Overview

When uploading a plugin using the Community SDK's li submit-plugin command, you may encounter this error: [UPLOAD_FAIL] The plugin was not uploaded. The plugin package file not found. Despite the error message suggesting the file is missing, the plugin.lar file exists in your local directory. This misleading error typically indicates that your plugin file size exceeds your community's configured upload limit. Standard troubleshooting steps like refreshing tokens or checking SDK version compatibility won't resolve this issue because it's a server-side configuration limit.

Solution

Step 1: Check Your Plugin File Size

First, determine the size of your plugin.lar file. Navigate to your plugin directory and run:

cd /path/to/plugin/directory
find . -maxdepth 2 -type f \( -name "*.lar" -o -name "*.zip" \) -exec ls -lh {} \;

On Windows, you can check the file size by right-clicking the plugin.lar file and selecting "Properties."

Step 2: Contact Support with File Size Information

Once you know your plugin file size, contact Khoros Community Classic Support and provide:

• The exact size of your plugin.lar file (in MB)
• Your community URL
• Confirmation that you're receiving the "plugin package file not found" error during li submit-plugin

Support will check your community's current upload limit and confirm if the file size is the cause.

Step 3: Choose Your Resolution Path

Support will present two options:

Option A: Reduce Plugin Size (Recommended)

• Optimize plugin assets and remove unnecessary files
• Compress images and resources
• Remove any unused dependencies or legacy code
• Aim to get the plugin.lar file under your current limit

Option B: Request Upload Limit Increase

• Support can increase the upload limit for your community
• This requires a community restart to apply the configuration change
• You'll need to approve either an immediate restart or schedule it during a maintenance window

Step 4: Retry Upload After Resolution

Once you've either reduced your plugin size or Support has increased the limit and restarted your community:

1. Navigate to your plugin directory
2. Run li submit-plugin again
3. When prompted "Would you like to upload plugin to server?", select Yes
4. Verify successful upload

If you need guidance on SDK usage, see the Getting started with the Plugin SDK article.

Step 5: Prevent Future Issues

To avoid this issue in the future:

• Monitor your plugin size as you add features
• Optimize assets before building the plugin
• Use image compression tools for any graphics
• Regularly review and remove unused files from your plugin directory

For additional SDK troubleshooting tips, refer to the Community Plugin SDK troubleshooting guide.

Summary

The "plugin package file not found" error during SDK upload usually means your plugin.lar file exceeds your community's upload limit, not that the file is actually missing. Check your plugin file size, contact Support with this information, then either reduce the file size or request a limit increase (which requires a community restart). After resolution, retry the upload with li submit-plugin.

FAQ

Q1: Why does the error say "file not found" when I can see the file on my computer?

A1: This is a misleading error message. The file exists on your computer, but the server is rejecting the upload because the file is too large for your community's configured upload limit. The SDK doesn't clearly communicate this size constraint.

Q2: What is the typical upload limit for plugins?

A2: Upload limits vary by community configuration but typically range from 50MB to 75MB. Your specific limit may be different, so contact Support to confirm your community's current setting.

Q3: Will increasing the upload limit cause downtime for my community?

A3: Yes, increasing the upload limit requires a community restart for the configuration change to take effect. You can work with Support to schedule this during a maintenance window to minimize impact on your users.