Fix aitools plugin lifecycle scoping

acceptance/experimental/aitools/skills/install-experimental-empty/output.txt

@@ -5,5 +5,8 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
-Warn: --experimental was set but the manifest at test-ref exposes no experimental skills. Set DATABRICKS_SKILLS_REF to a release that includes them (or =main for the latest).
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Warn: --experimental was set but the manifest at test-ref exposes no experimental skills. Set DATABRICKS_SKILLS_REF to a release or ref that includes them.
+Downloading test-stable...
+Exposing test-stable to 1 agent...
 Installed 1 skill.

acceptance/experimental/aitools/skills/install-specific/output.txt

@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Downloading test-stable-a...
+Exposing test-stable-a to 1 agent...
 Installed 1 skill.
 
 === install a specific experimental skill
@@ -13,6 +16,9 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Downloading test-exp...
+Exposing test-exp to 1 agent...
 Installed 1 skill.
 
 === asking for an experimental skill without --experimental flag errors out
@@ -21,6 +27,7 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
 Error: skill "test-exp" is experimental; use --experimental to install
 
 Exit code: 1

acceptance/experimental/aitools/skills/install/output.txt

@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Downloading test-stable...
+Exposing test-stable to 1 agent...
 Installed 1 skill.
 
 === re-run with --experimental installs the experimental one too
@@ -13,6 +16,9 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Downloading test-exp...
+Exposing test-exp to 1 agent...
 Installed 2 skills.
 
 === no-op re-run is idempotent (no new fetches, no errors)
@@ -21,4 +27,5 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
 Installed 2 skills.

acceptance/experimental/aitools/skills/update-prune/output.txt

@@ -5,11 +5,18 @@ Command "install" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools install" instead.
 Flag --global has been deprecated, use --scope=global
 Installing Databricks skills for Claude Code...
 Using skills version test-ref
+Fetching skills manifest...
+Downloading alpha...
+Exposing alpha to 1 agent...
+Downloading beta...
+Exposing beta to 1 agent...
 Installed 2 skills.
 
 === update against a release where beta is gone: alpha updates, beta is pruned
 >>> DATABRICKS_SKILLS_REF=v2-ref [CLI] experimental aitools update --scope global
 Command "update" is deprecated, use "databricks aitools update" instead.
+Downloading alpha...
+Exposing alpha to 1 agent...
   updated alpha v1.0.0 -> v2.0.0
   removed beta (no longer in this release)
 Updated 1 skill.

cmd/aitools/install.go

@@ -368,6 +368,7 @@ func executePlan(ctx context.Context, src installer.ManifestSource, plan []agent
 		}
 		records := map[string]installer.PluginRecord{}
 		for _, it := range pluginItems {
+			cmdio.LogString(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("Installing databricks plugin for %s...", it.agent.DisplayName))
 			rec, err := installPluginForAgentFn(ctx, it.agent, it.scope, ref)
 			if err != nil {
 				cmdio.LogString(ctx, cmdio.Yellow(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("Skipped %s: %v", it.agent.DisplayName, err)))

cmd/aitools/install_test.go

@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ func TestInstallPluginFirstDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	plugins := setupPluginMock(t)
 	skills := setupInstallMock(t)
 
-	ctx := cmdio.MockDiscard(t.Context())
+	ctx, stderr := cmdio.NewTestContextWithStderr(t.Context())
 	cmd := NewInstallCmd()
 	cmd.SetContext(ctx)
 
@@ -298,6 +298,7 @@ func TestInstallPluginFirstDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	// plugin) does, plus a plugin recommendation.
 	require.Len(t, *skills, 1)
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{agents.NameCursor}, (*skills)[0].agents)
+	assert.Contains(t, stderr.String(), "Installing databricks plugin for Claude Code...")
 }
 
 func TestInstallInteractivePickerAndConfirm(t *testing.T) {

internal/build/cli-compat.json

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
-  "1.0.0": { "appkit": "0.38.1", "skills": "latest" },
+  "1.0.0": { "appkit": "0.38.1", "skills": "0.2.9" },
   "0.299.2": { "appkit": "0.24.0", "skills": "0.1.5" }
 }

libs/aitools/installer/dump.go

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"maps"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"slices"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/databricks/cli/libs/cmdio"
 )
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ func DumpSkillsToPath(ctx context.Context, src ManifestSource, destDir string, o
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
-	cmdio.LogString(ctx, "Using skills version "+strings.TrimPrefix(ref, "v"))
+	cmdio.LogString(ctx, "Using skills version "+DisplaySkillsVersion(ref))
 
 	manifest, ref, err := FetchSkillsManifestWithFallback(ctx, src, ref, !explicit)
 	if err != nil {