Plugin Command Reference

The plugin command is the CLI tool for managing Unraid plugins. It handles installation, updates, removal, and status checks.

📷 Screenshot needed: Plugin command help output

Basic Usage

plugin <command> <plugin-file>

Commands

install

Install a plugin from a local file or URL:

# From URL
plugin install https://raw.githubusercontent.com/user/repo/main/myplugin.plg

# From local file
plugin install /path/to/myplugin.plg

# Force install (even if lower version)
plugin install /path/to/myplugin.plg forced

What happens:

1. Downloads the PLG file (if URL)
2. Processes all <FILE> elements with install method
3. Copies PLG to /boot/config/plugins/
4. Creates symlink in /var/log/plugins/

Install from URL:

Or upload a local file:

The file picker allows selecting local .plg files:

remove

Remove an installed plugin:

plugin remove myplugin.plg

What happens:

1. Processes all <FILE> elements with remove method
2. Deletes symlink from /var/log/plugins/
3. Moves PLG to /boot/config/plugins-removed/

check

Check if a newer version is available:

plugin check myplugin.plg

What happens:

1. Downloads PLG from pluginURL to /tmp/plugins/
2. Extracts and outputs the version string
3. Exits 0 if newer version available

checkall

Check all installed plugins for updates:

plugin checkall

Runs plugin check for each plugin in /var/log/plugins/.

The update indicator appears next to plugins with newer versions:

After check completes, plugins with updates are highlighted:

update

Update a plugin to the latest version:

plugin update myplugin.plg

What happens:

1. Looks for new PLG in /tmp/plugins/
2. Runs install method of new version
3. Replaces old PLG in /boot/config/plugins/
4. Updates symlink in /var/log/plugins/

💡 Run plugin check first to download the latest version

Attribute Queries

Get any attribute from a PLG file:

# Get version
plugin version /var/log/plugins/myplugin.plg

# Get author
plugin author /var/log/plugins/myplugin.plg

# Get any attribute
plugin pluginURL /var/log/plugins/myplugin.plg

Directory Reference

Directory	Purpose
/boot/config/plugins/	Active plugin PLG files
/boot/config/plugins-error/	Failed installations
/boot/config/plugins-removed/	Uninstalled plugins
/boot/config/plugins-stale/	Superseded versions
/tmp/plugins/	Downloaded updates
/var/log/plugins/	Symlinks to installed plugins

Practical Examples

Full Update Workflow

# Check for updates
plugin check myplugin.plg

# If update available, install it
plugin update myplugin.plg

List Installed Plugins

ls -la /var/log/plugins/

Check Plugin Version

plugin version /var/log/plugins/myplugin.plg

Reinstall a Plugin

# Remove first
plugin remove myplugin.plg

# Then install fresh
plugin install /boot/config/plugins-removed/myplugin.plg

Debug Installation

Watch the output carefully when installing:

plugin install myplugin.plg 2>&1 | tee /tmp/install.log

Error Handling

Plugin Moved to plugins-error

Installation failed. Check:

1. MD5 checksum mismatches
2. Download failures
3. Script errors
4. Missing dependencies

Plugin Moved to plugins-stale

A newer version is already installed. Use forced flag if needed:

plugin install myplugin.plg forced

Update Not Working

Ensure pluginURL attribute is set in your PLG:

<PLUGIN ... pluginURL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/user/repo/main/myplugin.plg">

Scripting with Plugin Command

Check All Updates in Script

#!/bin/bash
for plg in /var/log/plugins/*.plg; do
    name=$(basename "$plg")
    echo "Checking $name..."
    if plugin check "$name" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "  Update available!"
    fi
done

Get Plugin Info

#!/bin/bash
PLG="/var/log/plugins/myplugin.plg"
echo "Plugin: $(plugin name $PLG)"
echo "Version: $(plugin version $PLG)"
echo "Author: $(plugin author $PLG)"

Notes

• The plugin command is specific to Unraid
• Plugins use Slackware’s package format (.txz)
• The upgradepkg and removepkg commands handle package operations
• Always test plugins on a non-production server first

See Also

• PLG File Reference
• Packaging
• Troubleshooting