Is it enough to have

:plugins [[refactor-nrepl "2.5.1"]
          [cider/cider-nrepl "0.25.5"]]

client-side yes, server-side they have to be :dependencies and you have to add the middleware by hand (...given that you're building a server programatically. Lein plugins don't go as far as mutating the code you write)

Hmm, what do you mean by client side? My local emacs that's connected (via cider-connect ) to the remote nREPL server?

yes Emacs injects those :plugins for you if not present, so they're optional (but you'd need them explicitly if connecting from the terminal)

How does Emacs inject these :plugins if they're not present? As part of cider-connect?

ahh I said something partly incorrect, it's cider-jack-in the one command that injects :plugins long story short, if you intend to build a nrepl -server programatically, make sure to pass a custom :handler to it, namely (refactor-nrepl.middleware/wrap-refactor cider.nrepl/cider-nrepl-handler) and cider-connect (the client side) doesn't need a :plugin whatsoever

Ooooh, I'll try that out now, thanks

It should work. I use such a setup every day, here's the (very contrived) code if that helps at all https://github.com/reducecombine/.lein/blob/e05d6a2d22c0990a88a660c25fe8c5e51a3c6b1a/scripts/vemv/nrepl.clj#L46-L66

Yes that somewhat helps 😄

Cool, it works 😄. Thanks heaps