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headlamp-polaris-plugin/deployment/PLUGIN_LOADING_FIX.md
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Chris Farhood f896622b5b fix: add markdownlint config and auto-fix markdown errors
- Add .markdownlint-cli2.jsonc based on headlamp-agent-skills config
- Disable MD013 (line length), MD041 (first-line-heading), MD036
  (emphasis-as-heading), MD024 (no-duplicate-heading), MD040
  (fenced-code-language), MD060 (table-column-style), MD029
  (ol-prefix), MD033 (no-inline-html) — appropriate for plugin docs
- Run markdownlint-cli2 --fix to auto-fix MD022, MD031, MD032
- Manually fix remaining code block language annotations

Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-05-04 04:54:28 +00:00

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