diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat-messages.tsx b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat-messages.tsx
index 0bb2ca0cb..bf7caf02e 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat-messages.tsx
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat-messages.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { MarkdownComponent } from './markdown-component';
 import { useCollaboratorsContext } from '../contexts/collaborators-context';
 
 type ChatMessagesProps = {
-  rendermime: IRenderMimeRegistry;
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
   messages: AiService.ChatMessage[];
 };
 
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export function ChatMessages(props: ChatMessagesProps): JSX.Element {
             sx={{ marginBottom: 3 }}
           />
           <MarkdownComponent
-            rendermime={props.rendermime}
+            rmRegistry={props.rmRegistry}
             markdownString={message.body}
           />
         </Box>
diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat.tsx b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat.tsx
index 8960e9615..31e0b5a15 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat.tsx
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/chat.tsx
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ import { ScrollContainer } from './scroll-container';
 type ChatBodyProps = {
   chatHandler: ChatHandler;
   setChatView: (view: ChatView) => void;
-  renderMimeRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
 };
 
 function ChatBody({
   chatHandler,
   setChatView: chatViewHandler,
-  renderMimeRegistry
+  rmRegistry: renderMimeRegistry
 }: ChatBodyProps): JSX.Element {
   const [messages, setMessages] = useState<AiService.ChatMessage[]>([]);
   const [showWelcomeMessage, setShowWelcomeMessage] = useState<boolean>(false);
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ function ChatBody({
   return (
     <>
       <ScrollContainer sx={{ flexGrow: 1 }}>
-        <ChatMessages messages={messages} rendermime={renderMimeRegistry} />
+        <ChatMessages messages={messages} rmRegistry={renderMimeRegistry} />
       </ScrollContainer>
       <ChatInput
         value={input}
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ export type ChatProps = {
   selectionWatcher: SelectionWatcher;
   chatHandler: ChatHandler;
   globalAwareness: Awareness | null;
-  renderMimeRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
   chatView?: ChatView;
 };
 
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ export function Chat(props: ChatProps): JSX.Element {
               <ChatBody
                 chatHandler={props.chatHandler}
                 setChatView={setView}
-                renderMimeRegistry={props.renderMimeRegistry}
+                rmRegistry={props.rmRegistry}
               />
             )}
             {view === ChatView.Settings && <ChatSettings />}
diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/markdown-component.tsx b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/markdown-component.tsx
index 56d0b4766..917a72c11 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/markdown-component.tsx
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/components/markdown-component.tsx
@@ -4,32 +4,32 @@ import { Widget } from '@lumino/widgets';
 import { LuminoComponent } from './lumino-component';
 
 type MarkdownWidgetProps = {
-  rendermime: IRenderMimeRegistry;
   markdownString: string;
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
 };
 
 type MarkdownComponentProps = {
   markdownString: string;
-  rendermime: IRenderMimeRegistry;
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
 };
 
 class MarkdownWidget extends Widget {
-  private rendermime: IRenderMimeRegistry;
+  private rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry;
   private markdownString: string;
 
   constructor(props: MarkdownWidgetProps) {
     super();
-    this.rendermime = props.rendermime;
+    this.rmRegistry = props.rmRegistry;
     this.markdownString = props.markdownString;
     this.initializeMarkdownRendering();
   }
 
   async initializeMarkdownRendering(): Promise<void> {
     const mimeType = 'text/markdown';
-    const model = this.rendermime.createModel({
+    const model = this.rmRegistry.createModel({
       data: { [mimeType]: this.markdownString }
     });
-    const renderer = this.rendermime.createRenderer(mimeType);
+    const renderer = this.rmRegistry.createRenderer(mimeType);
     await renderer.renderModel(model);
     this.node.appendChild(renderer.node);
   }
@@ -38,18 +38,20 @@ class MarkdownWidget extends Widget {
 export function MarkdownComponent(
   props: MarkdownComponentProps
 ): React.ReactElement | null {
-  const { markdownString, rendermime } = props;
   const widgetRef = useRef<MarkdownWidget | null>(null);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!widgetRef.current) {
-      widgetRef.current = new MarkdownWidget({ rendermime, markdownString });
+      widgetRef.current = new MarkdownWidget({
+        markdownString: props.markdownString,
+        rmRegistry: props.rmRegistry
+      });
     }
 
     return () => {
       widgetRef.current?.dispose();
     };
-  }, []); // Empty dependency array if props are not expected to change
+  }, []);
 
   return widgetRef.current ? (
     <LuminoComponent widget={widgetRef.current} />
diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/index.ts b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/index.ts
index 5c55c5e25..5a1958974 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/index.ts
@@ -22,12 +22,13 @@ export type DocumentTracker = IWidgetTracker<IDocumentWidget>;
 const plugin: JupyterFrontEndPlugin<void> = {
   id: 'jupyter_ai:plugin',
   autoStart: true,
+  requires: [IRenderMimeRegistry],
   optional: [IGlobalAwareness, ILayoutRestorer],
   activate: async (
     app: JupyterFrontEnd,
+    rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry,
     globalAwareness: Awareness | null,
-    restorer: ILayoutRestorer | null,
-    renderMimeRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry
+    restorer: ILayoutRestorer | null
   ) => {
     /**
      * Initialize selection watcher singleton
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ const plugin: JupyterFrontEndPlugin<void> = {
         selectionWatcher,
         chatHandler,
         globalAwareness,
-        renderMimeRegistry
+        rmRegistry
       );
     } catch (e) {
       chatWidget = buildErrorWidget();
diff --git a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/widgets/chat-sidebar.tsx b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/widgets/chat-sidebar.tsx
index 6a2452cfa..e696a048b 100644
--- a/packages/jupyter-ai/src/widgets/chat-sidebar.tsx
+++ b/packages/jupyter-ai/src/widgets/chat-sidebar.tsx
@@ -12,14 +12,14 @@ export function buildChatSidebar(
   selectionWatcher: SelectionWatcher,
   chatHandler: ChatHandler,
   globalAwareness: Awareness | null,
-  renderMimeRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry
+  rmRegistry: IRenderMimeRegistry
 ): ReactWidget {
   const ChatWidget = ReactWidget.create(
     <Chat
       selectionWatcher={selectionWatcher}
       chatHandler={chatHandler}
       globalAwareness={globalAwareness}
-      renderMimeRegistry={renderMimeRegistry}
+      rmRegistry={rmRegistry}
     />
   );
   ChatWidget.id = 'jupyter-ai::chat';