Single source of truth for Birkly CMS documentation

Install plugins, themes, and template packs from the Birkly Marketplace directly in your CMS admin. Free official plugins install in one click; paid and third-party offers require checkout and a license key.

Open Plugins → Marketplace in the admin to browse the catalog, install free official extensions, or activate a license for paid offers. Before install, the CMS shows a permission consent screen listing what the plugin can access. Updates download from the registry with SHA-256 verification. Marketplace buyer accounts are separate from your CMS login.

Beginner

Install a free official plugin

  1. Log in to admin (/admin).
  2. Go to Plugins → Marketplace.
  3. Find an official Birkly offer (Commerce, Events, Automation, User Management).
  4. Review the permissions summary if prompted.
  5. Click Install — no checkout or license key needed for free official plugins.
  6. Enable the plugin from the Plugins list if it is not enabled automatically.

Buy and install a paid or third-party extension

  1. Browse marketplace.birkly.cloud/catalog or the CMS Marketplace tab.
  2. Click Purchase or Buy on the offer.
  3. Complete checkout with your email (Stripe for paid offers).
  4. Return to Plugins → Marketplace → Activate license (or paste the key from your email).
  5. Review permission consent — read what data and admin areas the plugin requests.
  6. Accept and Install. The CMS downloads, verifies, and extracts the plugin.
  7. Enable the plugin if needed.

Permission consent

Every marketplace install shows what the plugin declared in its manifest:

  • Permissions — admin capabilities (for example manage collections, read settings).
  • Hooks — events the plugin listens to (for example entry saved, user login).
  • Data access — read or write access to entries, media, users, or settings.

You must accept before install proceeds. Consent is recorded per offer version. If a new version requests additional access, you see the consent screen again. See Security and review for denylist and revoking access.

Updates

When a newer version is available, use Update on the Marketplace tab. The CMS re-downloads from the registry and verifies the checksum. Subscription licenses must stay active for updates to succeed.

Seat limits

Licenses bind to your site's installation ID. A single-site tier allows one CMS install. Multi-site tiers cover staging plus production. If activation fails with a seat error, deactivate on an old install or upgrade your license tier.

Advanced Users

Installation flow

  1. GET /api/v1/offer?slug={slug} — resolve latest release and permissions_manifest.
  2. Consent check — consent_required when no record exists for {slug, version} in settings/marketplace_consent.json.
  3. License activation — license_key + installation_id for paid offers.
  4. Artifact download — verify SHA-256, preflight zip structure, extract to plugins/.

Configuration

| Setting | Purpose | |---------|---------| | BIRKLY_MARKETPLACE_URL | Override marketplace base URL (staging) | | settings/marketplace.json | Persistent marketplace_url | | installation_id | Auto-generated local UUID for license seats |

Subscription licenses

Offers with pricing.model: subscription require an active Stripe Billing subscription. CMS update checks call license status; lapsed subscriptions block updates until renewal at marketplace My subscriptions.

Manual fallback

Download the release zip from My purchases, verify SHA-256 from the offer page, extract to plugins/. Paid plugins may still enforce license checks at runtime.

Refunds

Request refunds within the policy window from My purchases. On approval, the license is revoked and paid features may stop receiving updates.