pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

Unable to find plugin with ID '" + encoderPluginId + "'. …

Error message

Unable to find plugin with ID '" + encoderPluginId + "'.  If this is a test, make sure kettle-core tests jar is a dependency.  If this is live make sure a kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml exits in the classpath

What it means

Encr.init(encoderPluginId) throws KettleException when the PluginRegistry cannot find a TwoWayPasswordEncoderPluginType plugin with the given id, with a message explaining that kettle-core tests jar or a kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml on the classpath provides the plugins. The registry loaded fine but no plugin matches encoderPluginId.

Solutions

  1. Use the standard id "kettle" unless a custom encoder is intended.
  2. Ensure kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml exists on the classpath (it ships in kettle-core) and lists the requested id.
  3. For tests, add the kettle-core tests jar dependency or call KettleEnvironment.init(true).
  4. Verify with PluginRegistry.getInstance().findPluginWithId(TwoWayPasswordEncoderPluginType.class, id) != null before init.

Example fix

// before (pom.xml) — tests jar missing
<dependency><groupId>org.pentaho.di</groupId><artifactId>kettle-core</artifactId><version>...</version></dependency>
// after
<dependency><groupId>org.pentaho.di</groupId><artifactId>kettle-core</artifactId><version>...</version><classifier>tests</classifier><scope>test</scope></dependency>
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

PluginInterface p = PluginRegistry.getInstance()
  .findPluginWithId( TwoWayPasswordEncoderPluginType.class, "kettle" );
if ( p == null ) throw new IllegalStateException( "Password encoder plugin not on classpath" );
Encr.init( "kettle" );

Try / catch

try {
  Encr.init( encoderPluginId );
} catch ( KettleException e ) {
  if ( e.getMessage().contains( "Unable to find plugin with ID" ) ) {
    throw new IllegalStateException( "Encoder plugin missing; add kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml / tests jar to classpath", e );
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Encr.init("some-id") where some-id is not registered: typo'd plugin id, missing kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml on the classpath, or running tests without the kettle-core test plugins registered.

Common situations: Unit tests calling Encr without KettleEnvironment.init() and without the tests jar dependency; custom deployments that removed the password encoder plugin XML; renamed plugin ids across Kettle versions.

Understand the failure class

Background: "not installed", "pip install", "required for": how missing-dependency errors surface across open-source libraries — this error's family across 34 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/be10002cc3da457b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/core/encryption/Encr.java:53

  private static TwoWayPasswordEncoderInterface encoder;

  public Encr() {
  }

  @Deprecated
  public boolean init() {
    return true;
  }

  public static void init( String encoderPluginId ) throws KettleException {
    if ( Utils.isEmpty( encoderPluginId ) ) {
      throw new KettleException( "Unable to initialize the two way password encoder: No encoder plugin type specified." );
    }
    PluginRegistry registry = PluginRegistry.getInstance();
    PluginInterface plugin = registry.findPluginWithId( TwoWayPasswordEncoderPluginType.class, encoderPluginId );
    if ( plugin == null ) {
      throw new KettleException( "Unable to find plugin with ID '" + encoderPluginId + "'.  If this is a test, make sure"
        + " kettle-core tests jar is a dependency.  If this is live make sure a kettle-password-encoder-plugins.xml"
        + " exits in the classpath" );
    }
    encoder = (TwoWayPasswordEncoderInterface) registry.loadClass( plugin );

    // Load encoder specific options...
    //
    try {
      encoder.init();
    } catch ( PasswordEncoderException e ) {
      throw new KettleException( e );
    }
  }

  /**
   * Old signature code, used in license keys, from the Kettle 1.x days.
   * @param signature
   * @param verify

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