# Jupyterlab - how can I enable users to install their plugins in their home dir?

**URL:** <https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/jupyterlab-how-can-i-enable-users-to-install-their-plugins-in-their-home-dir/4657>\
**Category:** Get Help\
**Created:** [November 26, 2025, 8:28am UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/jupyterlab-how-can-i-enable-users-to-install-their-plugins-in-their-home-dir/4657 "2025-11-26T08:28:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ChrisPWelsh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/discourse.openondemand.org/chrispwelsh/32/2555_2.png) [@ChrisPWelsh](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/ChrisPWelsh)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2025, 8:28am UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/jupyterlab-how-can-i-enable-users-to-install-their-plugins-in-their-home-dir/4657/1 "2025-11-26T08:28:47Z")

</div>

Hi, I am at the config stage with Jupyterlab on OOD but wondered how would I set plugins to be installable by users in their home directory. Default writes to the app directory which is read only for users. I tried the juperterlab command line arg “–app-dir ~/” but got this error

module loaded are  
[chris.welsh@login002 ~]$ module list

Currently Loaded Modules:

1. openssl/3.4.0-oap6u4c 2) node-js/22.4.0-xbzxcu7 3) py-jinja2/3.1.4-4efuj77 4) py-jupyterlab-server/2.22.1-de5gkyq 5) py-traitlets/5.14.3-wyhgwuv 6) py-jupyterlab/4.0.1-lpj6biz

 ![Screenshot 2025-11-26 at 7.22.39 pm](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/osc/original/2X/0/0b6dde011d676583959f5254463d71675d020bc3.png)

running Jupyter lab build and get

[chris.welsh@login002 ~]$ jupyter-lab build

Traceback (most recent call last):

File “/hpc/spack/v0.23/opt/spack/linux-rhel9-ivybridge/gcc-13.3.1/py-jupyterlab-4.0.1-lpj6biz75l7crfwnf6odljgk3jtddewr/bin/jupyter-lab”, line 5, in

```
from jupyterlab.labapp import main

```

File “/hpc/spack/v0.23/opt/spack/linux-rhel9-ivybridge/gcc-13.3.1/py-jupyterlab-4.0.1-lpj6biz75l7crfwnf6odljgk3jtddewr/lib/python3.11/site-packages/jupyterlab/\__init_\_.py”, line 7, in

```
from .serverextension import load_jupyter_server_extension # noqa

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

```

File “/hpc/spack/v0.23/opt/spack/linux-rhel9-ivybridge/gcc-13.3.1/py-jupyterlab-4.0.1-lpj6biz75l7crfwnf6odljgk3jtddewr/lib/python3.11/site-packages/jupyterlab/serverextension.py”, line 4, in

```
from jupyter_server.utils import url_path_join

```

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘jupyter\_server’

How have others succeeded or do they let root always install the plugins for users at their request?

Thx

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jeff.ohrstrom](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/discourse.openondemand.org/jeff.ohrstrom/32/136_2.png) [@jeff.ohrstrom](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/jeff.ohrstrom)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/jupyterlab-how-can-i-enable-users-to-install-their-plugins-in-their-home-dir/4657/2 "2026-01-12T14:49:08Z")

</div>

Terribly sorry for the delay. I’m not too sure about this. We instruct our users to create their own kernels for this or that - but I don’t think we let them add Jupyter plugins at OSC.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/osc/original/2X/b/bae70bd0ed39a3ae769c2108155f4cb3e9da8385.png) [@system](https://discourse.openondemand.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.openondemand.org/t/jupyterlab-how-can-i-enable-users-to-install-their-plugins-in-their-home-dir/4657/3 "2026-07-11T14:49:24Z")

</div>

Closed on July 11, 2026, 2:49pm UTC

This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.