diff --git a/cli-plugins/manager/error.go b/cli-plugins/manager/error.go
index 1b5f4f60e..04bf3decb 100644
--- a/cli-plugins/manager/error.go
+++ b/cli-plugins/manager/error.go
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ func wrapAsPluginError(err error, msg string) error {
 	return &pluginError{cause: fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", msg, err)}
 }
 
-// NewPluginError creates a new pluginError, analogous to
+// newPluginError creates a new pluginError, analogous to
 // errors.Errorf.
-func NewPluginError(msg string, args ...any) error {
+func newPluginError(msg string, args ...any) error {
 	return &pluginError{cause: fmt.Errorf(msg, args...)}
 }
diff --git a/cli-plugins/manager/error_test.go b/cli-plugins/manager/error_test.go
index c4cb19bd5..682860daa 100644
--- a/cli-plugins/manager/error_test.go
+++ b/cli-plugins/manager/error_test.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestPluginError(t *testing.T) {
-	err := NewPluginError("new error")
+	err := newPluginError("new error")
 	assert.Check(t, is.Error(err, "new error"))
 
 	inner := errors.New("testing")
diff --git a/cli-plugins/manager/plugin.go b/cli-plugins/manager/plugin.go
index e72d9039b..2caae39b0 100644
--- a/cli-plugins/manager/plugin.go
+++ b/cli-plugins/manager/plugin.go
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func newPlugin(c pluginCandidate, cmds []*cobra.Command) (Plugin, error) {
 
 	// Now apply the candidate tests, so these update p.Err.
 	if !pluginNameRe.MatchString(p.Name) {
-		p.Err = NewPluginError("plugin candidate %q did not match %q", p.Name, pluginNameRe.String())
+		p.Err = newPluginError("plugin candidate %q did not match %q", p.Name, pluginNameRe.String())
 		return p, nil
 	}
 
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@ func newPlugin(c pluginCandidate, cmds []*cobra.Command) (Plugin, error) {
 			continue
 		}
 		if cmd.Name() == p.Name {
-			p.Err = NewPluginError("plugin %q duplicates builtin command", p.Name)
+			p.Err = newPluginError("plugin %q duplicates builtin command", p.Name)
 			return p, nil
 		}
 		if cmd.HasAlias(p.Name) {
-			p.Err = NewPluginError("plugin %q duplicates an alias of builtin command %q", p.Name, cmd.Name())
+			p.Err = newPluginError("plugin %q duplicates an alias of builtin command %q", p.Name, cmd.Name())
 			return p, nil
 		}
 	}
@@ -119,11 +119,11 @@ func newPlugin(c pluginCandidate, cmds []*cobra.Command) (Plugin, error) {
 		return p, nil
 	}
 	if p.Metadata.SchemaVersion != "0.1.0" {
-		p.Err = NewPluginError("plugin SchemaVersion %q is not valid, must be 0.1.0", p.Metadata.SchemaVersion)
+		p.Err = newPluginError("plugin SchemaVersion %q is not valid, must be 0.1.0", p.Metadata.SchemaVersion)
 		return p, nil
 	}
 	if p.Metadata.Vendor == "" {
-		p.Err = NewPluginError("plugin metadata does not define a vendor")
+		p.Err = newPluginError("plugin metadata does not define a vendor")
 		return p, nil
 	}
 	return p, nil
diff --git a/cli-plugins/manager/plugin_test.go b/cli-plugins/manager/plugin_test.go
index 84d71d518..ace51c12c 100644
--- a/cli-plugins/manager/plugin_test.go
+++ b/cli-plugins/manager/plugin_test.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func TestPluginMarshal(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			doc:      "custom error",
-			error:    NewPluginError("something went wrong"),
+			error:    newPluginError("something went wrong"),
 			expected: jsonWithError,
 		},
 	}