Summary
In the official Docker image moonrailgun/tailchat:1.11.10 and any custom builds derived from it, none of the 17 built-in server-side plugins are loaded. The compiled .service.js files exist in the container at /app/tailchat/server/dist/plugins/*/services/, but Moleculer never discovers or registers them as services.
Steps to Reproduce
Deploy Tailchat v1.11.10 using the official Docker image
Run curl http://localhost:11000/health
Examine the services array in the JSON response
Expected Behavior
The services array should include plugin services such as:
plugin:com.msgbyte.welcome
plugin:com.msgbyte.autojoinGroup
plugin:com.msgbyte.linkmeta
...and 14 others
Actual Behavior
Only 22 core services are registered. The plugin.registry service starts but remains empty. Example output:
json
"services": ["$node","debug","openapi.bot","openapi.integration","openapi.oidc","gateway","chat.ack","chat.converse","chat.inbox","chat.message","config","group","group.extra","group.invite","plugin.registry","user.dmlist","friend","friend.request","mail","user","openapi.app","file"]
Root Cause Analysis
Production uses a different entry point than development. The startDevRunner function (which sets runner.servicePaths) is called in development mode but not in production. The production cli.js simply creates a bare moleculer.Runner() and starts it:
javascript
const moleculer_1 = require("moleculer");
const runner = new moleculer_1.Runner();
runner.start(process.argv);
The moleculer.config.ts file does not specify a services array. Moleculer's ServiceBroker requires explicit service paths to auto-discover services. Without this configuration, it only loads services that are manually imported or registered.
The glob pattern is incorrect. Even if service paths were set, the pattern plugins/**/.service.js does not match the actual directory structure plugins//services/*.service.js.
Impact
The following 17 built-in plugins are completely non-functional:
com.msgbyte.agora
com.msgbyte.autojoinGroup
com.msgbyte.bbcode
com.msgbyte.discover
com.msgbyte.getui
com.msgbyte.github
com.msgbyte.iam
com.msgbyte.linkmeta
com.msgbyte.livekit
com.msgbyte.meeting
com.msgbyte.notify
com.msgbyte.offline-icons
com.msgbyte.prettyinvite
com.msgbyte.simplenotify
com.msgbyte.tasks
com.msgbyte.topic
com.msgbyte.welcome
com.msgbyte.wxpusher
Administrators may not realize these features exist at all.
Workaround Attempted (Failed)
Modified server/packages/sdk/src/runner/index.ts to change servicePaths from .service.ts to .service.js and fixed the glob pattern to plugins//services/.service.js
Rebuilt Docker image multiple times with --no-cache
Verified compiled files exist at correct paths and can be require()d without errors
Result: No change. Plugins still do not load because startDevRunner is not the production entry point.
Proposed Fix
Add a services array to server/moleculer.config.ts:
typescript
services: [
'services/**/.service.js',
'plugins//services/*.service.js',
],
Alternatively, modify the production CLI entry point to set service paths before starting the Runner.
Environment
Tailchat version: 1.11.10
Deployment: Docker (official image and custom builds)
Host: Linux VPS (2GB RAM, Docker 24.x)
Additional Context
This issue was discovered after a multi-day debugging effort to get the auto-join plugin working. The client-side builtin.ts changes work correctly, but the server-side services never register. The compiled .service.js files are present and valid, confirming this is a service discovery issue, not a compilation failure.
Summary
In the official Docker image moonrailgun/tailchat:1.11.10 and any custom builds derived from it, none of the 17 built-in server-side plugins are loaded. The compiled .service.js files exist in the container at /app/tailchat/server/dist/plugins/*/services/, but Moleculer never discovers or registers them as services.
Steps to Reproduce
Deploy Tailchat v1.11.10 using the official Docker image
Run curl http://localhost:11000/health
Examine the services array in the JSON response
Expected Behavior
The services array should include plugin services such as:
plugin:com.msgbyte.welcome
plugin:com.msgbyte.autojoinGroup
plugin:com.msgbyte.linkmeta
...and 14 others
Actual Behavior
Only 22 core services are registered. The plugin.registry service starts but remains empty. Example output:
json
"services": ["$node","debug","openapi.bot","openapi.integration","openapi.oidc","gateway","chat.ack","chat.converse","chat.inbox","chat.message","config","group","group.extra","group.invite","plugin.registry","user.dmlist","friend","friend.request","mail","user","openapi.app","file"]
Root Cause Analysis
Production uses a different entry point than development. The startDevRunner function (which sets runner.servicePaths) is called in development mode but not in production. The production cli.js simply creates a bare moleculer.Runner() and starts it:
javascript
const moleculer_1 = require("moleculer");
const runner = new moleculer_1.Runner();
runner.start(process.argv);
The moleculer.config.ts file does not specify a services array. Moleculer's ServiceBroker requires explicit service paths to auto-discover services. Without this configuration, it only loads services that are manually imported or registered.
The glob pattern is incorrect. Even if service paths were set, the pattern plugins/**/.service.js does not match the actual directory structure plugins//services/*.service.js.
Impact
The following 17 built-in plugins are completely non-functional:
com.msgbyte.agora
com.msgbyte.autojoinGroup
com.msgbyte.bbcode
com.msgbyte.discover
com.msgbyte.getui
com.msgbyte.github
com.msgbyte.iam
com.msgbyte.linkmeta
com.msgbyte.livekit
com.msgbyte.meeting
com.msgbyte.notify
com.msgbyte.offline-icons
com.msgbyte.prettyinvite
com.msgbyte.simplenotify
com.msgbyte.tasks
com.msgbyte.topic
com.msgbyte.welcome
com.msgbyte.wxpusher
Administrators may not realize these features exist at all.
Workaround Attempted (Failed)
Modified server/packages/sdk/src/runner/index.ts to change servicePaths from .service.ts to .service.js and fixed the glob pattern to plugins//services/.service.js
Rebuilt Docker image multiple times with --no-cache
Verified compiled files exist at correct paths and can be require()d without errors
Result: No change. Plugins still do not load because startDevRunner is not the production entry point.
Proposed Fix
Add a services array to server/moleculer.config.ts:
typescript
services: [
'services/**/.service.js',
'plugins//services/*.service.js',
],
Alternatively, modify the production CLI entry point to set service paths before starting the Runner.
Environment
Tailchat version: 1.11.10
Deployment: Docker (official image and custom builds)
Host: Linux VPS (2GB RAM, Docker 24.x)
Additional Context
This issue was discovered after a multi-day debugging effort to get the auto-join plugin working. The client-side builtin.ts changes work correctly, but the server-side services never register. The compiled .service.js files are present and valid, confirming this is a service discovery issue, not a compilation failure.