google-gemini/gemini-cli · error · Error

Extension ${extension.name} cannot be updated, type is unkno

Error message

Extension ${extension.name} cannot be updated, type is unknown.

What it means

Thrown by checkForExtensionUpdate when loadInstallMetadata(extension.path) returns undefined or an object with no type field. The update flow needs the recorded install type (git, github-release, local, link) to know how to fetch a new version, so a missing type is unrecoverable for updates.

Source

Thrown at packages/cli/src/config/extensions/update.ts:51

  currentState: ExtensionUpdateState,
  dispatchExtensionStateUpdate: (action: ExtensionUpdateAction) => void,
  enableExtensionReloading?: boolean,
): Promise<ExtensionUpdateInfo | undefined> {
  if (currentState === ExtensionUpdateState.UPDATING) {
    return undefined;
  }
  dispatchExtensionStateUpdate({
    type: 'SET_STATE',
    payload: { name: extension.name, state: ExtensionUpdateState.UPDATING },
  });
  const installMetadata = loadInstallMetadata(extension.path);

  if (!installMetadata?.type) {
    dispatchExtensionStateUpdate({
      type: 'SET_STATE',
      payload: { name: extension.name, state: ExtensionUpdateState.ERROR },
    });
    throw new Error(
      `Extension ${extension.name} cannot be updated, type is unknown.`,
    );
  }

  try {
    const status = await extensionManager.verifyExtensionIntegrity(
      extension.name,
      installMetadata,
    );

    if (status === IntegrityDataStatus.INVALID) {
      throw new Error('Extension integrity cannot be verified');
    }
  } catch (e) {
    dispatchExtensionStateUpdate({
      type: 'SET_STATE',
      payload: { name: extension.name, state: ExtensionUpdateState.ERROR },
    });

View on GitHub (pinned to 5024443c72)

Solutions

1. Reinstall the extension so a valid install-metadata.json with a type is written.
2. Manually restore or author install-metadata.json with the correct type (git/github-release/local/link).
3. Skip update checks for extensions known to lack metadata.

Example fix

// before
const installMetadata = loadInstallMetadata(extension.path);
if (!installMetadata?.type) throw new Error('...type is unknown');
// after
const installMetadata = loadInstallMetadata(extension.path);
if (!installMetadata?.type) {
  return { name: extension.name, state: ExtensionUpdateState.UNKNOWN, canUpdate: false };

const meta = loadInstallMetadata(extension.path);
if (!meta?.type) { /* skip update, mark unknown */ }

function hasInstallType(meta?: ExtensionInstallMetadata): meta is ExtensionInstallMetadata & { type: ExtensionInstallMetadata['type'] } { return !!meta && typeof meta.type === 'string' && meta.type.length > 0; }

try { await checkForExtensionUpdate(ext, mgr); } catch (e) { if (/type is unknown/.test(String(e))) { /* exclude from update batch */ } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: The extension directory has no install-metadata.json, the file is corrupt/unreadable (loadInstallMetadata swallows parse errors and returns undefined), or the JSON lacks a 'type' field.

Common situations: Manually copied/installed extension without metadata; metadata file deleted by a cleanup tool; older extension format predating the type field; corrupt JSON from an interrupted write.

Related errors

• Invalid regex pattern in allowedExtensions setting: "${patte
• Cannot write extension settings to ${envFilePath} because it
• Invalid environment variable name: "${key}". Must contain on
• Invalid environment variable value for "${key}". Values cann
• Extension ${extension.name} cannot be updated. ${getErrorMes

AI-assisted analysis of google-gemini/gemini-cli@5024443c72 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f94931872f6403fc. Report an issue: GitHub.