diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-protocol.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-protocol.ts
index 01528100e7358..73a3b65c1a6b4 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-protocol.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-protocol.ts
@@ -685,9 +685,15 @@ export interface ServerPluginRunner {
     clientClosed(): void;
 
     /**
-     * Provides additional metadata.
+     * Provides additional deployed plugins.
      */
-    getExtraPluginMetadata(): Promise<PluginMetadata[]>;
+    getExtraDeployedPlugins(): Promise<DeployedPlugin[]>;
+
+    /**
+     * Provides additional plugin ids.
+     */
+    getExtraDeployedPluginIds(): Promise<string[]>;
+
 }
 
 export const PluginHostEnvironmentVariable = Symbol('PluginHostEnvironmentVariable');
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin-process.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin-process.ts
index 5f581f4b6449d..9a1636e73fc91 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin-process.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin-process.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { injectable, inject, named } from 'inversify';
 import { ILogger, ConnectionErrorHandler, ContributionProvider, MessageService } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
 import { Emitter } from '@theia/core/lib/common/event';
 import { createIpcEnv } from '@theia/core/lib/node/messaging/ipc-protocol';
-import { HostedPluginClient, ServerPluginRunner, PluginMetadata, PluginHostEnvironmentVariable } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
+import { HostedPluginClient, ServerPluginRunner, PluginHostEnvironmentVariable, DeployedPlugin } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
 import { RPCProtocolImpl } from '../../common/rpc-protocol';
 import { MAIN_RPC_CONTEXT } from '../../common/plugin-api-rpc';
 import { HostedPluginCliContribution } from './hosted-plugin-cli-contribution';
@@ -192,7 +192,17 @@ export class HostedPluginProcess implements ServerPluginRunner {
         this.logger.error(`Error from plugin host: ${err.message}`);
     }
 
-    async getExtraPluginMetadata(): Promise<PluginMetadata[]> {
+    /**
+     * Provides additional plugin ids.
+     */
+    public async getExtraDeployedPluginIds(): Promise<string[]> {
+        return [];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Provides additional deployed plugins.
+     */
+    public async getExtraDeployedPlugins(): Promise<DeployedPlugin[]> {
         return [];
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin.ts
index 9da14b926b43c..70c6ee49992cc 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/hosted-plugin.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 import { injectable, inject, multiInject, postConstruct, optional } from 'inversify';
 import { ILogger, ConnectionErrorHandler } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
-import { HostedPluginClient, PluginModel, ServerPluginRunner, PluginMetadata } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
+import { HostedPluginClient, PluginModel, ServerPluginRunner, DeployedPlugin } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
 import { LogPart } from '../../common/types';
 import { HostedPluginProcess } from './hosted-plugin-process';
 
@@ -98,8 +98,18 @@ export class HostedPluginSupport {
         }
     }
 
-    public async getExtraPluginMetadata(): Promise<PluginMetadata[]> {
-        return [].concat.apply([], await Promise.all(this.pluginRunners.map(runner => runner.getExtraPluginMetadata())));
+    /**
+     * Provides additional plugin ids.
+     */
+    public async getExtraDeployedPluginIds(): Promise<string[]> {
+        return [].concat.apply([], await Promise.all(this.pluginRunners.map(runner => runner.getExtraDeployedPluginIds())));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Provides additional deployed plugins.
+     */
+    public async getExtraDeployedPlugins(): Promise<DeployedPlugin[]> {
+        return [].concat.apply([], await Promise.all(this.pluginRunners.map(runner => runner.getExtraDeployedPlugins())));
     }
 
     public sendLog(logPart: LogPart): void {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/plugin-service.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/plugin-service.ts
index e385c55acfea0..8e7df0174ce12 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/plugin-service.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/hosted/node/plugin-service.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 OR GPL-2.0 WITH Classpath-exception-2.0
  ********************************************************************************/
 import { injectable, inject, named, postConstruct } from 'inversify';
-import { HostedPluginServer, HostedPluginClient, PluginMetadata, PluginDeployer, GetDeployedPluginsParams, DeployedPlugin } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
+import { HostedPluginServer, HostedPluginClient, PluginDeployer, GetDeployedPluginsParams, DeployedPlugin } from '../../common/plugin-protocol';
 import { HostedPluginSupport } from './hosted-plugin';
 import { ILogger, Disposable } from '@theia/core';
 import { ContributionProvider } from '@theia/core';
@@ -75,9 +75,8 @@ export class HostedPluginServerImpl implements HostedPluginServer {
         for (const pluginId of backendMetadata) {
             plugins.add(pluginId);
         }
-        const extraPluginMetadata = await this.hostedPlugin.getExtraPluginMetadata();
-        for (const plugin of extraPluginMetadata) {
-            plugins.add(plugin.model.id);
+        for (const pluginId of await this.hostedPlugin.getExtraDeployedPluginIds()) {
+            plugins.add(pluginId);
         }
         return [...plugins.values()];
     }
@@ -87,20 +86,17 @@ export class HostedPluginServerImpl implements HostedPluginServer {
             return [];
         }
         const plugins = [];
-        let extraPluginMetadata: Map<string, PluginMetadata> | undefined;
+        let extraDeployedPlugins: Map<string, DeployedPlugin> | undefined;
         for (const pluginId of pluginIds) {
             let plugin = this.deployerHandler.getDeployedPlugin(pluginId);
             if (!plugin) {
-                if (!extraPluginMetadata) {
-                    extraPluginMetadata = new Map<string, PluginMetadata>();
-                    for (const extraMetadata of await this.hostedPlugin.getExtraPluginMetadata()) {
-                        extraPluginMetadata.set(extraMetadata.model.id, extraMetadata);
+                if (!extraDeployedPlugins) {
+                    extraDeployedPlugins = new Map<string, DeployedPlugin>();
+                    for (const extraDeployedPlugin of await this.hostedPlugin.getExtraDeployedPlugins()) {
+                        extraDeployedPlugins.set(extraDeployedPlugin.metadata.model.id, extraDeployedPlugin);
                     }
                 }
-                const metadata = extraPluginMetadata.get(pluginId);
-                if (metadata) {
-                    plugin = { metadata };
-                }
+                plugin = extraDeployedPlugins.get(pluginId);
             }
             if (plugin) {
                 plugins.push(plugin);