diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/cli.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/cli.py
index 11ccae0096..8ad4eb916b 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/cli.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/cli.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ from calibre.ebooks.metadata.opf2 import metadata_to_opf
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.base import create_log
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.identify import identify
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.covers import download_cover
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.update import patch_plugins
 
 
 def option_parser():
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ def main(args=sys.argv):
     buf = BytesIO()
     log = create_log(buf)
     abort = Event()
+    patch_plugins()
 
     authors = []
     if opts.authors:
@@ -92,6 +94,6 @@ def main(args=sys.argv):
 
     return 0
 
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     sys.exit(main())
-
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/worker.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/worker.py
index f8ccf11a90..b8fb28d8e2 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/worker.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/sources/worker.py
@@ -1,27 +1,23 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python2
 # vim:fileencoding=UTF-8:ts=4:sw=4:sta:et:sts=4:ai
-from __future__ import (unicode_literals, division, absolute_import,
-                        print_function)
-
-__license__   = 'GPL v3'
-__copyright__ = '2012, Kovid Goyal <kovid@kovidgoyal.net>'
-__docformat__ = 'restructuredtext en'
+# License: GPLv3 Copyright: 2012, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>
+from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function, unicode_literals
 
 import os
-from threading import Event, Thread
-from Queue import Queue, Empty
-from io import BytesIO
 from collections import Counter
+from io import BytesIO
+from Queue import Empty, Queue
+from threading import Event, Thread
 
-from calibre.utils.date import as_utc
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.identify import identify, msprefs
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata
 from calibre.customize.ui import metadata_plugins
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.covers import (download_cover,
-        run_download)
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.opf2 import OPF, metadata_to_opf
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.base import dump_caches, load_caches
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.covers import download_cover, run_download
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.identify import identify, msprefs
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.update import patch_plugins
+from calibre.utils.date import as_utc
 from calibre.utils.logging import GUILog
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.opf2 import metadata_to_opf, OPF
 
 
 def merge_result(oldmi, newmi, ensure_fields=None):
@@ -56,6 +52,7 @@ def main(do_identify, covers, metadata, ensure_fields, tdir):
     failed_covers = set()
     all_failed = True
     log = GUILog()
+    patch_plugins()
 
     for book_id, mi in metadata.iteritems():
         mi = OPF(BytesIO(mi), basedir=tdir,
@@ -102,6 +99,7 @@ def main(do_identify, covers, metadata, ensure_fields, tdir):
 
 def single_identify(title, authors, identifiers):
     log = GUILog()
+    patch_plugins()
     results = identify(log, Event(), title=title, authors=authors,
             identifiers=identifiers)
     return [metadata_to_opf(r) for r in results], [r.has_cached_cover_url for
@@ -109,6 +107,7 @@ def single_identify(title, authors, identifiers):
 
 
 def single_covers(title, authors, identifiers, caches, tdir):
+    patch_plugins()
     load_caches(caches)
     log = GUILog()
     results = Queue()
@@ -133,5 +132,3 @@ def single_covers(title, authors, identifiers, caches, tdir):
             os.mkdir(os.path.join(tdir, name+'.done'))
 
     return log.dump()
-
-
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/actions/edit_metadata.py b/src/calibre/gui2/actions/edit_metadata.py
index c7b5d5ecd0..b1f13809ed 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/actions/edit_metadata.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/actions/edit_metadata.py
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ class EditMetadataAction(InterfaceAction):
             db = self.gui.library_view.model().db
             ids = [db.id(row.row()) for row in rows]
         from calibre.gui2.metadata.bulk_download import start_download
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.update import update_sources
+        update_sources()
         start_download(self.gui, ids,
                 Dispatcher(self.metadata_downloaded),
                 ensure_fields=ensure_fields)
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/single.py b/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/single.py
index dea013a988..7806d6a547 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/single.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/single.py
@@ -476,6 +476,8 @@ class MetadataSingleDialogBase(QDialog):
             fw.setFocus(Qt.OtherFocusReason)
 
     def fetch_metadata(self, *args):
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.update import update_sources
+        update_sources()
         d = FullFetch(self.cover.pixmap(), self)
         ret = d.start(title=self.title.current_val, authors=self.authors.current_val,
                 identifiers=self.identifiers.current_val)
@@ -516,6 +518,8 @@ class MetadataSingleDialogBase(QDialog):
                 gui=gui, never_shutdown=True)
 
     def download_cover(self, *args):
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.sources.update import update_sources
+        update_sources()
         from calibre.gui2.metadata.single_download import CoverFetch
         d = CoverFetch(self.cover.pixmap(), self)
         ret = d.start(self.title.current_val, self.authors.current_val,
@@ -1141,6 +1145,7 @@ def edit_metadata(db, row_list, current_row, parent=None, view_slot=None,
         # possible workaround for bug reports of occasional ghost edit metadata dialog on windows
         d.deleteLater()
 
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     from calibre.gui2 import Application as QApplication
     app = QApplication([])