I have exactly the same problem with Jenkins 2.381: I cannot uninstall the plugin in and I get a warning, that the following plugins depend on the WMI plugin:

• Any Build Step Plugin
• Show Build Parameters plugin
• Project statistics Plugin
• Artifact diff Plugin
• Downstream build view
• Heavy Job Plugin

Thanks for the comment jherb. See the epic JENKINS-70301 for the options that are available to you. Your choices are:

• Uninstall those outdated plugins
• Adopt those outdated plugins, apply the "Update to a new Jenkins version" tutorial step, and release a new version of them
• Accept that the WMI Windows Agents plugin may need to remain in your Jenkins controller

Just as chrisfetz describes:

JFTR: uninstallation of windows-slaves-plugin did not work. The warning and the plugin came back after each try.
Even using "the hard way" (deleting both the jip file and the plugin folder in the plugins folder of the installation) does not work. It's back after a restart.

I am unable to uninstall WMI Windows Agents even though no dependencies are displayed - any suggestions?

dmunn see the detailed description in JENKINS-70301, with special focus on the "Why does the implied dependency exist?" section. It shows how you can hover over the uninstall box and see the list of plugins that have an implied dependency on the WMI Windows Agents plugin.

If that is not enough to resolve it, then you'll need to upload your list of plugins and their versions as described in "How to report an issue".

Hi markewaite - thanks for the quick response.

I had followed the instructions in JENKINS-70301, but according to the mouse over, there are no implied dependencies:

Here is the list of plugins:

Jenkins: 2.375.1
OS: Windows Server 2016 - 10.0
—
Office-365-Connector:4.18.0
Parameterized-Remote-Trigger:3.1.6.3
accelerated-build-now-plugin:1.0.1
ace-editor:1.1
active-directory:2.29
analysis-model-api:10.21.0
ant:481.v7b_09e538fcca
antisamy-markup-formatter:155.v795fb_8702324
apache-httpcomponents-client-4-api:4.5.13-138.v4e7d9a_7b_a_e61
artifactdeployer:1.3
authentication-tokens:1.4
authorize-project:1.4.0
blueocean:1.26.0
blueocean-autofavorite:1.2.5
blueocean-bitbucket-pipeline:1.26.0
blueocean-commons:1.26.0
blueocean-config:1.26.0
blueocean-core-js:1.26.0
blueocean-dashboard:1.26.0
blueocean-display-url:2.4.1
blueocean-events:1.26.0
blueocean-git-pipeline:1.26.0
blueocean-github-pipeline:1.26.0
blueocean-i18n:1.26.0
blueocean-jira:1.26.0
blueocean-jwt:1.26.0
blueocean-personalization:1.26.0
blueocean-pipeline-api-impl:1.26.0
blueocean-pipeline-editor:1.26.0
blueocean-pipeline-scm-api:1.26.0
blueocean-rest:1.26.0
blueocean-rest-impl:1.26.0
blueocean-web:1.26.0
bootstrap4-api:4.6.0-5
bootstrap5-api:5.2.1-3
bouncycastle-api:2.26
branch-api:2.1051.v9985666b_f6cc
build-name-setter:2.2.0
build-timeout:1.25
built-on-column:1.3
caffeine-api:2.9.3-65.v6a_47d0f4d1fe
change-assembly-version-plugin:1.10
checks-api:1.8.1
claim:501.v3a_4f04704b_64
cloudbees-bitbucket-branch-source:791.vb_eea_a_476405b
cloudbees-folder:6.800.v71307ca_b_986b
command-launcher:90.v669d7ccb_7c31
commons-httpclient3-api:3.1-3
commons-lang3-api:3.12.0-36.vd97de6465d5b_
commons-text-api:1.10.0-27.vb_fa_3896786a_7
conditional-buildstep:1.4.2
config-file-provider:3.11.1
copyartifact:1.48
cors-filter:1.1
credentials:1214.v1de940103927
credentials-binding:523.vd859a_4b_122e6
cvs:2.19.1
dashboard-view:2.466.vdfefd95a_b_f8d
data-tables-api:1.12.1-4
display-url-api:2.3.7
docker-commons:1.21
docker-workflow:563.vd5d2e5c4007f
dtkit-api:3.0.2
durable-task:503.v57154d18d478
echarts-api:5.4.0-1
email-ext:2.92
emailext-template:1.5
envinject:2.892.v25453b_80e595
envinject-api:1.199.v3ce31253ed13
external-monitor-job:203.v683c09d993b_9
extra-columns:1.25
favorite:2.4.1
font-awesome-api:6.2.1-1
forensics-api:1.17.0
git:4.14.3
git-client:3.13.1
git-forensics:1.11.0
git-server:99.va_0826a_b_cdfa_d
github:1.36.0
github-api:1.303-400.v35c2d8258028
github-branch-source:1696.v3a_7603564d04
gradle:2.2
greenballs:1.15.1
groovy:453.vcdb_a_c5c99890
handlebars:3.0.8
handy-uri-templates-2-api:2.1.8-22.v77d5b_75e6953
htmlpublisher:1.31
instance-identity:142.v04572ca_5b_265
ionicons-api:31.v4757b_6987003
jackson2-api:2.14.1-313.v504cdd45c18b
jakarta-activation-api:2.0.1-2
jakarta-mail-api:2.0.1-2
javadoc:226.v71211feb_e7e9
javax-activation-api:1.2.0-5
javax-mail-api:1.6.2-8
jaxb:2.3.7-1
jdk-tool:63.v62d2fd4b_4793
jenkins-design-language:1.26.0
jersey2-api:2.38-1
jira:3.8
jjwt-api:0.11.5-77.v646c772fddb_0
jnr-posix-api:3.1.16-1
jobConfigHistory:1191.v168c8c2b_956a
jobcopy-builder:1.4.2
jquery-detached:1.2.1
jquery3-api:3.6.1-2
jsch:0.1.55.61.va_e9ee26616e7
junit:1166.va_436e268e972
ldap:2.12
leastload:3.0.0
lockable-resources:1102.vde5663d777cf
log-parser:2.3.0
lucene-search:387.v938a_ecb_f7fe9
mailer:438.v02c7f0a_12fa_4
mapdb-api:1.0.9-28.vf251ce40855d
matrix-auth:3.1.6
matrix-project:785.v06b_7f47b_c631
maven-plugin:3.20
mercurial:1260.vdfb_723cdcc81
metrics:4.2.13-420.vea_2f17932dd6
mina-sshd-api-common:2.9.2-50.va_0e1f42659a_a
mina-sshd-api-core:2.9.2-50.va_0e1f42659a_a
momentjs:1.1.1
monitoring:1.91.0
msbuild:1.30
mstest:1.0.0
mstestrunner:1.5.0
nunit:0.28
okhttp-api:4.9.3-108.v0feda04578cf
pam-auth:1.10
parameter-separator:1.3
parameterized-trigger:2.45
pipeline-build-step:2.18
pipeline-graph-analysis:195.v5812d95a_a_2f9
pipeline-groovy-lib:629.vb_5627b_ee2104
pipeline-input-step:466.v6d0a_5df34f81
pipeline-milestone-step:101.vd572fef9d926
pipeline-model-api:2.2118.v31fd5b_9944b_5
pipeline-model-definition:2.2118.v31fd5b_9944b_5
pipeline-model-extensions:2.2118.v31fd5b_9944b_5
pipeline-rest-api:2.28
pipeline-stage-step:296.v5f6908f017a_5
pipeline-stage-tags-metadata:2.2118.v31fd5b_9944b_5
pipeline-stage-view:2.28
pipeline-utility-steps:2.14.0
plain-credentials:139.ved2b_9cf7587b
plugin-usage-plugin:3.0
plugin-util-api:2.20.0
popper-api:1.16.1-3
popper2-api:2.11.6-2
powershell:1.8
prism-api:1.29.0-2
pubsub-light:1.17
resource-disposer:0.20
run-condition:1.5
scm-api:631.v9143df5b_e4a_a
script-security:1228.vd93135a_2fb_25
sectioned-view:1.25
snakeyaml-api:1.33-90.v80dcb_3814d35
sse-gateway:1.26
ssh-credentials:305.v8f4381501156
ssh-slaves:2.854.v7fd446b_337c9
sshd:3.275.v9e17c10f2571
started-by-envvar:1.0
structs:324.va_f5d6774f3a_d
subversion:2.16.0
thinBackup:1.14
timestamper:1.21
token-macro:321.vd7cc1f2a_52c8
translation:1.16
trilead-api:2.84.v72119de229b_7
variant:59.vf075fe829ccb
versioncolumn:95.v82f3985cd6e1
vstestrunner:1.0.8
warnings-ng:9.22.0
windows-slaves:1.8.1
workflow-aggregator:590.v6a_d052e5a_a_b_5
workflow-api:1200.v8005c684b_a_c6
workflow-basic-steps:994.vd57e3ca_46d24
workflow-cps:3583.v4f58de0d78d5
workflow-durable-task-step:1217.v38306d8fa_b_5c
workflow-job:1254.v3f64639b_11dd
workflow-multibranch:716.vc692a_e52371b_
workflow-scm-step:400.v6b_89a_1317c9a_
workflow-step-api:639.v6eca_cd8c04a_a_
workflow-support:839.v35e2736cfd5c
ws-cleanup:0.44

Maybe I have something mis-configured?

When I installed your list of plugins, started Jenkins 2.375.1, and viewed the plugin manager page with Google Chrome, the hover showed that accelerated build now plugin, jobcopy builder plugin, and started by environment variable plugin all have implied dependencies on WMI Windows Agents plugin.

When those 4 plugins are removed (the three with implied dependencies and the WMI Windows Agents plugin), the WMI Windows Agent plugin remains uninstalled.

Thanks markewaite!

I was using Edge but tried and got the same result in Firefox and Chrome. Then I tried enabling the WMI plugin and then the dependencies were displayed. 

Thanks again for helping out.

Because the Jenkins war file wants to safeguard the user, it bundles a copy of the WMI Windows Agents plugin inside itself. If the installed WMI Windows Agents plugin is removed but there are still plugins that have an implied dependency on WMI Windows Agents plugin, the next restart of Jenkins will copy the WMI Windows Agents plugin from inside the war file to the plugins directory.

https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins/pull/7568 proposes to remove the WMI Windows Agents plugin from Jenkins core because analysis has shown that there are no plugins distributed by the Jenkins project that require WMI Windows Agents be bundled inside the Jenkins war file.

Until you're running a Jenkins version that does not bundle the WMI Windows Agents plugin inside the war file, you'll need to either remove those old plugins, upgrade those old plugins to a version that requires a newer Jenkins version, or accept that WMI Windows Agents cannot be uninstalled.

Thanx for the clarification!