From 69ddcdadb72fd67e6a2dc23984f01b57406c6c7b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Chuck <33324927+ChuckBuilds@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:07:27 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] docs(config): mark the plugin_system toggles as unused legacy
 keys

auto_discover, auto_load_enabled and development_mode are read by
nothing and leave the General tab in this change set (F40). CONFIG_REFERENCE
said they were read by the plugin loader; PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE and
the REST reference listed them as live settings.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 docs/CONFIG_REFERENCE.md           | 10 ++++------
 docs/PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md | 10 ++++------
 docs/REST_API_REFERENCE.md         |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/CONFIG_REFERENCE.md b/docs/CONFIG_REFERENCE.md
index f4d991ca..f55e19c1 100644
--- a/docs/CONFIG_REFERENCE.md
+++ b/docs/CONFIG_REFERENCE.md
@@ -152,14 +152,12 @@ Read by `src/common/sync_manager.py` and `src/display_controller.py`.
 
 ## `plugin_system`
 
-Read by the plugin loader/manager (`src/plugin_system/`).
-
 | Key | Type / default | Meaning |
 |---|---|---|
-| `plugins_directory` | string, `"plugin-repos"` | Where the Plugin Store installs plugins |
-| `auto_discover` | bool, `true` | Scan the plugins directory at startup |
-| `auto_load_enabled` | bool, `true` | Load discovered plugins automatically |
-| `development_mode` | bool, `false` | Development conveniences in the web UI (editable under General settings) |
+| `plugins_directory` | string, `"plugin-repos"` | Where the Plugin Store installs plugins and the only directory the plugin loader scans. Read by `PluginManager` and `PluginStoreManager` (`src/plugin_system/`); editable under General settings |
+| `auto_discover` | bool, `true` | **Unused.** Legacy key, read by nothing. Plugins are always discovered, and every plugin with `enabled: true` is loaded. Not shown in the web UI; may be left in or removed from config.json |
+| `auto_load_enabled` | bool, `true` | **Unused.** Legacy key, read by nothing (see `auto_discover`). To keep a plugin installed but dormant, set its own `enabled` to `false` |
+| `development_mode` | bool, `false` | **Unused.** Legacy key, read by nothing |
 
 ## Plugin config blocks
 
diff --git a/docs/PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md b/docs/PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md
index 7471130a..5c4956fa 100644
--- a/docs/PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/PLUGIN_CONFIGURATION_GUIDE.md
@@ -67,9 +67,7 @@ The main configuration file (`config/config.json`) now contains only essential s
         "time_format": "%I:%M %p"
     },
     "plugin_system": {
-        "plugins_directory": "plugin-repos",
-        "auto_discover": true,
-        "auto_load_enabled": true
+        "plugins_directory": "plugin-repos"
     }
 }
 ```
@@ -93,9 +91,9 @@ The main configuration file (`config/config.json`) now contains only essential s
 
 #### 4. Plugin System
 - **plugin_system**: Plugin system configuration
-  - **plugins_directory**: Directory where plugins are stored
-  - **auto_discover**: Automatically discover plugins
-  - **auto_load_enabled**: Automatically load enabled plugins
+  - **plugins_directory**: Directory where plugins are stored (the only one the loader scans)
+  - `auto_discover`, `auto_load_enabled`, `development_mode` may still appear in
+    older configs; nothing reads them (see [CONFIG_REFERENCE.md](CONFIG_REFERENCE.md#plugin_system))
 
 ## Plugin Configuration
 
diff --git a/docs/REST_API_REFERENCE.md b/docs/REST_API_REFERENCE.md
index 5a9865bb..4f36386a 100644
--- a/docs/REST_API_REFERENCE.md
+++ b/docs/REST_API_REFERENCE.md
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ maps into the nested config:
 |--------|-----------|
 | `timezone`, `city`, `state`, `country` | `timezone`, `location.*` |
 | `web_display_autostart`, `auto_update_enabled` | `web_display_autostart`, `auto_update.enabled` |
-| `plugins_directory`, `auto_discover`, `auto_load_enabled`, `development_mode` | `plugin_system.*` |
+| `plugins_directory` (and the unused legacy flags `auto_discover`, `auto_load_enabled`, `development_mode`, stored only when sent) | `plugin_system.*` |
 | `target_fps` (30-200) | `target_fps` |
 | `rows`, `cols`, `chain_length`, `parallel`, `brightness`, `hardware_mapping`, `pwm_bits`, `led_rgb_sequence`, `panel_type`, `pixel_mapper_config`, `disable_hardware_pulsing`, `inverse_colors`, `show_refresh_rate`, ... | `display.hardware.*` |
 | `gpio_slowdown`, `rp1_rio` | `display.runtime.*` |