Consider merging [[plugins]] by name

[maboehm]

"inline-plugins" can be preferrable over "packaged" plugins, especially because only the inline ones support output = "terminal", which makes interactive plugins possible.

Unfortunately sharing those within a team for example is almost impossible, because the config merging in config.d/ will overwrite all used-defined plugins in config.toml with the (alphabetically) latest list found in the config dir.

To overcome this in our use-case there could be two options:

• reach parity between packaged plugins and inline plugins (for example allowing terminal output)
• OR merge plugins based on the "name" key

That way "shared" plugins can co-exist with user-defined ones.

[nklmilojevic]

Agreed. We will support merging inline plugins by name. To keep existing context restrictions intact, each file can opt in with plugins_merge = "name"; the default remains replace.

Scope:

• Keep entries with different names. Match names exactly and case-sensitively.
• Replace the complete definition when a later file has the same name. Do not combine command arguments or permission fields from two definitions.
• Keep the position of a replaced entry; append new names in file order. For repeated names in a name-merged array, the last definition wins.
• Add plugins_remove = ["name"] to remove inherited inline entries before applying entries from that file. Unknown names have no effect. A file can remove and then redefine a name.
• Both controls apply only to the file that contains them. Keep the existing base, conf.d, cluster, and context order. Other arrays retain replacement behavior. In replace mode, plugins = [] still clears inherited inline entries; in name mode, it adds nothing.
• Support TOML and YAML, initial loading, and :reload. Document the rules and cover them with configuration and keyboard-driven reload tests.
• Keep package and bundled-plugin loading unchanged. Removal applies only to inherited inline entries and does not disable packages or bundled plugins. Package terminal support is outside this scope.

I will create the implementation issue and work in a separate worktree.

[nklmilojevic]

Implementation is tracked in #616. Work has started on branch feat/plugin-name-merge in a separate worktree.