--channels flag ignored: "Channels are not currently available" on Team plan

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The --channels flag is silently ignored when launching Claude Code with claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official. The status bar shows:

--channels ignored (plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official)
Channels are not currently available

Environment

• Claude Code version: v2.1.81
• OS: macOS (Darwin 24.6.0)
• Auth method: claude.ai OAuth login (not API key)
• Plan: Claude Team
• Bun: 1.3.11
• Plugin: telegram@claude-plugins-official v0.0.1 (installed, enabled)

What I've verified

1. Plugin is installed and enabled — claude plugin list shows telegram as enabled
2. MCP server starts fine — running bun server.ts directly connects successfully (telegram channel: polling as @timchaclaudebot)
3. Auth is correct — logged in via claude.ai, not API key
4. Bot token is valid — stored in ~/.claude/channels/telegram/.env
5. Plugin not on blocklist
6. Marketplace repo is up to date
7. Channels enabled in org admin settings
8. Re-authenticated — claude auth logout + claude auth login, relaunched — same result
9. Reinstalled plugin — same result

Additional errors on startup

• Failed to install Anthropic marketplace · Will retry on next startup
• IDE extension install failed (see /status for info)

Expected behavior

Claude Code should start the Telegram channel MCP server and begin receiving messages from the bot.

Actual behavior

The --channels flag is acknowledged but ignored with "Channels are not currently available", suggesting a server-side feature gate is blocking it.

What Should Happen?

Claude Code should start the Telegram channel MCP server and begin receiving/forwarding messages from the Telegram bot to the active session. The --channels flag should not be silently
ignored when the plugin is correctly installed and the org has channels enabled.

Error Messages/Logs

--channels ignored (plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official)                                                                                                                            
  Channels are not currently available                                                                                                                                                    
  Failed to install Anthropic marketplace · Will retry on next startup                                                                                                                    
  IDE extension install failed (see /status for info)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install the Telegram plugin: /plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official
2. Configure bot token: /telegram:configure <token>
3. Verify plugin is installed and enabled: claude plugin list
4. Launch with channels: claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-official
5. Observe "--channels ignored" and "Channels are not currently available" in status bar

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Opus 4.6

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_