/plugins directory

Plugins cannot be added or removed via the WordPress Admin dashboard (WP Admin) on the VIP Platform.

The /plugins directory is mapped to /wp-content/plugins/ ; this directory works similarly to WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/plugins/' in a self-hosted WordPress installation. Plugins must be added to the /plugins directory located in the root of a site’s wpcomvip GitHub repository. Plugins can be code activated to ensure control and consistency across all environments.

Third-party plugins should load from the /plugins directory to allow for better compatibility with VIP security features such as Codebase Manager.

Custom plugins can be loaded from either the /plugins directory, or the /client-mu-plugins directory, depending on the preferred loading behavior.