Extension installed from Chrome Webstore throws error "Package is invalid. Details: 'Cannot load extension with file or directory name _metadata...'

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Don Rhummy picture Don Rhummy · May 28, 2014 · Viewed 39.7k times · Source

When a CRX is added to the Chrome web store, Google adds a directory _metadata to the crx. Older versions of Chrome do not know about this directory (tested on Chrome 27) and throw this error:

Package is invalid. Details: 'Cannot load extension with file or directory name
_metadata. Filenames starting with "_" are reserved for use by the system.'.

You can see this error if you try to install this extension on an older version of Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/allcast-receiver/hjbljnpdahefgnopeohlaeohgkiidnoe

A good explanation: https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msg/chromium-apps/huDqSeaQx3Q/Z5GOMxA7lQIJ

Is there a workaround for this? This makes it impossible to support older versions of Chrome.

Answer

Adam l picture Adam l · Apr 24, 2015

You can try to unzip the CRX (change the suffix name to ".zip" if needed) and then in chrome: Settings -> Extensions check "Developer mode", choose "load unpacked extension.." and select the extracted folder.

P.S. I had to rename the folders starting with "_" (underscore) and remove the line "default_locale":"en", from the manifest JSON in order for that to work

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