GIMP plugin path resolution failure in headless production environments

When GIMP 2.10 fails to load custom plugins during batch processing

GIMP relies on the search paths defined within the user-specific gimprc file, typically located in ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/. While these paths are correctly recognized in local desktop environments, batch jobs executed via gimp -i -b often fail to initialize these plugins when running on production containers or headless servers. This discrepancy often arises because production environments frequently lack the full configuration directory or have restricted permissions that prevent the discovery of non-standard paths. Even if the plugin binaries are present on the disk, GIMP may skip them if the configuration file is missing or improperly initialized, leading to silent failures or command-not errors in automated workflows.

Is there a method to force a global plugin search path via environment variables without requiring a user-level gimprc? How can GIMP verify which configuration directories are being scanned when started in non-interactive mode?