How to Deploy Helperbird on Mozilla Firefox

Firefox uses its own policy system. You can force-install Helperbird and push your subscription key with a single policies.json file (cross-platform), or with the Firefox ADMX templates on Windows.

The policies.json File

This single file both force-installs Helperbird (ExtensionSettings) and delivers its managed configuration (3rdparty). Replace the key with your own:

{
 "policies": {
 "ExtensionSettings": {
 "[email protected]": {
 "installation_mode": "force_installed",
 "install_url": "https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/helperbird/latest.xpi"
 }
 },
 "3rdparty": {
 "Extensions": {
 "[email protected]": {
 "subKey": "YOUR-ENTERPRISE-SUBSCRIPTION-KEY",
 "isAdminControl": true
 }
 }
 }
 }
}

Notes:

• ExtensionSettings handles the install; 3rdparty > Extensions delivers the managed config Helperbird reads from storage.managed.
• isAdminControl is the master switch. It must be true or none of the admin values (including subKey) apply.
• The config object is flat, using the same key names as the JSON policy. Optional keys: floatingButton (bool), floatingButtonPosition (string, left or right, default left), disableFeatures (bool) + disabledFeatures (array), excludedDomains (bool) + excludedDomainsList (array), enableTtsWordHighlight (bool), ttsWordHighlightColor (string).

Where to Place policies.json

Put the file in a distribution folder next to the Firefox binary:

• Windows: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\distribution\policies.json
• macOS: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/Resources/distribution/policies.json (deploy via Jamf/your MDM)
• Linux: /etc/firefox/policies/policies.json (or <firefox-install-dir>/distribution/)

Windows Group Policy Option

If you prefer Group Policy on Windows, download the Firefox ADMX templates from github.com/mozilla/policy-templates/releases (opens in a new tab), add them to your Central Store, then configure Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Mozilla > Firefox > Extensions to force-install [email protected]. The 3rdparty/managed-config keys are also exposed through the ADMX under the extension's policy section.

Verify

On a managed device, open Firefox and go to about:policies → the Active tab. You should see the ExtensionSettings (force_installed) and 3rdparty entries for Helperbird. Helperbird will be installed and unable to be removed by the user, with Pro active once the subscription key is read.

References

• Mozilla – Policy templates: ExtensionSettings & 3rdparty (opens in a new tab)
• Mozilla – Customizing Firefox using policies.json (opens in a new tab)