paperclipai/paperclip · error

Upgrade failed: new manifest ID '${newManifest.id}' does not

Error message

Upgrade failed: new manifest ID '${newManifest.id}' does not match existing plugin ID '${oldManifest.id}'

What it means

Upgrade identity guard: the newly fetched manifest's id differs from the currently installed manifest's id. Upgrades must replace the same plugin — a different id would be a new install, not an upgrade; the wrong package/version being upgraded to is at fault.

Source

Thrown at server/src/services/plugin-loader.ts:1817

      log.info(
        { pluginId, packageName, version, localPath },
        "plugin-loader: upgrading plugin",
      );

      // 1. Fetch/Install the new version
      const discovered = await fetchAndValidate({
        packageName,
        localPath,
        version,
        installDir: localPluginDir,
      });

      const newManifest = discovered.manifest!;

      // 2. Validate it's the same plugin ID
      if (newManifest.id !== oldManifest.id) {
        throw new Error(
          `Upgrade failed: new manifest ID '${newManifest.id}' does not match existing plugin ID '${oldManifest.id}'`,
        );
      }

      // 3. Detect capability escalation — new capabilities not in the old manifest
      const oldCaps = new Set(oldManifest.capabilities ?? []);
      const newCaps = newManifest.capabilities ?? [];
      const escalated = newCaps.filter((c) => !oldCaps.has(c));

      if (escalated.length > 0) {
        log.warn(
          { pluginId, escalated, oldVersion: oldManifest.version, newVersion: newManifest.version },
          "plugin-loader: upgrade introduces new capabilities — requires admin approval",
        );
        throw new Error(
          `Upgrade for "${pluginId}" introduces new capabilities that require approval: ${escalated.join(", ")}. ` +
            `The previous version declared [${[...oldCaps].join(", ")}]. ` +
            `Please review and approve the capability escalation before upgrading.`,

View on GitHub (pinned to 120ae5428f)

Solutions

1. The new package is a different plugin (different manifest id). Uninstall the old plugin and install the new one separately, or publish the upgrade under the same id.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/src/services/plugin-loader.ts:1817 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@120ae5428f (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1c9dfc678dc6053b. Report an issue: GitHub.