".

That is a user-visible troubleshooting and recovery behavior, but the docs do not describe it anywhere I could find in the plugin install flow or command reference. As written, "reinstall the plugin" is ambiguous: users do not know whether they should uninstall first, use plugin update, or simply rerun plugin install.

Suggested Improvement

Add a short note under plugin install explaining that re-running the command for an already-installed plugin is supported and will install any missing dependencies instead of failing with an "already installed" message.

Also update the troubleshooting guidance in discover-plugins to make the recovery path explicit, for example:

If a plugin is already installed but appears to be missing dependencies, rerun /plugin install <plugin>@<marketplace> (or claude plugin install ...) to repair the installation, then run /reload-plugins.

If plugin update is the preferred path for version changes while plugin install is the preferred repair path for missing dependencies, say that directly.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

PageContext
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-referenceplugin install CLI command semantics
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-pluginsinstall flow and troubleshooting guidance that says to "reinstall the plugin"

Total scope: 2 pages affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.117 — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/changelog

Exact changelog entry:

plugin install on an already-installed plugin now installs any missing dependencies instead of stopping at "already installed"

extent analysis

TL;DR

Update the documentation for the plugin install command to clarify that re-running it for an already-installed plugin will install any missing dependencies.

Guidance

  • Add a note under the plugin install command reference explaining the behavior for already-installed plugins.
  • Update the troubleshooting guidance in the discover-plugins page to explicitly state the recovery path for missing dependencies.
  • Consider adding a distinction between the use of plugin update for version changes and plugin install for repairing missing dependencies.
  • Review the affected pages (plugins-reference and discover-plugins) to ensure consistency in the documentation.

Example

A possible update to the plugin install command reference could be:

Install a plugin from available marketplaces. If the plugin is already installed, re-running this command will install any missing dependencies. claude plugin install <plugin> [options]

Notes

The suggested improvement should be applied to the two affected pages, and the documentation should be reviewed for consistency.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Update the documentation to reflect the correct behavior of the plugin install command, as this will improve the user experience and clarify the troubleshooting process.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [DOCS] Plugin install docs missing already-installed dependency repair behavior [1 participants]