[DOCS] Plugin docs omit managed-policy behavior for force-disabled plugins

Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

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

Section/Topic

Install plugins and Manage installed plugins, with a related cross-reference from the settings docs' enabledPlugins section

Current Documentation

The docs currently say:

Once you've added marketplaces, you can install plugins directly (installs to user scope by default): /plugin install plugin-name@marketplace-name To choose a different installation scope, use the interactive UI: run /plugin, go to the Discover tab, and press Enter on a plugin. You'll see options for: User scope (default): install for yourself across all projects Project scope: install for all collaborators on this repository * Local scope: install for yourself in this repository only You may also see plugins with managed scope—these are installed by administrators via managed settings and cannot be modified.

Run /plugin and go to the Installed tab to view, enable, disable, or uninstall your plugins.

The settings page currently says:

#### enabledPlugins Controls which plugins are enabled. Format: "plugin-name@marketplace-name": true/false Scopes: User settings (~/.claude/settings.json): Personal plugin preferences Project settings (.claude/settings.json): Project-specific plugins shared with team * Local settings (.claude/settings.local.json): Per-machine overrides (not committed)

And the plugins reference says:

| managed | Managed settings | Managed plugins (read-only, update only) |

No current page explains the case where organization policy force-disables a specific plugin.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Changelog v2.1.85 says:

Plugins blocked by organization policy (managed-settings.json) can no longer be installed or enabled, and are hidden from marketplace views

A. No documentation explains that managed-settings.json can force-disable individual plugins

The settings docs document enabledPlugins, but only describe user, project, and local scopes. They do not tell admins or users that the same setting can be enforced from managed settings to block a plugin organization-wide.

B. Plugin install and management docs do not explain the blocked behavior

The install/manage guides say users can install plugins and enable or disable them, but they do not note that a policy-blocked plugin cannot be installed or re-enabled by the user.

C. The visibility behavior is undocumented

The docs do not mention that organization-blocked plugins are hidden from plugin marketplace views instead of remaining visible as installable or enableable options. That makes policy enforcement look like a discovery problem instead of an organization restriction.

Suggested Improvement

Document managed-policy-controlled plugin state in the plugin and settings docs.

Suggested additions:

1. On the settings page, expand enabledPlugins to include managed settings as a supported scope and show that false in managed-settings.json force-disables a plugin for the organization.
2. On the discover/install guide, add a note that if a plugin is blocked by organization policy, users cannot install or enable it themselves.
3. In the plugin UI docs, explain that blocked plugins are hidden from plugin marketplace views, so absence from the browser can be policy-driven rather than a marketplace sync problem.

Suggested wording:

If a plugin is force-disabled by organization policy in managed-settings.json, users cannot install or enable it. Managed policy takes precedence over user, project, and local settings, and blocked plugins are hidden from plugin marketplace views.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Context |
|------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-plugins | Install/manage flows describe user actions, but not policy-blocked plugins or hidden marketplace behavior |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings | enabledPlugins omits managed scope, while the managed marketplace section only documents source restrictions |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference | Managed scope is described as “read-only, update only” without force-disabled behavior |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop | The plugin browser is described as showing available plugins from configured marketplaces, but not that organization-blocked plugins may be hidden |

Total scope: 4 pages affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.85 — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/changelog

Exact changelog entry:

Plugins blocked by organization policy (managed-settings.json) can no longer be installed or enabled, and are hidden from marketplace views