/reload-plugins does not reload hook scripts — stale hooks persist until session restart

[wphillipmoore]

Bug

/reload-plugins does not reload plugin hook scripts into the running session. After updating a plugin that changes a hook, the old hook code continues to execute until the Claude Code process is killed and restarted.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install a plugin with a PreToolUse hook (e.g., one that denies certain shell commands).
2. Publish a new plugin version that changes the hook logic (e.g., removes an entry from a deny list).
3. Run /plugin marketplace update <name> — succeeds, new version appears on disk.
4. Run /reload-plugins — reports success with a count of loaded items.
5. Trigger the hook — old behavior persists. The denied command is still denied despite the fix being on disk.

Evidence

Plugin version 1.4.11 had uv in a HOST_TOOLS deny list. Version 1.4.12 removed it. After update + reload:

• /Users/.../.claude/plugins/cache/.../1.4.12/hooks/scripts/lib/host-container-tools.sh — correct (no uv)
• Running session still blocks uv with the 1.4.11 error message

The only workaround is to kill and restart the Claude Code session.

Impact

Hooks are the primary mechanism for enforcing agent behavior constraints (blocking dangerous commands, enforcing workflow rules, etc.). When a hook has a bug that incorrectly blocks valid commands, the inability to hot-reload the fix means:

• Every running session must be killed and restarted
• There is no way to verify which hook version is loaded without filesystem inspection
• /reload-plugins gives false confidence — it reports success but hooks remain stale

Expected behavior

/reload-plugins should reload ALL plugin components: skills, hooks, settings, and any other plugin-provided artifacts. If it cannot reload certain components, it should clearly state what was and was not reloaded.

Environment

• Claude Code CLI (macOS, Darwin 25.3.0)
• Claude Opus 4.6

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. Hook script changes require full session restart — no hot reload for CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT hooks #35406
2. Hook settings are cached and changes don't take effect until session restart #22679
3. Plugin autoUpdate doesn't update installed_plugins.json, leaving bundled hooks pinned to stale installPath #52218

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[0xbrainkid]

This is reload-boundary incompleteness at the plugin-hook lifecycle.

If /reload-plugins does not reload hook scripts and stale hooks persist until session restart, then the reload surface is refreshing plugin state only partially while presenting itself as a broader lifecycle reset.

Why it matters:

• hooks are often the behavioral layer users most need to update quickly during debugging or governance changes
• if reload skips hook code, users can make a fix, reload, and still be governed by the old behavior without realizing it
• partial reload semantics are especially dangerous when the command name implies a full refresh of plugin logic

I would want clarity on:

1. whether hook scripts are excluded intentionally, missed by the reload dependency graph, or cached in a separate runtime that /reload-plugins does not touch
2. whether the session can surface which plugin components were actually reloaded versus which still require restart
3. whether hook lifecycle can be decoupled enough to support deterministic hot-reload instead of leaving users on stale governance code

Reload commands need truthful scope. If /reload-plugins leaves stale hooks active until restart, the lifecycle boundary is less complete than the interface suggests.

[wphillipmoore]

Additional data point: /reload-plugins also fails to pick up new skills

Tested today (2026-04-30) after publishing a new skill (/handoff) to the standard-tooling plugin:

In an existing session:

❯ /reload-plugins
  ⎿  Reloaded: 5 plugins · 3 skills · 7 agents · 11 hooks · 0 plugin MCP servers · 0 plugin LSP servers

❯ /handoff
  No commands match "/handoff"

In a fresh session (same machine, same directory):

❯ /standard-tooling:handoff
  → shows up in autocomplete, works correctly

This broadens the bug beyond hooks: /reload-plugins does not pick up any content changes — not new skills, not modified hooks. The reload reports success (Reloaded: 5 plugins ...) but serves stale in-memory state.

Practical impact: every plugin publish requires killing and restarting the session to pick up changes. For workflows that publish plugins and then need to use the updated skills/hooks in the same session, this is a hard blocker.

[yacb2]

Not a fix for the bug, but for the kill/restart workaround step: I built https://github.com/yacb2/claude-restart for this exact pain — restart or /restart from inside the session respawns the process in the same terminal. Might shorten the loop while debugging hook changes.