User Config: Reset Plugins

Complete plugin reset - the "nuclear option" for plugins. Clears all plugin-related data from both ~/.claude/plugins/ directory AND enabledPlugins from ~/.claude/settings.json.

Related Skill: Invoke the user-config-management skill for comprehensive user configuration guidance.

When to Use

• Starting fresh with plugins after configuration issues
• Resolving "Plugin not found in marketplace" errors
• Cleaning up after marketplace changes
• Recovering from corrupted plugin state
• Full reinstallation of all plugins needed

For cache-only cleanup (preserves registry): Use /clear-plugin-cache instead.

What Gets Cleared

Location	Contents	Notes
~/.claude/plugins/cache/	Cached plugin copies	All versions
~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json	Plugin registry	Tracks installed plugins
~/.claude/plugins/install-counts-cache.json	Install stats	Marketplace stats cache
~/.claude/settings.json → enabledPlugins	Plugin enable/disable map	Only this key, other settings preserved

What Gets Preserved (by default)

Location	Contents	Notes
~/.claude/plugins/known_marketplaces.json	Custom marketplace sources	Use --include-marketplaces to clear
claude-plugins-official	Official Anthropic marketplace	ALWAYS preserved, even with --include-marketplaces
~/.claude/settings.json (other keys)	All other settings	Only enabledPlugins is removed

Arguments

Argument	Description	Default
--dry-run	Preview what would be cleared without deleting	false
--include-marketplaces	Also clear custom marketplace registrations (preserves official)	false
--force	Skip confirmation prompt	false

Usage Examples

/user-config:reset-plugins                       # Default: clear all except marketplaces
/user-config:reset-plugins --dry-run             # Preview what would be cleared
/user-config:reset-plugins --include-marketplaces   # Also clear custom marketplaces
/user-config:reset-plugins --force               # Skip confirmation
/user-config:reset-plugins --include-marketplaces --force  # Full nuclear, no prompt

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Arguments

DRY_RUN = "--dry-run" in arguments (case-insensitive)
INCLUDE_MARKETPLACES = "--include-marketplaces" in arguments (case-insensitive)
FORCE = "--force" in arguments (case-insensitive)

Step 2: Inventory What Will Be Cleared

Check each location and gather statistics:

# Plugin cache directory
ls -la ~/.claude/plugins/cache/ 2>/dev/null
du -sh ~/.claude/plugins/cache/ 2>/dev/null

# Plugin registry files
ls -la ~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json 2>/dev/null
ls -la ~/.claude/plugins/install-counts-cache.json 2>/dev/null

# Known marketplaces (only if --include-marketplaces)
ls -la ~/.claude/plugins/known_marketplaces.json 2>/dev/null

# Check settings.json for enabledPlugins
cat ~/.claude/settings.json 2>/dev/null

Count entries in enabledPlugins if it exists.

Step 3: Show Reset Plan

Present the plan to the user:

## Plugin Reset Plan

**Mode:** [Standard / Including Marketplaces]

### Will Clear:

| Item | Details |
|------|---------|
| Plugin cache | X plugins (Y MB) |
| Plugin registry | installed_plugins.json |
| Install stats cache | install-counts-cache.json |
| enabledPlugins | N entries in settings.json |
| [If --include-marketplaces] Custom marketplaces | known_marketplaces.json |

### Will Preserve:

- [If NOT --include-marketplaces] Custom marketplace registrations
- `claude-plugins-official` marketplace (ALWAYS preserved)
- All other settings in settings.json

**Estimated space freed:** ~X MB

Step 4: Confirmation (unless --force)

If NOT FORCE and NOT DRY_RUN:

Use AskUserQuestion tool:
  Question: "Proceed with plugin reset? This cannot be undone."
  Options: ["Yes, reset plugins", "No, cancel"]

If user selects "No" or anything other than "Yes", abort.

Step 5: Execute Reset (unless --dry-run)

If DRY_RUN, skip to Step 6.

5a: Clear Plugin Cache

rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache/*

5b: Clear Plugin Registry Files

rm -f ~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json
rm -f ~/.claude/plugins/install-counts-cache.json

5c: Clear Custom Marketplaces (if --include-marketplaces)

Read known_marketplaces.json, filter to keep only claude-plugins-official, write back:

1. Read ~/.claude/plugins/known_marketplaces.json
2. Parse JSON
3. Filter to keep only entries where name === "claude-plugins-official"
4. Write filtered JSON back (or delete file if only official remains)

5d: Remove enabledPlugins from settings.json

1. Read ~/.claude/settings.json
2. Parse JSON
3. Delete the "enabledPlugins" key (if exists)
4. Write back (preserving all other keys)
5. If settings.json becomes empty ({}), optionally delete it

Step 6: Report Results

## Plugin Reset Complete

### Cleared:
- Plugin cache: X plugins removed (Y MB freed)
- Plugin registry: installed_plugins.json removed
- Install stats cache: install-counts-cache.json removed
- enabledPlugins: N entries removed from settings.json
[If --include-marketplaces]
- Custom marketplaces: Z marketplace(s) removed

### Preserved:
- claude-plugins-official marketplace
[If NOT --include-marketplaces]
- Custom marketplace registrations (N marketplaces)

### Next Steps:

1. Restart Claude Code to apply changes
2. Reinstall plugins as needed:
   - `/plugin` to browse available plugins
   - `/plugin install {name}@{marketplace}` to install specific plugins

For --dry-run:

## Plugin Reset Plan (Dry Run)

**No changes made.** Run without `--dry-run` to execute.

[Same details as above]

Error Handling

Error	Response
~/.claude/plugins/ not found	"Plugin directory not found. Nothing to reset."
~/.claude/settings.json not found	Skip settings modification, continue with directory cleanup
Permission denied	"Permission denied. Check file permissions on ~/.claude/"
JSON parse error	"Failed to parse settings.json. File may be corrupted. Consider manual backup and reset."

Safety Notes

• This is destructive - all installed plugins will need to be reinstalled
• Official marketplace preserved - claude-plugins-official is never removed
• Settings preserved - Only enabledPlugins key is removed from settings.json
• Confirmation required - Unless --force is specified
• Dry-run available - Always preview first if unsure

Cross-Platform Notes

• Windows: ~ resolves to $USERPROFILE (e.g., C:\Users\{username})
• Use forward slashes in paths for consistency
• rm -rf and rm -f work in Git Bash on Windows

Related Commands

• /clear-plugin-cache - Cache-only cleanup (preserves registry)
• /user-config:prune - General Claude Code cache cleanup (excludes plugins)
• /plugin uninstall {name} - Remove a specific plugin properly