What this enables

• Force-install the extension for users (no manual install).
• Pre-configure managed settings (via chrome.storage.managed) so the extension knows which ScreenSteps “setup page” to use.

The extension currently supports one managed setting:

• setupUrl(string): Full URL to your ScreenSteps extension setup page (example: https://help.yourdomain.com/extension/setup).

Managed storage schema (copy/paste)

This is the extension’s managed storage schema:

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "setupUrl": {
      "title": "ScreenSteps Setup URL",
      "description": "The full URL to your ScreenSteps extension setup page (e.g., 'https://acme.screenstepslive.com/extension/setup' or 'https://help.yourcustomdomain.com/extension/setup')",
      "type": "string"
    }
  }
}

Extension IDs (choose the correct one)

Use the ID that matches the store listing you deploy.

• Chrome Web Store: kjnpdblaciideghjecicchjnjpmodnfp
• Microsoft Edge Add-ons: mmhfdlbngmgnfphepihackgejcjepmkj

Deployment checklist

• Decide browser: Chrome/Edge
• Force-install the extension
• Set managed configuration (setupUrl)
• Verify in the extension service worker console

1. Force-install the extension (Chrome / Edge)

   Use your MDM / policy tooling to force-install the extension by ID.

   You’ll need:

   • Chrome update URL (Chrome Web Store): https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx
   • Edge update URL (Edge Add-ons): https://edge.microsoft.com/extensionwebstorebase/v1/crx

   If your environment uses offline CRX distribution or a private store, use your standard method for that and still apply the managed configuration in the next section.

   Example: ExtensionSettings (copy/paste)

   Chrome (Chrome Web Store):

   {
     "kjnpdblaciideghjecicchjnjpmodnfp": {
       "installation_mode": "force_installed",
       "update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"
     }
   }

   Edge (Edge Add-ons):

   {
     "mmhfdlbngmgnfphepihackgejcjepmkj": {
       "installation_mode": "force_installed",
       "update_url": "https://edge.microsoft.com/extensionwebstorebase/v1/crx"
     }
   }

2. Configure managed storage (setupUrl)

   The extension reads managed settings from chrome.storage.managed (Chromium browsers).

   Set the value:

   • Key: setupUrl
   • Value: https://<your-domain>/extension/setup

   Windows (Registry / GPO) — managed storage keys

   Managed extension storage is written under the browser policy hive:

   • Chrome:
     • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\3rdparty\extensions\<extension_id>\policy
   • Edge:
     • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\3rdparty\extensions\<extension_id>\policy

   Example .reg (copy/paste and customize):

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   ; ScreenSteps Sidekick managed storage policy
   ; Requires Administrator privileges
   
   ; Chrome
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\3rdparty\extensions\<CHROME_EXTENSION_ID>\policy]
   "setupUrl"="https://<your-domain>/extension/setup"
   
   ; Edge
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\3rdparty\extensions\<EDGE_EXTENSION_ID>\policy]
   "setupUrl"="https://<your-domain>/extension/setup"

   macOS (Configuration Profile / .mobileconfig) — Chrome managed storage

   On macOS, extension managed storage must be delivered by a configuration profile (MDM).

   Chrome extension managed settings use the preference domain:

   • com.google.Chrome.extensions.<extension_id>

   Within that, use a Forced payload and set:

   • mcx_preference_settings.setupUrl = "https://<your-domain>/extension/setup"

   Example payload snippet (copy/paste and customize):

   <key>PayloadContent</key>
   <array>
     <dict>
       <key>PayloadContent</key>
       <dict>
         <key>com.google.Chrome.extensions.<CHROME_EXTENSION_ID></key>
         <dict>
           <key>Forced</key>
           <array>
             <dict>
               <key>mcx_preference_settings</key>
               <dict>
                 <key>setupUrl</key>
                 <string>https://your-domain/extension/setup</string>
               </dict>
             </dict>
           </array>
         </dict>
       </dict>
       <key>PayloadType</key>
       <string>com.apple.ManagedClient.preferences</string>
     </dict>
   </array>

3. Verify the policy is applied

   Verify in the browser

   • Chrome: open chrome://policy and confirm policies are present.
   • Edge: edge://policy often does not show extension-level managed storage. Use the runtime verification below.

   Verify from the extension (recommended)

   1. Open chrome://extensions/ (Chrome) or edge://extensions/ (Edge)
   2. Enable Developer mode
   3. Find “ScreenSteps Sidekick” and click Service worker to open DevTools for the background context
   4. In the console, run:

   chrome.storage.managed.get(null, console.log);

   Expected output includes:

   { setupUrl: "https://<your-domain>/extension/setup" }

Troubleshooting

• Policy changes not taking effect:
  • Fully quit and relaunch the browser (on macOS: Cmd+Q)
  • On Windows, ensure policies are set in HKLM (machine-level) if you expect them to apply to all users
• Wrong extension ID:
  • Confirm the ID in chrome://extensions/ / edge://extensions/ (Developer mode shows it)
  • Ensure you used the correct Chrome vs Edge ID for the store listing you deployed
• Managed settings are empty ({}):
  • Confirm the policy path/domain exactly matches the extension ID
  • Confirm your MDM/GPO is actually deploying the payload to the target device/user group