Managing Catchpoint Extension Install Conflicts on Chrome Endpoints

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Introduction

The Catchpoint End-User Agent installs the Catchpoint User Experience Chrome extension by adding it to Chrome's ExtensionInstallForcelist via a machine-level registry key. This method ensures the extension is installed automatically, enabling the agent to capture Employee Applications data.

This approach follows Google’s recommended method for deploying extensions in enterprise environments, as outlined in Chrome’s official documentation.

The problem arises when a Chrome User Policy is also used to enforce extension installation through its own ExtensionInstallForcelist. When both the machine-level policy (used by Catchpoint) and the user-level policy try to control extension installations, they can conflict with each other. This conflict may prevent one or both extension lists from applying correctly.

Issue Summary

The Catchpoint End-User Experience Agent installs the Catchpoint User Experience Extension in Google Chrome on Windows by adding a registry key to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist with Value 99 set to "dibilcjfahbokhiodajibcajcabfjein;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx".

This ensures that the Chrome extension is installed and the End-User Agent can capture "Employee Applications" data.

However, if you are pushing Chrome User policy to force install extensions, this may conflict with the machine policy. As a result, some of the extensions in the User policy may not be installed or visible.
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Resolution

To resolve this issue please follow below steps.

  1. Uninstall the Existing Agent

    • Remove the current Catchpoint End-User Experience Agent via Add/Remove Programs or through any automated uninstallation method.

  1. Clean Up Chrome Policy Registry Key

    • Delete the empty registry key at:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist

  1. Reinstall the Catchpoint End-User Experience Agent

    • Install the agent using the following switches:

      --chrome_forced_extension 0
--update_mode 1

    • Note: AutoUpdate currently does not retain the chrome_forced_extension setting. This will be addressed in future releases. To re-enable AutoUpdate after installation, use the --update_mode 0 switch.

  2. Configure Google Chrome User Policy

    • If you're using Chrome User Policy to manage extensions, ensure the Catchpoint User Experience Extension is included in the list of force-installed extensions.
      image.png

    • The extension is available on the Chrome Web Store.

    • Use the Extension ID, which is the last part of the extension’s URL:

      dibilcjfahbokhiodajibcajcabfjein

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  1. Verify Installation

    • Confirm that the Catchpoint User Experience Extension is successfully installed in Chrome.

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Important

If the Catchpoint User Experience Extension is not installed, data from End-User Employee Applications will not be captured. Please test your configuration thoroughly to ensure complete data collection.