fix(web): remove the General-tab plugin system toggles that did nothing

plugin_system.auto_discover, auto_load_enabled and development_mode had
General-tab toggles whose help tips promised dormant plugins and verbose
logging, but nothing reads them: every enabled plugin is discovered and
loaded regardless. Remove the three toggles.

The keys stay tolerated in stored configs. The save handler now stores
a flag only when a client sends it; treating a missing key as an
unchecked box would otherwise rewrite all three to false on every
General-tab save, which still posts plugins_directory.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

test/test_plugin_system_legacy_flags.py

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+"""plugin_system.auto_discover / auto_load_enabled / development_mode.
+
+The General tab offered three toggles for these, with help tips promising
+"plugins installed but dormant" and "verbose logging". Nothing in src/,
+web_interface/ or scripts/ reads them: every enabled plugin is discovered and
+loaded regardless. The toggles are gone; the keys stay tolerated in stored
+configs, and saving the General tab must not rewrite them.
+"""
+import copy
+import json
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent
+sys.path.insert(0, str(PROJECT_ROOT))
+
+from test._api_v3_test_helpers import api_v3_client, api_v3_module  # noqa: F401,E402
+from test.test_web_settings_ui import REALISTIC_CONFIG, client  # noqa: F401,E402
+
+LEGACY_FLAGS = ('auto_discover', 'auto_load_enabled', 'development_mode')
+
+
+def test_the_general_tab_no_longer_offers_the_toggles(client):
+    body = client.get('/v3/partials/general').get_data(as_text=True)
+    for flag in LEGACY_FLAGS:
+        assert f'name="{flag}"' not in body, flag
+        assert f'setting-general-{flag}' not in body, flag
+    # The setting that does work stays.
+    assert 'name="plugins_directory"' in body
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def saved(api_v3_module, monkeypatch):
+    captured = {}
+    stored = copy.deepcopy(REALISTIC_CONFIG)
+    stored['plugin_system'].update(
+        auto_discover=True, auto_load_enabled=True, development_mode=True)
+    api_v3_module.api_v3.config_manager.load_config.return_value = stored
+
+    def fake_save(_manager, config, **_kwargs):
+        captured['config'] = config
+        return True, ''
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(api_v3_module, '_save_config_atomic', fake_save)
+    return captured
+
+
+def test_saving_the_general_form_leaves_stored_flags_alone(api_v3_client, saved):
+    # What the General form posts now: no checkbox fields for the flags.
+    resp = api_v3_client.post('/api/v3/config/main', data={
+        'timezone': 'America/Chicago', 'city': 'Dallas', 'state': 'Texas',
+        'country': 'US', 'plugins_directory': 'plugin-repos',
+    })
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.get_json()
+    plugin_system = saved['config']['plugin_system']
+    # Missing used to mean "unchecked" and saved all three as false.
+    assert all(plugin_system[flag] is True for flag in LEGACY_FLAGS), plugin_system
+    assert plugin_system['plugins_directory'] == 'plugin-repos'
+
+
+def test_an_api_client_can_still_store_a_flag(api_v3_client, saved):
+    resp = api_v3_client.post('/api/v3/config/main', data=json.dumps({
+        'timezone': 'America/Chicago', 'development_mode': False,
+    }), content_type='application/json')
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.get_json()
+    plugin_system = saved['config']['plugin_system']
+    assert plugin_system['development_mode'] is False
+    assert plugin_system['auto_discover'] is True

web_interface/blueprints/api_v3/config.py

@@ -520,10 +520,14 @@ def save_main_config():
             if 'plugin_system' not in current_config:
                 current_config['plugin_system'] = {}
 
-            # Handle plugin system checkboxes - always set to handle unchecked state
+            # auto_discover / auto_load_enabled / development_mode are read by
-            # HTML checkboxes omit the key when unchecked, so missing key = unchecked = False
+            # nothing and no longer have General-tab toggles. The form still
-            for checkbox in ['auto_discover', 'auto_load_enabled', 'development_mode']:
+            # posts plugins_directory, so treating a missing key as an
-                current_config['plugin_system'][checkbox] = _coerce_to_bool(data.get(checkbox))
+            # unchecked box would rewrite stored values to false on every
+            # save; only store what a client actually sends.
+            for legacy_flag in ['auto_discover', 'auto_load_enabled', 'development_mode']:
+                if legacy_flag in data:
+                    current_config['plugin_system'][legacy_flag] = _coerce_to_bool(data.get(legacy_flag))
 
             # Handle plugins_directory
             if 'plugins_directory' in data:

web_interface/templates/v3/partials/general.html

@@ -166,44 +166,10 @@
             <p class="text-sm text-gray-600 mb-4">Configure the core plugin system behavior.</p>
 
             <div class="space-y-4">
-                <!-- Auto Discover -->
+                <!-- plugin_system.auto_discover, auto_load_enabled and
-                <div class="form-group" id="setting-general-auto_discover" data-setting-key="plugin_system.auto_discover">
+                     development_mode used to be toggles here. Nothing reads
-                    <label class="flex items-center">
+                     them: plugins are always discovered and every enabled
-                        <input type="checkbox"
+                     plugin is loaded. Stored values are left alone. -->
-                               name="auto_discover"
-                               value="true"
-                               {% if main_config.get('plugin_system', {}).get('auto_discover', True) %}checked{% endif %}
-                               class="form-control h-4 w-4 text-blue-600 focus:ring-blue-500 border-gray-300 rounded">
-                        <span class="ml-2 text-sm font-medium text-gray-900">Auto Discover Plugins</span>
-                        {{ ui.help_tip('Scan the plugins directory for installed plugins each time the service starts.\nDefault: on. Leave on unless you manage plugins manually.', 'Auto Discover Plugins') }}
-                    </label>
-                </div>
-
-                <!-- Auto Load Enabled -->
-                <div class="form-group" id="setting-general-auto_load_enabled" data-setting-key="plugin_system.auto_load_enabled">
-                    <label class="flex items-center">
-                        <input type="checkbox"
-                               name="auto_load_enabled"
-                               value="true"
-                               {% if main_config.get('plugin_system', {}).get('auto_load_enabled', True) %}checked{% endif %}
-                               class="form-control h-4 w-4 text-blue-600 focus:ring-blue-500 border-gray-300 rounded">
-                        <span class="ml-2 text-sm font-medium text-gray-900">Auto Load Enabled Plugins</span>
-                        {{ ui.help_tip('Load every plugin marked enabled in the configuration at startup.\nDefault: on. Turn off to keep plugins installed but dormant.', 'Auto Load Enabled Plugins') }}
-                    </label>
-                </div>
-
-                <!-- Development Mode -->
-                <div class="form-group" id="setting-general-development_mode" data-setting-key="plugin_system.development_mode">
-                    <label class="flex items-center">
-                        <input type="checkbox"
-                               name="development_mode"
-                               value="true"
-                               {% if main_config.get('plugin_system', {}).get('development_mode', False) %}checked{% endif %}
-                               class="form-control h-4 w-4 text-blue-600 focus:ring-blue-500 border-gray-300 rounded">
-                        <span class="ml-2 text-sm font-medium text-gray-900">Development Mode</span>
-                        {{ ui.help_tip('Enable verbose logging and developer features for plugin debugging.\nDefault: off. Keep off for normal use — it increases log volume.', 'Development Mode') }}
-                    </label>
-                </div>
 
                 <!-- Plugins Directory -->
                 <div class="form-group" id="setting-general-plugins_directory" data-setting-key="plugin_system.plugins_directory">