diff --git a/datasette/app.py b/datasette/app.py
index e13f0731..b554f9bc 100644
--- a/datasette/app.py
+++ b/datasette/app.py
@@ -2551,7 +2551,10 @@ class Datasette:
         )
         add_route(
             JsonDataView.as_view(
-                self, "plugins.json", self._plugins, needs_request=True
+                self,
+                "plugins.json",
+                lambda request: {"plugins": self._plugins(request)},
+                needs_request=True,
             ),
             r"/-/plugins(\.(?P<format>json))?$",
         )
diff --git a/docs/introspection.rst b/docs/introspection.rst
index d0780763..99238204 100644
--- a/docs/introspection.rst
+++ b/docs/introspection.rst
@@ -78,15 +78,18 @@ Shows a list of currently installed plugins and their versions. `Plugins example
 
 .. code-block:: json
 
-    [
-        {
-            "name": "datasette_cluster_map",
-            "static": true,
-            "templates": false,
-            "version": "0.10",
-            "hooks": ["extra_css_urls", "extra_js_urls", "extra_body_script"]
-        }
-    ]
+    {
+        "ok": true,
+        "plugins": [
+            {
+                "name": "datasette_cluster_map",
+                "static": true,
+                "templates": false,
+                "version": "0.10",
+                "hooks": ["extra_css_urls", "extra_js_urls", "extra_body_script"]
+            }
+        ]
+    }
 
 Add ``?all=1`` to include details of the default plugins baked into Datasette.
 
diff --git a/existing-api.md b/existing-api.md
index 0e7ec907..db613d30 100644
--- a/existing-api.md
+++ b/existing-api.md
@@ -228,8 +228,8 @@ app.py:2552-2557, `Datasette._plugins` (app.py:2247-2266). Permission
 
 - **Parameters:** `?all=1` — include Datasette's built-in default plugins
   (filtered out by default).
-- **Response:** a JSON **array**, sorted by name, of
-  `{"name", "static", "templates", "version", "hooks"}`.
+- **Response:** `{"ok": true, "plugins": [...]}` — each plugin is
+  `{"name", "static", "templates", "version", "hooks"}`, sorted by name.
 
 ### GET /-/settings(.json)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_api.py b/tests/test_api.py
index 4635b236..3583503c 100644
--- a/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/tests/test_api.py
@@ -541,13 +541,13 @@ async def test_plugins_json(ds_client):
     response = await ds_client.get("/-/plugins.json")
     # Filter out TrackEventPlugin
     actual_plugins = sorted(
-        [p for p in response.json() if p["name"] != "TrackEventPlugin"],
+        [p for p in response.json()["plugins"] if p["name"] != "TrackEventPlugin"],
         key=lambda p: p["name"],
     )
     assert EXPECTED_PLUGINS == actual_plugins
     # Try with ?all=1
     response = await ds_client.get("/-/plugins.json?all=1")
-    names = {p["name"] for p in response.json()}
+    names = {p["name"] for p in response.json()["plugins"]}
     assert names.issuperset(p["name"] for p in EXPECTED_PLUGINS)
     assert names.issuperset(DEFAULT_PLUGINS)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_config_dir.py b/tests/test_config_dir.py
index 0a9b30d8..74407e20 100644
--- a/tests/test_config_dir.py
+++ b/tests/test_config_dir.py
@@ -109,9 +109,10 @@ def test_settings(config_dir_client):
 def test_plugins(config_dir_client):
     response = config_dir_client.get("/-/plugins.json")
     assert 200 == response.status
-    assert "hooray.py" in {p["name"] for p in response.json}
-    assert "non_py_file.txt" not in {p["name"] for p in response.json}
-    assert "mypy_cache" not in {p["name"] for p in response.json}
+    plugins = response.json["plugins"]
+    assert "hooray.py" in {p["name"] for p in plugins}
+    assert "non_py_file.txt" not in {p["name"] for p in plugins}
+    assert "mypy_cache" not in {p["name"] for p in plugins}
 
 
 def test_templates_and_plugin(config_dir_client):
diff --git a/tests/test_plugins.py b/tests/test_plugins.py
index 59b1c0bf..5c4034db 100644
--- a/tests/test_plugins.py
+++ b/tests/test_plugins.py
@@ -1482,7 +1482,7 @@ async def test_plugin_is_installed():
         datasette.pm.register(DummyPlugin(), name="DummyPlugin")
         response = await datasette.client.get("/-/plugins.json")
         assert response.status_code == 200
-        installed_plugins = {p["name"] for p in response.json()}
+        installed_plugins = {p["name"] for p in response.json()["plugins"]}
         assert "DummyPlugin" in installed_plugins
 
     finally:
diff --git a/tests/test_success_envelope.py b/tests/test_success_envelope.py
index 48407660..cecc8d70 100644
--- a/tests/test_success_envelope.py
+++ b/tests/test_success_envelope.py
@@ -76,3 +76,17 @@ async def test_permissions_post_success_has_ok_true(ds_envelope):
     )
     assert response.status_code == 200
     assert response.json()["ok"] is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_plugins_json_is_object(ds_client):
+    response = await ds_client.get("/-/plugins.json")
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    data = response.json()
+    assert set(data.keys()) == {"ok", "plugins"}
+    assert data["ok"] is True
+    assert isinstance(data["plugins"], list)
+    # ?all=1 should include Datasette's default plugins in the same shape
+    response_all = await ds_client.get("/-/plugins.json?all=1")
+    all_plugins = response_all.json()["plugins"]
+    assert len(all_plugins) > len(data["plugins"])