diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
index fcdc8574bc3..78d3a9c04e0 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
@@ -102,9 +102,17 @@ func NewDefaultKubectlCommandWithArgs(pluginHandler PluginHandler, args []string
 		// only look for suitable extension executables if
 		// the specified command does not already exist
 		if _, _, err := cmd.Find(cmdPathPieces); err != nil {
-			if err := HandlePluginCommand(pluginHandler, cmdPathPieces); err != nil {
-				fmt.Fprintf(errout, "Error: %v\n", err)
-				os.Exit(1)
+			// Also check the commands that will be added by Cobra.
+			// These commands are only added once rootCmd.Execute() is called, so we
+			// need to check them explicitly here.
+			switch cmdPathPieces[0] {
+			case "help", cobra.ShellCompRequestCmd, cobra.ShellCompNoDescRequestCmd:
+				// Don't search for a plugin
+			default:
+				if err := HandlePluginCommand(pluginHandler, cmdPathPieces); err != nil {
+					fmt.Fprintf(errout, "Error: %v\n", err)
+					os.Exit(1)
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
index d01cf04fc8d..1e24ca71742 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/kubectl/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
@@ -78,6 +78,19 @@ func TestKubectlCommandHandlesPlugins(t *testing.T) {
 			name: "test that a plugin does not execute over an existing command by the same name",
 			args: []string{"kubectl", "version"},
 		},
+		// The following tests make sure that commands added by Cobra cannot be shadowed by a plugin
+		{
+			name: "test that a plugin does not execute over Cobra's help command",
+			args: []string{"kubectl", "help"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "test that a plugin does not execute over Cobra's __complete command",
+			args: []string{"kubectl", cobra.ShellCompRequestCmd},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "test that a plugin does not execute over Cobra's __completeNoDesc command",
+			args: []string{"kubectl", cobra.ShellCompNoDescRequestCmd},
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {