Remote Extension Installation - akeeba/panopticon GitHub Wiki

You can get to this page by clicking Overview, Remote Extension Installation in the main menu.

This page allows you to install an extension (Joomla component, module, plugin, or package; WordPress plugin or theme) on multiple sites at once. You provide either a download URL or upload a package file, select the target sites, and Panopticon handles the installation on all of them in the background.

How to use it

Step 1: Select sites

The first page shows all the sites you have permission to manage. Use the search box and filters to narrow down the list.

Check the box next to each site you want to install the extension on. Your selections are remembered across pages — you can navigate through paginated results without losing your choices. Use the checkbox in the header row to select or deselect all sites on the current page.

When you're ready, click the Continue to Review button.

Step 2: Review and install

The review page shows a summary of your selected sites and lets you provide the extension package.

Warnings. If you selected sites with different CMS types (Joomla and WordPress), you will be asked to remove one type — a single extension package cannot work on both CMSes. If your selected sites run different CMS or PHP versions, you'll see a warning reminding you that the extension may not be compatible with all versions.

Providing the extension. You can either:

  • URL: Paste a direct download URL to the extension package (ZIP file). The remote site will download it directly from this URL.
  • File upload: Upload a package file from your computer. Panopticon will send the file to each remote site.

Click the Install Extension button to start the installation.

What happens next

Panopticon creates a background task that processes each site one at a time. The task:

  1. Sends the extension package (via URL or file upload) to each site's connector API
  2. Records the result for each site (success, failed, or disabled)
  3. After all sites are processed, sends you a summary email and Web Push notification
  4. Cleans up any temporary files

You can monitor the task's progress in the Tasks page.

The summary email

After all sites have been processed, you will receive an email with:

  • The total number of sites processed
  • How many succeeded, failed, or had remote installation disabled
  • A per-site table showing the site name, status, and any messages from the remote site

Remote installation disabled

Each connector extension has an option to disable remote extension installation. When a site has this option disabled, the installation is skipped for that site and reported as "Disabled" in the summary — it does not count as a failure.

To enable or disable remote installation on a site:

  • Joomla 4/5/6: Go to Components, Panopticon, Options. Toggle the "Allow Remote Extension Installation" option.
  • Joomla 3: Go to Extensions, Plugins. Edit the "System - Panopticon" plugin. Toggle the "Allow Remote Extension Installation" option.
  • WordPress: Go to Settings, Panopticon. Toggle the "Allow Remote Extension Installation" option.

Permissions

Any logged-in user can access the Remote Extension Installation page. However, you can only install extensions on sites where you have the panopticon.admin or panopticon.run privilege. Sites you don't have permission to manage will not appear in the site selection list.

Troubleshooting

"Remote extension installation is disabled on this site" — The connector on the remote site has disabled remote installation. See the section above on how to enable it.

Installation failed with an HTTP error — Check that the connector extension is properly installed and configured on the remote site. Review the task log files for detailed error messages. See also Connection Troubleshooting.

The extension installed but doesn't work — Panopticon only handles the installation step. If the extension itself has compatibility issues with the site's CMS or PHP version, those are outside of Panopticon's control. Pay attention to the version mismatch warnings on the review page.