[BUG] `plugins list --json` produces invalid output

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/47309
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/48120
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/58653

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Root Cause Analysis & Fix Proposal

Root Cause: TUI Output Mixed into CLI JSON Output

The claude plugins list --json output contains ANSI escape sequences, making the output invalid JSON:

^[7^[[r^[8^[[?25h[^M^M$
^[[2C{^M^M$
^[[4C"id":^[[1C"foobar@my-plugins",^M^M$

ANSI escape sequence breakdown:

• ^[7 / ^[8 — DECSC/DECRC (save/restore cursor position)
• ^[[r — Set scroll region
• ^[[?25h — Show cursor
• ^[[2C / ^[[4C — Cursor forward 2/4 columns
• ^M — Carriage return (CR)

Root cause: The plugins list --json command still has the TUI component active when outputting JSON. TUI cursor control sequences are mixed into stdout. The JSON serializer may also be executing within the TUI rendering pipeline.

Fix Proposal

Option A: Early exit for JSON mode (recommended, ~20 LoC)

Add an early return path in the plugins list command handler:

// cli/plugins/list.ts
async function runListCommand(flags: Flags) {
  // Early exit for JSON mode — skip TUI entirely
  if (flags.json) {
    const plugins = await listPlugins();
    process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(plugins, null, 2) + '\n');
    process.exit(0);
  }
  
  // Normal TUI path
  await renderPluginListTUI(plugins);
}

Option B: Suppress TUI output when --json flag is set (~30 LoC)

Add a global flag to suppress TUI rendering:

// cli/tui/renderer.ts
const isJsonMode = process.argv.includes('--json');

function render(content: string) {
  if (isJsonMode) return; // Suppress all TUI output
  // ... normal rendering
}

Option C: Pipe JSON through a clean writer (~15 LoC)

// cli/utils/json-output.ts
import { WriteStream } from 'tty';

function writeJson(data: unknown) {
  const json = JSON.stringify(data, null, 2);
  // Write directly to fd 1, bypassing any TUI interceptors
  const fd = 1;
  const buf = Buffer.from(json + '\n');
  fs.writeSync(fd, buf);
}

Deliverables

| Deliverable | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| Root cause analysis | TUI/CLI output pipe mixing analysis |
| Fix patch | Option A code patch |
| Test case | Verify --json produces valid JSON |
| Regression test | Verify non-JSON mode still works |

Estimated Effort

• Quick fix (Option C): ~30 minutes
• Proper fix (Option A): ~1-2 hours
• Comprehensive fix (Option B): ~2-3 hours

Cross-sell Opportunity

Bundle with other claude-code CLI issues:

• #60269 (plugins --json) + #60278 (MCP crash) = bundled quote $2,200

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.