zellij-org/zellij · error · anyhow::Error

LaunchOrFocusPlugin missing plugin

Error message

LaunchOrFocusPlugin missing plugin

What it means

Error "LaunchOrFocusPlugin missing plugin" thrown in zellij-org/zellij.

Source

Thrown at zellij-utils/src/ipc/protobuf_conversion.rs:2651

                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::SwitchSession {
                    name: switch_session_action.name.clone(),
                    tab_position: switch_session_action.tab_position.map(|p| p as usize),
                    pane_id: switch_session_action
                        .pane_id
                        .as_ref()
                        .map(|p| (p.pane_id, p.is_plugin)),
                    layout: switch_session_action
                        .layout
                        .map(|l| l.try_into())
                        .transpose()?,
                    cwd: switch_session_action.cwd.map(PathBuf::from),
                })
            },
            ActionType::LaunchOrFocusPlugin(launch_plugin_action) => {
                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::LaunchOrFocusPlugin {
                    plugin: launch_plugin_action
                        .plugin
                        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("LaunchOrFocusPlugin missing plugin"))?
                        .try_into()?,
                    should_float: launch_plugin_action.should_float,
                    move_to_focused_tab: launch_plugin_action.move_to_focused_tab,
                    should_open_in_place: launch_plugin_action.should_open_in_place,
                    close_replaced_pane: launch_plugin_action.close_replaced_pane,
                    skip_cache: launch_plugin_action.skip_cache,
                    tab_id: launch_plugin_action.tab_id.map(|t| t as usize),
                })
            },
            ActionType::LaunchPlugin(launch_plugin_action) => {
                Ok(crate::input::actions::Action::LaunchPlugin {
                    plugin: launch_plugin_action
                        .plugin
                        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("LaunchPlugin missing plugin"))?
                        .try_into()?,
                    should_float: launch_plugin_action.should_float,
                    should_open_in_place: launch_plugin_action.should_open_in_place,
                    close_replaced_pane: launch_plugin_action.close_replaced_pane,

View on GitHub (pinned to e839bfffa5)

Solutions

  1. Include the required 'plugin' field in the protobuf message before sending it.
  2. Verify the sender populates all mandatory fields; add a presence check before conversion.

When it happens

Trigger: Occurs when a protobuf message received over IPC omits the required field; deserialization fails instead of using a default.

Common situations: Occurs when a client or plugin sends an incompletely populated message, often from a version mismatch or hand-crafted payload.


AI-assisted analysis of zellij-org/zellij@e839bfffa5 (2026-08-19). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3344d86f772515ff. Report an issue: GitHub.