Userscripts.org

Attention, Google Chrome users.
In a recent update in Chrome canary and dev channels, Google Chrome can't install userscripts from sources outside the Google Play Store. If you try to click on "Install" on a userscript.org page, you'll get the warning "Extensions, apps and user scripts cannot be installed from this web site", and nothing happens.

According to this post in a Chromium issue discussione:
http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail...

"This change was made to protect users. Off-store extensions have become a popular attack vector for compromising users of larger sites (e.g. Facebook). Since the trend is only getting worse, we're putting the power back in the user's hands by allowing them to control where extensions are installed from. By default, the Chrome Webstore is the only source, but users and administrators will be able to add other safe sources as they see fit."

This is some odd decision that tries to secure the noob but actually annoys the experienced. There *is* a workaround, though:
1. download the userscript you want to install;
2. open the url chrome://chrome/extensions/ ;
3. drag the userscript .user.js file and drop it to the page above.

At the present time, there's no way to revert to the old behaviour, not a flag in the chrome://flags page, not even a command line option. I hope this won't land on the stable channel before some changes, like a flag "Enable installing extensions, apps and user scripts from unknown sources" (Android style) or even better a management of a secure web site list in the settings page.

Does Chrome have a list of sites allows to install scripts, similar to Firefox's feature to control which sites can install extensions? That post certainly sounds as though there must be a list somewhere.

A start-up parameter is making the rounds that you can use alternatively to enable off-site installations in the Chrome browser. For that, you need to start Chrome with the --enable-easy-off-store-extension-install parameter.

When you start Chrome now you should be able to install extensions and userscripts from third party sites as well.

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/06/12/chrome-fix-ext...

Personally have not tested it yet.

That commandline does not work.

However the dragging and dropping works. Chrome can go screw themselves with this new change haha.

This will pretty much drive off 99% of casual Chrome users. We need to raise some serious backlash to make them get rid of this Apple-esque walled garden bullshit.

Other workaround is to install Tampermonkey or NinjaKit.

Yeah people like us will work around it, but average users won't, mainly because the error message is misleading:

"Extensions, apps and user scripts can only be installed from the Chrome Web Store."

1. You CAN install extensions outside the Chrome Web Store; it's just that you now have to jump through ridiculous hoops to do so.
2. You CAN NOT install userscripts from the Chrome Web Store because it doesn't even host them.

Honestly, this just seems like an attempt to coerce independent devs into buying into their web store.

I posted about it on the Chromium forum:
https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/...
Please make your opinions heard!

chrome.exe --enable-easy-off-store-extension-install

Fixes it for me with latest Chrome on Win7

I'm using Firefox again. If Chrome doesn't change this, I will uninstall it. The Google Chrome guys made a stupid decision

There is a setting to enable Userscripts for Chrome, but it is a registry hack. You need to create a value under the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallSources". Each value can then be added in a separate value as "1"="http://userscripts.org/*" (next being "2" etc). Simple way, cope the data below into a text file and save it as "UserscriptsForChrome.reg" (or similar) and then double click the file, it will add the registry entries for you. Restart Chrome and Userscripts will work again.


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallSources]
"1"="http://userscripts.org/*"


Oh and to note, if you use Windows in 64-bit the key is "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallSources"

For Linux and Mac read here as I'm not sure where the value needs to be set for those OS's:
http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-l...

Or argument "--enable-easy-off-store-extension-install" in command line.
http://peter.sh/experiments/chromium-command-li...

I just noticed this restriction. I think it's a good decision to block installation of scripts. But the Google Play Store should be blocked also by default. The way it is currently is just wrongheaded.

Use Tampermonkey extension:)

chrome.exe --enable-easy-off-store-extension-install
worked for me also in Chrome/Windows 7
Thanks!

You can also use a chrome flag to enable off store installation. Here is the link on how to enable it http://www.techscio.com/off-store-extension-userscripts-installation/

On a Mac this is one way to add the flag: open Applescript Editor, paste in this code and save as an application (I imagine saving as a script would work fine too) then run it to open Chrome:

do shell script "open -a /Applications/Google\\ Chrome.app --args --enable-easy-off-store-extension-install"

Alex - thanks but that's the same answer already posted multiple times in this thread.

"Our hope and belief is that this installation mechanism will be sufficiently complex that it will reduce the number of off-store extension installs performed. But we can measure this to be sure. If it doesn't help, we'll try something else." - http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail...

This sounds as if they're planning to disable the command line argument, the registry key, TamperMonkey etc. when there are too many people avoiding their store.