HUD disappears from PowerShell after system restart despite plugin files being intact (Windows 11)

[Datumdelusion]

Describe the bug
After restarting my computer, when I run the claude command in PowerShell, the bottom HUD completely disappears (it does not render at all).

I have checked my user directory at .claude/plugins/claude-hud/, and the plugin folder is still there. The configuration files inside are also correct and fully intact. It seems that the plugin simply fails to initialize or is not being triggered by Claude Code after a Windows system reboot.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Install and configure the claude-hud plugin successfully (confirm it works in the current session).
2. Restart the Windows computer.
3. Open PowerShell and run the claude command.
4. Observe that the statusline/HUD is missing at the bottom of the terminal.
5. Type / in the prompt and observe that no claude-hud commands are available/recognized.

Expected behavior
The HUD should load and render normally in PowerShell whenever the claude command is executed, regardless of whether the system has just been restarted.

Environment details:

• OS: Windows 11 Pro (Version 25H2)
• Terminal: PowerShell
• Claude Code Version: v2.1.69
• Node.js Version: v24.13.0

Additional context / Configuration
Here is my claude-hud related JSON configuration for reference:

Click to expand JSON configuration

{
  "version": 2,
  "plugins": {
    "claude-hud@claude-hud": [
      {
        "scope": "user",
        "installPath": "C:\\Users\\someone\\.claude\\plugins\\cache\\claude-hud\\claude-hud\\0.0.9",
        "version": "0.0.9",
        "installedAt": "2026-03-05T14:01:28.263Z",
        "lastUpdated": "2026-03-05T14:01:28.263Z",
        "gitCommitSha": "cf1dbdef64f0b88e0938f43a0cfc19a27df68905"
      }
    ]
  }
}

{
  "lineLayout": "compact",
  "showSeparators": false,
  "display": {
    "showTools": true,
    "showAgents": true,
    "showTodos": true,
    "showDuration": true,
    "showConfigCounts": true,
    "showTokenBreakdown": true,
    "usageBarEnabled": true
  },
  "gitStatus": {
    "enabled": true,
    "showDirty": false,
    "showAheadBehind": false,
    "showFileStats": false
  }
}

[jarrodwatts]

Maintainer note: I took another pass through the repo-side setup/runtime paths. The strongest symptom here is that commands disappear after reboot, which means Claude Code is not loading the plugin at all before our HUD code ever runs. The recent Windows setup fix in #199 only affects the generated statusLine command path selection; it does not control plugin command discovery, so it does not explain this issue. I am keeping this open as a tracked Windows/plugin-loader regression rather than closing it as a HUD render bug. Current repo-side guidance remains: verify the plugin still appears in after reboot and whether reinstalling restores commands for that session. If I find a reproducible repo-side trigger, I’ll cut a fix directly.

[jarrodwatts]

Clarifying the previous note with the literal command names preserved: the strongest symptom is that /claude-hud:* commands disappear after reboot, which means Claude Code is not loading the plugin at all before our HUD code runs. The recent Windows fix in #199 only affects the generated statusLine.command path selection; it does not control plugin command discovery, so it does not explain this issue. I am keeping #196 open as a tracked Windows/plugin-loader regression until there is a reproducible repo-side trigger or an upstream fix.

[Datumdelusion]

Maintainer note: I took another pass through the repo-side setup/runtime paths. The strongest symptom here is that commands disappear after reboot, which means Claude Code is not loading the plugin at all before our HUD code ever runs. The recent Windows setup fix in #199 only affects the generated statusLine command path selection; it does not control plugin command discovery, so it does not explain this issue. I am keeping this open as a tracked Windows/plugin-loader regression rather than closing it as a HUD render bug. Current repo-side guidance remains: verify the plugin still appears in after reboot and whether reinstalling restores commands for that session. If I find a reproducible repo-side trigger, I’ll cut a fix directly.

Hi @jarrodwatts , thanks for looking into this!

I just tested your suggestion to reinstall after a reboot, and I found a very interesting state inconsistency in Claude Code.

When I run /plugin install claude-hud after a reboot, it refuses to install and outputs:

⎿ Plugin 'claude-hud@claude-hud' is already installed. Use '/plugin' to manage existing plugins.

However, when I run the /plugin command to open the manager UI:

• claude-hud shows up under Marketplaces.
• The Installed section is completely empty (it does not show claude-hud).
• The Errors section is also empty.

It seems Claude Code's file system check sees the directory (hence refusing the install), but its runtime registry completely fails to load it into the "Installed" list on Windows startup, silently failing without throwing any errors.

[Datumdelusion]

A quick update on this. I just upgraded my Claude Code CLI from v2.1.69 to the newer v2.1.76.

The good news is that the behavior has slightly improved: after a reboot, I no longer get the "already installed" error when I run /plugin install claude-hud. I don't have to manually delete the plugin folder from ~/.claude/plugins/ anymore to get it working.

The bad news is that the core issue remains. After a Windows reboot, the plugin still completely disappears from the runtime environment (no HUD, no /claude-hud commands, and it doesn't show up in the "Installed" list under the /plugin UI). I just have to manually run /plugin install claude-hud after every reboot to use it for that session.