grafana-cli "plugin install" failed in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

grafana-cli plugins install downloads from the Grafana plugin catalog; it fails when the plugin id is misspelled, the requested version does not exist, or the runner has no network path to the catalog.

What this error means

A grafana-cli plugins install <id> step fails with "Failed to send request", "error fetching plugin", or "Plugin not found", and exits non-zero.

Error: x Failed to send request: Get "https://grafana.com/api/plugins/grafana-piechart-panl/versions": dial tcp: lookup grafana.com: no such host

Common causes

A wrong plugin id or version

A misspelled plugin id or a version that was never published returns a not-found from the catalog.

No network access to the plugin catalog

A locked-down runner cannot reach grafana.com, so the download request fails with a DNS or connection error.

How to fix it

Use the exact plugin id and an available version

1. Confirm the plugin id from the Grafana catalog.
2. Pin a version that is actually published, or omit the version for latest.
3. Re-run the install.

grafana-cli plugins install grafana-piechart-panel

Provide a reachable plugin source

On an offline runner, install from a local zip with --pluginUrl or allow egress to the catalog.

grafana-cli --pluginUrl https://my-mirror/plugin.zip plugins install grafana-piechart-panel

How to prevent it

• Pin published plugin ids and versions.
• Allow egress to grafana.com or mirror plugins internally.
• Bake required plugins into a custom Grafana image where possible.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation