# Install, Update and Publish Plugins

> What an admin sees and does: upload a plugin, review its permissions, deploy it, turn it on per channel, update it, roll it back or remove it.

Source: https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/plugins-install

> Coming in Broadcast 3.0. Until then, this page applies only to the Upcoming (edge) build.

This page is for the admin who runs a Broadcast server, and for authors who want to know what that person sees. Only a user with sudo access can manage plugins.

## Install a plugin

1. Go to **Application > Plugins**.
2. In **Upload a plugin**, choose a `.broadcast-plugin` file and click **Upload**.
3. Review the page that opens.
4. Click **Deploy**.
5. Turn the plugin on in each channel that needs it.

Nothing runs until you deploy it and turn it on in a channel.

## What to review

The review page has four parts:

**Where it came from.** A plugin you upload shows **Not from the plugin directory. Install it only if you trust where it came from.**

**Permissions.** What the plugin may do, in plain words. Each one has a level:

| Level | What to check |
|---|---|
| Standard | The plugin needs this for its feature |
| Sensitive | You trust the author |
| Elevated | It is off until you turn it on for a channel |

**What it adds.** Its hooks and pages.

**Code.** The real code that will run, and the manifest. For an update, this shows the changes since the live version.

## Turn it on in a channel

A plugin is installed once on the server and turned on for each channel. You can do this in two places:

- In the **Channels** column of **Application > Plugins**. It opens a list where you tick channels.
- On the channel's plugin page. Open the plugin, find **Channels**, and click **Open**. In the sidebar, this page is **Plugins > In this channel**.

The channel page has a switch for each plugin. **Settings and permissions** holds the plugin's settings and any elevated permissions.

Settings belong to one channel. A secret setting shows **Saved (hidden)** and is never shown again. Leave it empty to keep the saved value.

## Who can see plugin pages

Plugin pages, panels and widgets show only for team members who hold every data permission that the plugin holds in that channel.

## Update a plugin

To update a plugin you uploaded:

1. Upload the file with the new version.
2. Review the changes, then click **Deploy**.

The new code runs from the next call. The channels stay on, and the settings stay saved. Permissions are approved for each version, so review them each time.

A version number can be used once. You cannot upload an older version.

## Roll back

If a new version has a problem, open the plugin and find **Earlier versions**. Click **Roll back** next to the version you want. It goes back to a version you approved before, with the permissions it had.

## Turn off and remove

- To stop a plugin in one channel, use its switch.
- To remove it, open the plugin and click **Remove**. This deletes the plugin, all its versions, settings and stored data on this server. The audit log keeps a record.

## When a plugin keeps failing

A plugin that fails 20 times in a row is turned off in every channel, and the admins get an email. The plugin page shows the last error. To turn it on again, deploy a version or roll back.

## Safe mode

Safe mode stops every plugin at once. Everything else in Broadcast keeps working. Use it if a plugin causes trouble and you cannot reach the web page.

On a managed server, run this:

```bash
./broadcast.sh plugins safe-mode on
```

To go back, run `./broadcast.sh plugins safe-mode off`. On a manual installation, set `BROADCAST_PLUGINS_SAFE_MODE=1` in the server's environment and restart. See [CLI Reference](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/cli-reference).

## Audit log

**Application > Plugins > Audit log** lists who uploaded, deployed, turned on, turned off, rolled back and removed each plugin, and who changed its settings.

## Share your plugin

There is no public plugin directory yet, so there is nowhere to publish a plugin for everyone. To share a plugin today, give the `.broadcast-plugin` file to the person who runs the other server. They upload it and review it as on this page.

Keep these points in mind:

- Your plugin's ID must start with `local.`. Any other ID needs a signature from the plugin directory, and a package without one is refused.
- The other admin sees the warning about the source. Tell them what the plugin does and why it needs each permission. A `README.md` in the package is a good place.
- Send updates as new files with a higher version.

## If you build with an agent or a draft

A draft that is sent for review shows in **Application > Plugins** as **Version x.y.z waits for your approval.** Click **Review and deploy**. From there it is the same review. See [Testing and Debugging Plugins](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/plugins-testing).