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

This zellij was built without bundled plugins (feature…

Error message

This zellij was built without bundled plugins (feature 'disable_automatic_asset_installation'). Builtin plugins are provided by the distributor of this build and must be placed in the plugin directory, visible in the output of `zellij setup --check`.

What it means

Error "This zellij was built without bundled plugins (feature 'disable_automatic_asset_installation'). Builtin plugins are provided by the distributor of this build and must be placed in the plugin directory, visible in the output of `zellij setup --check`." thrown in zellij-org/zellij.

Solutions

1. Install the builtin plugins into the plugin directory shown by `zellij setup --check`.
2. Or use a zellij build that includes the automatic asset installation feature.

When it happens

Trigger: Occurs at zellij-utils/src/setup.rs:406 when the operation fails: "This zellij was built without bundled plugins (feature 'disable_automatic_asset_installation'). Builtin plugins are prov". Currently there is no defensive handling preventing or contextualizing this failure before it surfaces.

Common situations: Distributor builds (some package managers) ship without bundled plugins.

AI-assisted analysis of zellij-org/zellij@bf8d23a4f7 (2026-08-19). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d92d77a4a66d48f5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at zellij-utils/src/setup.rs:406

        if let Some(swap_layout) = &self.dump_swap_layout {
            dump_specified_swap_layout(swap_layout)?;
            std::process::exit(0);
        }

        Ok(())
    }

    /// Checks the merged configuration
    pub fn from_cli_with_options(&self, opts: &CliArgs, config_options: &Options) -> Result<()> {
        if self.check {
            Setup::check_defaults_config(opts, config_options)?;
            std::process::exit(0);
        }

        if let Some(maybe_path) = &self.dump_plugins {
            if cfg!(feature = "disable_automatic_asset_installation") {
                return Err(anyhow!(
                    "This zellij was built without bundled plugins (feature \
                     'disable_automatic_asset_installation'). Builtin plugins are provided by the \
                     distributor of this build and must be placed in the plugin directory, \
                     visible in the output of `zellij setup --check`."
                ))
                .context("failed to dump plugins");
            }
            let data_dir = &opts.data_dir.clone().unwrap_or_else(get_default_data_dir);
            let dir = match maybe_path {
                Some(path) => path,
                None => data_dir,
            };

            println!("Dumping plugins to '{}'", dir.display());
            dump_builtin_plugins(&dir)?;
            std::process::exit(0);
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to bf8d23a4f7)