diff --git a/lib/commands/plugin/remove-plugin.ts b/lib/commands/plugin/remove-plugin.ts
index ca3631b572..2034ae8c0d 100644
--- a/lib/commands/plugin/remove-plugin.ts
+++ b/lib/commands/plugin/remove-plugin.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 
 export class RemovePluginCommand implements ICommand {
 	constructor(private $pluginsService: IPluginsService,
-		private $errors: IErrors) { }
+		private $errors: IErrors,
+		private $logger: ILogger,
+		private $projectData: IProjectData) { }
 
 	execute(args: string[]): IFuture<void> {
 		return this.$pluginsService.remove(args[0]);
@@ -15,9 +17,18 @@ export class RemovePluginCommand implements ICommand {
 				this.$errors.fail("You must specify plugin name.");
 			}
 
-			let installedPlugins = this.$pluginsService.getAllInstalledPlugins().wait();
+			let pluginNames: string[] = [];
+			try {
+				// try installing the plugins, so we can get information from node_modules about their native code, libs, etc.
+				let installedPlugins = this.$pluginsService.getAllInstalledPlugins().wait();
+				pluginNames = installedPlugins.map(pl => pl.name);
+			} catch(err) {
+				this.$logger.trace("Error while installing plugins. Error is:", err);
+				pluginNames =  _.keys(this.$projectData.dependencies);
+			}
+
 			let pluginName = args[0].toLowerCase();
-			if(!_.any(installedPlugins, (plugin: IPluginData) => plugin.name.toLowerCase() === pluginName)) {
+			if(!_.any(pluginNames, name => name.toLowerCase() === pluginName)) {
 				this.$errors.failWithoutHelp(`Plugin "${pluginName}" is not installed.`);
 			}
 
diff --git a/lib/definitions/plugins.d.ts b/lib/definitions/plugins.d.ts
index f991382196..01723fb290 100644
--- a/lib/definitions/plugins.d.ts
+++ b/lib/definitions/plugins.d.ts
@@ -36,10 +36,10 @@ interface IPluginVariablesService {
 	savePluginVariablesInProjectFile(pluginData: IPluginData): IFuture<void>;
 	/**
 	 * Removes plugin variables from project package.json file.
-	 * @param  {IPluginData}		pluginData for the plugin.
+	 * @param  {string}		pluginName Name of the plugin.
 	 * @return {IFuture<void>}
 	 */
-	removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginData: IPluginData): IFuture<void>;
+	removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginName: string): IFuture<void>;
 	/**
 	 * Replaces all plugin variables with their corresponding values.
 	 * @param {IPluginData}		pluginData for the plugin.
@@ -59,10 +59,10 @@ interface IPluginVariablesService {
 	interpolate(pluginData: IPluginData, pluginConfigurationFilePath: string): IFuture<void>;
 	/**
 	 * Returns the
-	 * @param {IPluginData}		pluginData for the plugin.
+	 * @param {string}		pluginName for the plugin.
 	 * @return {IFuture<string>}		returns the changed plugin configuration file content.
 	 */
-	getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData: IPluginData): string;
+	getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginName: string): string;
 
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/services/plugin-variables-service.ts b/lib/services/plugin-variables-service.ts
index 60340a73e6..9592c9b84c 100644
--- a/lib/services/plugin-variables-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/plugin-variables-service.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ export class PluginVariablesService implements IPluginVariablesService {
 		private $prompter: IPrompter,
 		private $fs: IFileSystem) { }
 
-	public getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData: IPluginData): string {
-		return `${pluginData.name}-${PluginVariablesService.PLUGIN_VARIABLES_KEY}`;
+	public getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginName: string): string {
+		return `${pluginName}-${PluginVariablesService.PLUGIN_VARIABLES_KEY}`;
 	}
 
 	public savePluginVariablesInProjectFile(pluginData: IPluginData): IFuture<void> {
@@ -29,14 +29,14 @@ export class PluginVariablesService implements IPluginVariablesService {
 
 			if(!_.isEmpty(values)) {
 				this.$projectDataService.initialize(this.$projectData.projectDir);
-				this.$projectDataService.setValue(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData), values).wait();
+				this.$projectDataService.setValue(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData.name), values).wait();
 			}
 		}).future<void>()();
 	}
 
-	public removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginData: IPluginData): IFuture<void> {
+	public removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginName: string): IFuture<void> {
 		this.$projectDataService.initialize(this.$projectData.projectDir);
-		return this.$projectDataService.removeProperty(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData));
+		return this.$projectDataService.removeProperty(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginName));
 	}
 
 	public interpolatePluginVariables(pluginData: IPluginData, pluginConfigurationFilePath: string): IFuture<void> {
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ export class PluginVariablesService implements IPluginVariablesService {
 			variableData.name = pluginVariableName;
 
 			this.$projectDataService.initialize(this.$projectData.projectDir);
-			let pluginVariableValues = this.$projectDataService.getValue(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData)).wait();
+			let pluginVariableValues = this.$projectDataService.getValue(this.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData.name)).wait();
 			variableData.value = pluginVariableValues ? pluginVariableValues[pluginVariableName] : undefined;
 
 			return variableData;
diff --git a/lib/services/plugins-service.ts b/lib/services/plugins-service.ts
index deb800ee05..ec53cf245d 100644
--- a/lib/services/plugins-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/plugins-service.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export class PluginsService implements IPluginsService {
 				} catch(err) {
 					// Revert package.json
 					this.$projectDataService.initialize(this.$projectData.projectDir);
-					this.$projectDataService.removeProperty(this.$pluginVariablesService.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData)).wait();
+					this.$projectDataService.removeProperty(this.$pluginVariablesService.getPluginVariablePropertyName(pluginData.name)).wait();
 					this.$projectDataService.removeDependency(pluginData.name).wait();
 
 					throw err;
@@ -68,12 +68,10 @@ export class PluginsService implements IPluginsService {
 					let pluginData = this.convertToPluginData(this.getNodeModuleData(pluginName).wait());
 
 					platformData.platformProjectService.removePluginNativeCode(pluginData).wait();
-
-					if(pluginData.pluginVariables) {
-						this.$pluginVariablesService.removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginData).wait();
-					}
 				}).future<void>()();
 			};
+
+			this.$pluginVariablesService.removePluginVariablesFromProjectFile(pluginName.toLowerCase()).wait();
 			this.executeForAllInstalledPlatforms(removePluginNativeCodeAction).wait();
 
 			this.executeNpmCommand(PluginsService.UNINSTALL_COMMAND_NAME, pluginName).wait();
@@ -224,6 +222,10 @@ export class PluginsService implements IPluginsService {
 				result = this.$npm.install(npmCommandArguments, this.$projectData.projectDir, PluginsService.NPM_CONFIG).wait();
 			} else if(npmCommandName === PluginsService.UNINSTALL_COMMAND_NAME) {
 				result = this.$npm.uninstall(npmCommandArguments, PluginsService.NPM_CONFIG, this.$projectData.projectDir).wait();
+				if(!result || !result.length) {
+					// indicates something's wrong with the data in package.json, for example version of the plugin that we are trying to remove is invalid.
+					return npmCommandArguments.toLowerCase();
+				}
 			}
 
 			return this.parseNpmCommandResult(result);