Chris Farhood
20e8063cbb
- Update package.json version - Update artifacthub-pkg.yml version and archive URL - Add PROJECT_ASSESSMENT.md for tracking improvements - Add deployment/ directory with plugin loading fix documentation Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code) via [Happy](https://happy.engineering) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com> Co-Authored-By: Happy <yesreply@happy.engineering>
59 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
59 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
# Headlamp Plugin Loading Issue - Root Cause and Fix
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## Problem
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Headlamp v0.39.0 was not loading plugins installed via the plugin manager. Plugins appeared in Settings → Plugins but:
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- No sidebar entries appeared
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- No plugin settings were available
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- Plugin JavaScript was not being executed in the browser
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## Root Cause
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When `config.watchPlugins: true` (the default), Headlamp treats catalog-managed plugins in `/headlamp/plugins/` as "development directory" plugins. This causes:
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- Backend serves plugin metadata correctly
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- Backend logs show "Treating catalog-installed plugin in development directory as user plugin"
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- **Frontend does NOT execute the plugin JavaScript**
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- Plugin registrations (`registerSidebarEntry`, `registerRoute`, etc.) never happen
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## Solution
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Set `config.watchPlugins: false` in the Headlamp HelmRelease values:
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```yaml
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spec:
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values:
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config:
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watchPlugins: false
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pluginsManager:
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enabled: true
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configContent: |
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plugins:
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- name: polaris
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source: https://artifacthub.io/packages/headlamp/polaris/headlamp-polaris-plugin
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# ... other plugins
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```
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## Why This Works
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With `watchPlugins: false`:
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- Headlamp no longer treats catalog-managed plugins as "development" plugins
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- Frontend properly loads and executes plugin JavaScript on startup
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- Plugin registrations happen correctly
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- All plugin features (sidebar, routes, settings, etc.) work as expected
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## Testing
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After applying this fix:
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1. Verify plugins are installed: `kubectl logs -n kube-system <headlamp-pod> -c headlamp-plugin`
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2. Verify watchPlugins is false: `kubectl logs -n kube-system <headlamp-pod> -c headlamp | grep "Watch Plugins"`
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3. Hard refresh browser (Cmd+Shift+R / Ctrl+Shift+F5) to clear cached JavaScript
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4. Verify plugin sidebar entries appear
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5. Verify plugin functionality works
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## Additional Notes
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- This appears to be a bug/limitation in Headlamp v0.39.0
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- The `watchPlugins` feature is intended for development scenarios where plugins are being actively modified
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- For production deployments with catalog-managed plugins, `watchPlugins: false` is the correct configuration
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- Once plugins are loaded, subsequent restarts or updates work correctly as long as `watchPlugins` remains false
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## References
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- Headlamp Helm Chart: https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/headlamp/tree/main/charts/headlamp
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- Plugin Manager: https://github.com/headlamp-k8s/headlamp/tree/main/plugins/headlamp-plugin
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- Issue discovered: 2026-02-11
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- Fix applied: 2026-02-12
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