Something I've been building quietly has grown into something I'm genuinely proud of, and would love to share it with the Wappler community and the Team (for consideration).
It started as a simple idea: “Help people install my extensions without hunting through README cp blocks.”
That became a browser install wizard, then a standard install manifest format, then a manifest builder for authors - all live on mrcheese.co.uk today, free, no account required.
We hope this helps anyone who ships extensions via GitHub + manual copy (the path many of us use alongside npm / Project Updater). Feedback very welcome.
Index
| Section | For who |
|---|---|
| TL;DR | Everyone |
| The problem | Context |
| For Wappler users - Extension Installer | Installing extensions |
For extension authors - wappler-install.json |
Publishing extensions |
| Manifest Builder | Creating manifests |
| Glossary | Terms |
| Mr Cheese extensions using this today | Examples |
| Note for the Wappler team | Platform & product |
| Links & resources | Quick reference |
TL;DR
wappler-install.json- a small JSON file at the root of an extension Git repo that describes which files to copy where and what to do after (restart Wappler, env vars, designer steps, etc.).- Extension Installer - pick Server Connect / App Connect / both, choose an extension (or paste any public GitHub URL), enter your Wappler project path → get
mkdir+git clone+cpscripts to run locally. - Manifest Builder - create a valid
wappler-install.jsonin your browser and download it for your repo. - Mr Cheese extensions on GitHub already ship this file; the installer fetches it automatically (with a fallback if a repo doesn’t have one yet).
Your README stays the human guide. The manifest is for tools.
The problem
Many community extensions (including ours) are distributed like this:
- Clone or download from GitHub
- Copy files into
extensions/,lib/modules/,public/, etc. - Restart Wappler
Install steps live in README prose - great for reading, awkward for tooling.
Every author writes slightly different cp instructions. Install wizards can’t help without duplicating that data somewhere else - and it drifts out of date when files move.
wappler-install.json is our answer: one machine-readable file, versioned with the extension, that any compatible tool can read.
This is a community proposal (de facto standard), not an official Wappler format - though we’d be delighted if the platform team found it useful.
For Wappler users - Extension Installer
URL: mrcheese.co.uk/extensions/install
What it does
Runs entirely in your browser. It does not write to your machine - it generates terminal commands you review and run.
Typical flow
- Choose layer - Server Connect, App Connect, or Both (e.g. PuSH-IT needs both).
- Pick extension - Mr Cheese catalog, or Custom GitHub repo with any public clone URL.
- Optional - path to an already-cloned repo (skips
git clone). - Enable “Use
wappler-install.jsonfrom the repository” (on by default) - the wizard fetches the manifest from GitHub. - Enter your Wappler project path - the Node project root (
app/,lib/,extensions/). - Step 4 - Commands:
- Create folders -
mkdir -pscript (copyable) - After copy - designer / env / restart notes from the manifest
- Run in terminal - full
git clone+cpscript (copyable)
- Create folders -
A status line tells you whether install data came from the repo manifest or the bundled catalog (fallback).
What you still do manually
- Run the script in your terminal
- Set env vars in Wappler (VAPID, API keys, etc.) - the manifest only points you to the README
- Designer steps (e.g. add Browser component for Redirect-IT)
- Quit Wappler completely and restart
For extension authors - wappler-install.json
What it is
| Filename | wappler-install.json |
| Location | Repository root (next to README.md) |
| Schema | "schema": 1 |
| Purpose | Install automation - not runtime behaviour |
What goes inside
{
"schema": 1,
"id": "redirect-it",
"name": "Redirect-IT",
"version": "1.0.1",
"cloneDir": "Wappler-Redirect-IT-Extension",
"serverConnect": {
"directories": ["extensions/server_connect/modules", "lib/modules"],
"copy": [
{ "src": "redirectit.js", "dest": "lib/modules/redirectit.js" }
],
"notes": [
"Quit Wappler completely and restart."
]
}
}
Server Connect + App Connect in one file? Yes. Use both serverConnect and appConnect sections (see PuSH-IT on GitHub). Install tools merge them when the user picks “Both”.
Live example (raw JSON on GitHub)
- Redirect-IT -
wappler-install.json - PuSH-IT -
wappler-install.json(Server + App Connect)
Fetch URL pattern tools use:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/main/wappler-install.json
What it is not
- Not a replacement for
package.jsonor Project Updater / npm flows - Not a Wappler IDE registration format - you still wire App Connect via Updater or
project.jsonwhere needed - Not a place for secrets - only env var names in notes, never values
Manifest Builder
URL: mrcheese.co.uk/extensions/manifest-builder
Free browser wizard for authors:
- Extension identity (name, id slug, version)
- Layers (Server / App / both)
- Copy map - with shortcuts (e.g. “add Server Connect module files”)
- Post-install notes - with snippets (restart Wappler, env vars, Browser component, npm)
- Preview & export - validate, copy JSON, download
wappler-install.json
Commit the file to your repo root. Mention it in your README Installation section. Done.
JSON Schema (for validators / IDEs): mrcheese.co.uk/data/wappler-install.schema.json
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Git-born extension | Distributed via public Git repo + manual file copy (vs npm-only or marketplace). |
wappler-install.json |
Standard install manifest file (schema v1). |
| Install manifest | Machine-readable copy map + folders + post-install notes. |
| Extension Installer | Mr Cheese wizard that generates mkdir / clone / cp scripts for end users. |
| Manifest Builder | Mr Cheese wizard that helps authors create wappler-install.json. |
serverConnect section |
Copy paths for HJSON steps, lib/modules/, routes hooks, etc. |
appConnect section |
Copy paths for components, public/js, public/css, service workers. |
| Bundled catalog | Fallback install data on mrcheese.co.uk when a repo has no manifest or fetch fails. |
| Schema v1 | Current manifest version ("schema": 1). Breaking changes would increment this. |
Mr Cheese extensions using this today
All listed on mrcheese.co.uk/extensions. Each repo root includes wappler-install.json + README install section.
| Extension | GitHub | Manifest |
|---|---|---|
| PuSH-IT | Wappler-PuSH-IT-Extension | Server + App Connect |
| Redirect-IT | Wappler-Redirect-IT-Extension | Server Connect |
| ClickSend SMS | Wappler-ClickSend-SMS-Extension | Server Connect |
| Cache Machine | Wappler-Cache-Machine-Extension | Server Connect |
| Wap-Lastic | Wap-Lastic-Wappler-Elastic-Search-Extension | Server Connect |
| Generate Auth Code | Wappler-Generate-Auth-Code-Extension | Server Connect |
Try the installer with PuSH-IT and Both selected - you’ll see both copy maps and notes pulled from one manifest file.
Note for the Wappler team
A short note for @George @patrick @Teodor and extensibility folks - feel free to skip if you’re here to install extensions.
Context
Wappler’s documented distribution paths include npm + wappler-extension + Project Updater (especially App Connect). Many community extensions - including Mr Cheese’s - also ship as flat Git repos with README cp instructions for Server Connect modules, routes hooks, and manual App Connect file drops.
There is no shared, tool-readable install metadata for that Git path today.
What we’re proposing
A minimal, optional convention:
- One file:
wappler-install.jsonat repo root - Schema v1:
copy[](src → dest),directories[],notes[], optionalserverConnect/appConnectsections - Tool-agnostic: any client can fetch from GitHub raw and generate install scripts
We are not asking Wappler to implement this in core - we’ve dogfooded it on mrcheese.co.uk. If the team ever wanted to:
- Document it alongside custom extensions
- Add IDE / Updater hooks to read install manifests
- Or standardise a filename / schema officially
…we’d be happy to collaborate. The JSON Schema lives in Wappler-Git-Extension-Manifest-Standard on GitHub.
Gaps we’re not claiming to solve
- IDE extension registration (
.wappler/project.json, component picker) - PHP Server Connect layouts (schema v1 is Node-oriented; PHP could be a future
schema: 2section) - Replacing npm publish workflows
Why we built it
- Single source of truth - install paths live in the repo that ships the files
- Less README drift - tools read JSON; README covers env vars, examples, troubleshooting
- Community-friendly - any Git-born author can adopt without Mr Cheese approval
Links & resources
Specification (this standard)
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| GitHub repo | Wappler-Git-Extension-Manifest-Standard |
| JSON Schema (v1) | wappler-install.schema.json |
Mr Cheese (live tools)
| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Extension catalog | mrcheese.co.uk/extensions |
| Extension Installer | mrcheese.co.uk/extensions/install |
| Manifest Builder | mrcheese.co.uk/extensions/manifest-builder |
We’re proud of this - and we hope it helps
Honestly: watching this go from “can we generate a bash script?” to a reusable convention other authors can adopt has been one of the most satisfying side-projects we’ve shipped for the Wappler ecosystem.
It’s free, browser-based, and doesn’t lock you in - if you never use the tools, a wappler-install.json in your repo still documents install paths clearly for humans and future tooling.
If you try the Installer or Manifest Builder, or add a manifest to your own extension repo, we’d love to hear how it went - what’s confusing, what’s missing, whether the Wappler team sees value in something like this longer term.
Thanks for reading and any consideration and feedback!
Full documentation and outline is available here:
