Plugin enablement already has a live CLI reload control path, so desktop now applies plugin changes by refreshing the active session instead of waiting for a future conversation startup. The server forwards reload_plugins to the active CLI session, refreshes session slash-command cache, and notifies the client. The desktop plugin store automatically reloads after mutating plugin state, and the empty-session composer refetches skills when plugin capabilities change.
Constraint: Existing CLI exposes reload_plugins as the supported hot-refresh mechanism for commands, agents, plugins, and MCP state.
Rejected: Start a hidden replacement CLI process | higher cost, extra process lifecycle risk, and less precise than the existing control channel.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Directive: Keep plugin refresh routed through reload_plugins unless the CLI control contract is removed or changed.
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/plugins.test.ts
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test --run src/stores/pluginStore.test.ts src/__tests__/pluginsSettings.test.tsx src/pages/EmptySession.test.tsx
Tested: bun run check:server
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: cd desktop && bun run build
Not-tested: bun run check:desktop is blocked by a pre-existing color-mix compatibility failure in desktop/src/theme/globals.css.
The desktop app could read plugin-produced skills and agents, but it had no
plugin control plane of its own. This adds a dedicated Settings tab backed by
server-side plugin APIs so installed plugins can be inspected, enabled,
disabled, updated, reloaded, and uninstalled from the WebUI.
The implementation also teaches browser-based desktop dev sessions to honor a
custom backend URL, which made it possible to run isolated worktree ports for
real UI automation. During verification, the long-lived desktop server kept a
stale installed-plugin snapshot after external CLI mutations, so cache clearing
now resets that session-level plugin installation state as well.
Constraint: Desktop WebUI needed an isolated backend URL instead of the hard-coded 127.0.0.1:3456 fallback
Constraint: Reuse existing plugin operations and loaders instead of rebuilding plugin lifecycle logic in the desktop layer
Rejected: Fold plugin management into Skills or Adapters | mixed unrelated lifecycles and hid plugin-specific health/actions
Rejected: Expose only read-only plugin status in desktop | did not satisfy enable-disable-reload-uninstall verification needs
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: moderate
Reversibility: clean
Directive: Keep desktop plugin actions routed through the shared plugin operation layer and clear installed-plugin session caches when plugin state changes externally
Tested: cd desktop && bun run lint
Tested: cd desktop && bun run test -- src/__tests__/pluginsSettings.test.tsx
Tested: bun test src/server/__tests__/plugins.test.ts src/server/__tests__/skills.test.ts
Tested: Browser automation against isolated ports 15120/38456 covering discord plugin list/detail/disable/apply/enable/update/uninstall flows
Not-tested: Full desktop session runtime parity with CLI /reload-plugins AppState refresh beyond the new desktop API path
