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Error handling & safety

Isolated failures​

If your activate() throws an unhandled error, the host catches it, logs it to the console, and continues loading the remaining plugins. A broken plugin cannot crash the app or prevent other plugins from loading.

host/host.ts — relevant excerpt (for reference, do not copy)

try {
  await entry.activate(context)
  loaded.status = 'active'
} catch (err) {
  loaded.status = 'errored'
  console.error(`Plugin "${manifest.slug}" activation failed:`, err)
}

Capability guard​

Calling ctx.register() with a key not declared in your manifest throws immediately:

Error: Plugin "my-plugin" did not declare capability "sidebar.items" in its manifest

This is intentional. Declare what you use — the manifest is the contract.

Cleanup with deactivate​

If your plugin sets up timers, event listeners, or other side effects, export a deactivate(ctx) function:

export function activate(ctx: PluginContext): void {
  // ... register contributions
}

export function deactivate(ctx: PluginContext): void {
  // clean up timers, remove event listeners, etc.
}

The host calls deactivate() (if exported) and then removes all registry contributions automatically when a plugin is unloaded.