diff --git a/core/PluginManager.js b/core/PluginManager.js
index 8f9026b..df90376 100644
--- a/core/PluginManager.js
+++ b/core/PluginManager.js
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ class PluginManager {
 		const discovered = this.discoverPlugins();
 		const ordered = this.sortByDependencies(discovered);
 		if (this.config.commandCollection && discovered.some((plugin) => plugin.disabled)) {
-			throw new Error("Cannot collect commands with missing plugin dependencies");
+			throw new Error("Cannot collect commands with missing or circular plugin dependencies");
 		}
 
 		for (const plugin of ordered) {
@@ -482,26 +482,36 @@ class PluginManager {
 		}
 
 		const ordered = [];
-		const visiting = new Set();
+		const chain = [];
 		const visited = new Set();
 
+		// Returns whether the plugin can load. A cycle, or a dependency that is
+		// itself disabled, costs only the plugins involved: one bad manifest must
+		// never abort loadAll for every other plugin.
 		const visit = (name) => {
-			if (visited.has(name)) return;
-			if (visiting.has(name)) {
-				throw new Error(`Circular dependency detected at ${name}`);
+			const plugin = nodes.get(name);
+			if (visited.has(name)) return !plugin.disabled;
+			if (chain.includes(name)) {
+				const cycle = [...chain.slice(chain.indexOf(name)), name];
+				this.logger.warn(`Skipping plugins in circular dependency: ${cycle.join(" -> ")}`);
+				for (const member of cycle) nodes.get(member).disabled = true;
+				return false;
 			}
 
-			visiting.add(name);
+			chain.push(name);
 			for (const dep of edges.get(name) || []) {
-				visit(dep);
+				if (!visit(dep) && !plugin.disabled) {
+					this.logger.warn(`Plugin ${name} depends on unavailable plugin ${dep}`);
+					plugin.disabled = true;
+				}
 			}
-			visiting.delete(name);
+			chain.pop();
 			visited.add(name);
-			ordered.push(nodes.get(name));
+			if (!plugin.disabled) ordered.push(plugin);
+			return !plugin.disabled;
 		};
 
 		for (const plugin of discovered) {
-			if (plugin.disabled) continue;
 			visit(plugin.name);
 		}
 
diff --git a/test/pluginManager.test.js b/test/pluginManager.test.js
index 3bf6ce3..c4481e6 100644
--- a/test/pluginManager.test.js
+++ b/test/pluginManager.test.js
@@ -1,14 +1,36 @@
 const { test } = require("node:test");
 const assert = require("node:assert");
+const fs = require("node:fs");
+const os = require("node:os");
+const path = require("node:path");
 const { PluginManager } = require("../core/PluginManager");
 
-function makePM() {
+function makePM(config = {}) {
   return new PluginManager({
     client: { commands: new Map(), on() {}, once() {}, off() {} },
-    db: {}, scheduler: {}, hooks: { emitHook: async () => {} },
+    db: { getAllEnabledPluginRows: async () => [] },
+    scheduler: {}, hooks: { emitHook: async () => {} },
+    config,
   });
 }
 
+const discovered = (name, manifest = {}) => ({ name, manifest: { name, ...manifest } });
+const names = (plugins) => plugins.map((plugin) => plugin.name);
+
+// Real npm-style plugin packages, so loadAll runs actual discovery and loading.
+function installPlugins(t, manifests) {
+  const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "adb-plugin-deps-"));
+  t.after(() => fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+  const nodeModulesDir = path.join(root, "node_modules");
+  for (const [name, manifest] of Object.entries(manifests)) {
+    const dir = path.join(nodeModulesDir, name);
+    fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, "plugin.json"), JSON.stringify({ name, version: "1.0.0", ...manifest }));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, "index.js"), "exports.load = async () => {};\n");
+  }
+  return { pluginsDir: path.join(root, "plugins"), nodeModulesDir };
+}
+
 test("getDependents finds plugins depending on target", () => {
   const pm = makePM();
   const a = pm.initPluginState("adb-plugin-a", { dependsOn: [] });
@@ -37,3 +59,63 @@ test("getPluginList exposes core/version/discordPermissions", () => {
   assert.strictEqual(entry.version, "1.0.0");
   assert.deepStrictEqual(entry.discordPermissions, ["BanMembers"]);
 });
+
+test("sortByDependencies loads dependencies before their dependents", () => {
+  const pm = makePM();
+  const ordered = pm.sortByDependencies([
+    discovered("adb-plugin-b", { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-a"] }),
+    discovered("adb-plugin-a"),
+  ]);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(names(ordered), ["adb-plugin-a", "adb-plugin-b"]);
+});
+
+test("sortByDependencies skips plugins in a dependency cycle instead of throwing", () => {
+  const pm = makePM();
+  const plugins = [
+    discovered("adb-plugin-a", { engines: { plugins: { "adb-plugin-b": "*" } } }),
+    discovered("adb-plugin-b", { engines: { plugins: { "adb-plugin-a": "*" } } }),
+    discovered("adb-plugin-self", { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-self"] }),
+    discovered("adb-plugin-needs-a", { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-a"] }),
+    discovered("adb-plugin-healthy"),
+  ];
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(names(pm.sortByDependencies(plugins)), ["adb-plugin-healthy"]);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(names(plugins.filter((plugin) => plugin.disabled)), [
+    "adb-plugin-a", "adb-plugin-b", "adb-plugin-self", "adb-plugin-needs-a",
+  ]);
+});
+
+test("sortByDependencies never loads a plugin whose dependency is missing, even when another plugin needs it", () => {
+  for (const order of [["top", "mid"], ["mid", "top"]]) {
+    const plugins = {
+      top: discovered("adb-plugin-top", { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-mid"] }),
+      mid: discovered("adb-plugin-mid", { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-not-installed"] }),
+    };
+    const ordered = makePM().sortByDependencies(order.map((key) => plugins[key]));
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(names(ordered), [], `discovery order: ${order.join(", ")}`);
+  }
+});
+
+test("loadAll still loads healthy plugins when an installed plugin has a dependency cycle", async (t) => {
+  const pm = makePM(installPlugins(t, {
+    "adb-plugin-a": { engines: { plugins: { "adb-plugin-b": "*" } } },
+    "adb-plugin-b": { engines: { plugins: { "adb-plugin-a": "*" } } },
+    "adb-plugin-healthy": {},
+  }));
+  pm.loadCore = async () => {};
+  pm.setupHotReload = () => {};
+  await pm.loadAll();
+  assert.deepStrictEqual([...pm.plugins.keys()], ["adb-plugin-healthy"]);
+  assert.strictEqual(pm.plugins.get("adb-plugin-healthy").loaded, true);
+});
+
+test("command collection still refuses to deploy when a plugin has a dependency cycle", async (t) => {
+  const pm = makePM({
+    ...installPlugins(t, {
+      "adb-plugin-self": { dependsOn: ["adb-plugin-self"] },
+      "adb-plugin-healthy": {},
+    }),
+    commandCollection: true,
+  });
+  pm.loadCore = async () => {};
+  await assert.rejects(pm.loadAll(), /missing or circular plugin dependencies/);
+});