diff --git a/src/fastmcp/server/server.py b/src/fastmcp/server/server.py
index c75b4173d..3731b0f92 100644
--- a/src/fastmcp/server/server.py
+++ b/src/fastmcp/server/server.py
@@ -513,9 +513,9 @@ class FastMCP(
 
         Appends the plugin to the server's ordered plugin list and
         synchronously collects its HTTP routes (see below). Middleware,
-        transforms, and providers are collected later, during the server's
-        startup sequence, because those hooks may reference state the
-        plugin populates during `setup()`.
+        transforms, and providers are collected later, during the
+        server's startup sequence, because those hooks may reference
+        state the plugin populates while its `run()` context is active.
 
         HTTP routes are collected eagerly because HTTP transports snapshot
         the server's route list when they construct the Starlette app —
@@ -526,25 +526,37 @@ class FastMCP(
         working for HTTP transports.
 
         Loader caveat: plugins added from inside another plugin's
-        `setup()` (the loader pattern) can still contribute middleware,
+        `run()` (the loader pattern) can still contribute middleware,
         transforms, and providers, but their routes may not be reachable
         over HTTP/SSE transports — those transports' route lists are
-        already fixed by the time `setup()` runs. Loaders that need to
+        already fixed by the time `run()` enters. Loaders that need to
         contribute routes should use the stdio transport or expose the
         routes via a non-loader plugin registered at construction time.
 
-        Raises:
-            PluginError: If called after the server has started, or if the
-                plugin's `fastmcp_version` compatibility check fails.
-
         Args:
             plugin: A :class:`Plugin` instance. Plugins are registered in
                 the order they are added; middleware is a stack.
+
+        Raises:
+            PluginError: If called after the server's plugin-entry pass
+                has completed (except from inside a loader plugin's
+                `run()`), or if the plugin's `fastmcp_version`
+                compatibility check fails.
         """
-        if self._started.is_set():
+        # Reject registration once the lifespan is active and we're past
+        # the plugin-entry pass. The loader-pattern exception is the only
+        # case where add_plugin() runs during a live lifespan, and it's
+        # gated by `_in_plugin_setup_pass`. Checking `_started` alone is
+        # too narrow: `_started` is only set after provider lifespans
+        # enter and is cleared before teardown, leaving windows in which
+        # add_plugin() would silently register a plugin whose `run()`
+        # never enters for the current cycle.
+        if self._lifespan_result_set and not self._in_plugin_setup_pass:
             raise PluginError(
-                f"Cannot add plugin {plugin.meta.name!r}: the server has "
-                "already started. Register plugins before the server binds."
+                f"Cannot add plugin {plugin.meta.name!r}: the server's "
+                "plugin-entry pass has already completed. Register "
+                "plugins before the server starts, or from inside "
+                "another plugin's `run()` (the loader pattern)."
             )
         plugin.check_fastmcp_compatibility()
         # Compute routes up front so a failure inside plugin.routes() does
diff --git a/tests/server/test_plugins.py b/tests/server/test_plugins.py
index fff9e7b71..4f02dc676 100644
--- a/tests/server/test_plugins.py
+++ b/tests/server/test_plugins.py
@@ -337,9 +337,50 @@ class TestLifecycle:
         mcp = FastMCP("t")
         async with Client(mcp) as c:
             await c.ping()
-            with pytest.raises(PluginError, match="already started"):
+            with pytest.raises(PluginError, match="plugin-entry pass"):
                 mcp.add_plugin(P())
 
+    async def test_add_plugin_raises_when_called_from_provider_lifespan(self):
+        """Post-setup-pass registration must be rejected, not silently allowed.
+
+        `_started` is set only after provider lifespans enter, so a
+        provider's `lifespan()` callback runs with `_started` False but
+        the plugin-entry pass already complete. Registering a plugin in
+        that window would skip `run()` and contribution collection for
+        the current cycle and leave the plugin in `self.plugins`; the
+        guard must reject it.
+        """
+        from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+
+        from fastmcp.server.providers import Provider
+
+        class PluginInProviderLifespan(Provider):
+            def __init__(self, server):
+                super().__init__()
+                self.server = server
+                self.raised: Exception | None = None
+
+            @asynccontextmanager
+            async def lifespan(self):
+                class Late(Plugin):
+                    meta = PluginMeta(name="late", version="0.1.0")
+
+                try:
+                    self.server.add_plugin(Late())
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    self.raised = exc
+                yield
+
+        mcp = FastMCP("t")
+        provider = PluginInProviderLifespan(mcp)
+        mcp.add_provider(provider)
+
+        async with Client(mcp) as c:
+            await c.ping()
+
+        assert isinstance(provider.raised, PluginError)
+        assert "plugin-entry pass" in str(provider.raised)
+
     async def test_duplicate_registration_tears_down_once(self):
         """Registering the same instance twice must only call teardown() once.