micro-editor/micro · error

Plugin %s does not exist

Error message

Plugin %s does not exist

What it means

Returned by config.PluginAddRuntimeFile — the Go backend of the Lua AddRuntimeFile API — when FindPlugin(plugin) returns nil, i.e. no loaded plugin has the given name. The plugin was trying to register a runtime file (colorscheme, syntax, ftplugin, etc.) under a plugin identity micro does not know.

Source

Thrown at internal/config/rtfiles.go:296

	}
	return ""
}

// PluginListRuntimeFiles allows plugins to lists all runtime files of the given type
func PluginListRuntimeFiles(fileType RTFiletype) []string {
	files := ListRuntimeFiles(fileType)
	result := make([]string, len(files))
	for i, f := range files {
		result[i] = f.Name()
	}
	return result
}

// PluginAddRuntimeFile adds a file to the runtime files for a plugin
func PluginAddRuntimeFile(plugin string, filetype RTFiletype, filePath string) error {
	pl := FindPlugin(plugin)
	if pl == nil {
		return errors.New("Plugin " + plugin + " does not exist")
	}
	pldir := pl.DirName
	fullpath := filepath.Join(ConfigDir, "plug", pldir, filePath)
	if _, err := os.Stat(fullpath); err == nil {
		AddRealRuntimeFile(filetype, realFile(fullpath))
	} else {
		fullpath = filepath.Join("runtime", "plugins", pldir, filePath)
		AddRuntimeFile(filetype, assetFile(fullpath))
	}
	return nil
}

// PluginAddRuntimeFilesFromDirectory adds files from a directory to the runtime files for a plugin
func PluginAddRuntimeFilesFromDirectory(plugin string, filetype RTFiletype, directory, pattern string) error {
	pl := FindPlugin(plugin)
	if pl == nil {
		return errors.New("Plugin " + plugin + " does not exist")
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 1c8b82b32e)

Solutions

  1. Make the name string exactly equal to the plugin's folder name under ~/.config/micro/plug/ (case-sensitive).
  2. Prefer not hardcoding: in the plugin repo the canonical pattern is AddRuntimeFile(plugin_name, ...) where plugin_name comes from the repo layout — keep them in sync.
  3. Verify the plugin actually loaded: check `micro -version`/plugin listing or look for load errors on startup.
  4. If the plugin is optional, wrap the Lua call in pcall to degrade gracefully.

Example fix

-- before (~/.config/micro/plug/MyPlug/init.lua):
AddRuntimeFile('myplug', RTSYNTAX, 'syntax.yaml')

-- after (folder is MyPlug):
AddRuntimeFile('MyPlug', RTSYNTAX, 'syntax.yaml')
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

-- inside init.lua, before registering files:
local ok = pcall(function() return GetPlugin(pluginName) end)
-- or simply align the string with the folder name and wrap:
local ok, err = pcall(AddRuntimeFile, "MyPlug", RTSYNTAX, "syntax.yaml")
if not ok then print("AddRuntimeFile failed: " .. tostring(err)) end

Try / catch

-- Lua caller wraps the API in pcall:
local ok, err = pcall(AddRuntimeFile, pluginName, RTCOLORSCHEME, "scheme.micro")
if not ok then
  -- err contains 'Plugin <name> does not exist': fix name or skip registration
end

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: A plugin's init.lua calling AddRuntimeFile('myplugin', RTCOLORSCHEME, 'colors.my.micro') where the installed folder name differs (case-sensitive!) from 'myplugin', or the call happening for a plugin that failed/is not loaded. FindPlugin matches the plugin's registered name at internal/config/rtfiles.go:296.

Common situations: Renaming a plugin's directory without updating init.lua strings, copy-pasting AddRuntimeFile boilerplate between plugins, or plugin renamed upstream while the user kept an old fork with hardcoded names.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of micro-editor/micro@1c8b82b32e (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/315108e9ed1c1a91. Report an issue: GitHub.