PYSEC-2026-4210

Docling imports plugin entry points before the allow_external_plugins check

### Summary `allow_external_plugins=False` (the default, and the CLI default) is meant to restrict docling to its own model plugins. However, docling's plugin factories call pluggy's `load_setuptools_entrypoints()`, which imports every module registered under docling's plugin entry-point group. Only afterwards does docling filter out modules outside the `docling.` namespace. Import-time code in any installed third-party plugin therefore runs even though external plugins are disabled. ### Details In `docling/models/factories/base_factory.py`, `load_from_plugins()` loads all entry points first and applies the `allow_external_plugins` check only to the already-imported modules. The CLI creates these factories when it starts, so running `docling` imports every registered plugin module. A log message says the plugin "will not be loaded", although its module has already been imported. ### Affected configurations Environments in which a package registering a docling plugin entry point is installed, for example an unvetted or compromised dependency, and which rely on `allow_external_plugins=False` to keep that code from running. ### Impact Execution of a third-party plugin module's import-time code in the docling process, contrary to the documented behaviour of `allow_external_plugins=False`. ### Patches Fixed in docling 2.131.0 by [#4413](https://github.com/docling-project/docling/pull/4413). Plugin entry points are now filtered by module name before they are loaded, so with `allow_external_plugins=False` third-party plugin modules are no longer imported. ### Workarounds Upgrade to 2.131.0. For older versions: Only install trusted packages in environments that run docling. Check which packages register docling plugin entry points with `importlib.metadata.entry_points()`.