Joomla 4 → 5 → 6 LIVE Double-Upgrade + BC-Plugin Tour

Written by: Shahbaz Latif Created: 01 July 2026

Category: Watch Me Work Live Streams

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Watch me Work Live Streams

Today on Watch Me Work I'm doing a two-hop live upgrade of a real Joomla 4 site — Joomla 4 → 5 → 6 — using StageIt to clone the live site into a staging environment first (Rule 0 of any real major upgrade), then running both upgrades on the stage with cs-mcp-for-j (Cybersalt's Joomla → MCP extension) helping drive the work. Once we're on Joomla 6, the interesting part: turning off the backwards-compatibility plugins (plg_behaviour_compat and plg_behaviour_compat6) and seeing what actually breaks. If you've been putting off your Joomla 6 upgrade because you're still on J4 and don't know where to start, or because you're not sure your extensions are ready — this one's for you. Here's what I'll cover live:
✅ Rule 0 — never do a J6 upgrade on live. Clone with StageIt first.
✅ Site tour — a real Cybersalt-managed Joomla 4.4.14 site with a stack of vendor extensions (JCE, JMP File Manager, JoomlaCK family, Regular Labs, ConvertForms, Phoca, Akeeba)
✅ Pre-flight discipline — Akeeba backup, DB snapshot, extension audit, Joomla Update's own pre-update check at each hop
✅ Hop 1: Joomla 4 → Joomla 5 on the stage (admin path, extension-compat panel, what to do with vendor warnings)
✅ Hop 2: Joomla 5 → Joomla 6 on the stage (admin path + the new cs-mcp-for-j Joomla Update tools)
✅ What the J6 backwards-compat plugins actually do — plg_behaviour_compat + plg_behaviour_compat6
✅ Why cs-mcp-for-j REFUSES to disable the BC plugins for you (and why that's the right instinct)
✅ Turning BC off manually via the admin UI — the safe way
✅ Walking the site with BC off — every extension surface, what still works, what fatals
✅ How to recover if you lock yourself out (direct DB, quickly)
✅ Chat Q&A cs-mcp-for-j is free (GPL-2-or-later) and installs on any Joomla 5 or 6 site. Turns your Joomla into its own MCP server so Claude can manage it directly — no local Node/Python install. StageIt is a staging manager for Joomla 4/5/6 — clones your live site into a /stageit/ subdirectory so you can test upgrades before touching production.
🔗 Links mentioned:

cs-mcp-for-j on GitHub: https://github.com/cybersalt/cs-mcp-f...
cs-mcp-for-j on Cybersalt: https://www.cybersalt.com/extensions/...
Joomla 5 upgrade docs: https://docs.joomla.org/J5.x:Upgradin...
Joomla 6 upgrade docs: https://docs.joomla.org/J6.x:Upgradin...
Joomla Backwards Compatibility Plugin docs: https://docs.joomla.org/J5.x:Backward...
Cybersalt Consulting: https://www.cybersalt.com

00:00:00 – Intro,sponsors,Canada Day Stream & Joomla Security Update

00:03:30 – Migrating Joomla 4 to Joomla 6

00:10:30 – Backup Strategy & MCP4J Setup

00:19:00 – Testing the Backwards Compatibility Plugin

00:29:30 – Joomla 5 to Joomla 6 Upgrade

00:37:30 – MCP4J and Claude on a Second Joomla Site

00:43:00 – Fixing Joomla 6 Compatibility Issues

01:00:00 – Resolving Extension Compatibility Problems

01:14:00 – Verifying Joomla 6 Native Support

01:22:00 – Remote Joomla Recovery Tools

01:27:00 – Adjo Admin Fields Extension Demo

01:44:00 – Claude AI for Joomla Content Automation

01:47:00 – Wrap-Up & Happy Canada Day

Summary

Canada Day Stream & Joomla Upgrade Plan
Tim opens the livestream with a recap of the recent JCE vulnerability, then outlines a real-world migration of Joomla sites from Joomla 4 to Joomla 5 and finally Joomla 6, emphasizing careful preparation before major upgrades.
Preparing for Joomla 5 Migration
He reviews extension compatibility, explains the purpose of Joomla's Backwards Compatibility plugin, stresses the importance of creating reliable off-site backups, and installs MCP4J to connect the site with Claude AI.
Testing the Backwards Compatibility Plugin
Tim experiments with disabling Joomla's Backwards Compatibility plugin to understand its impact, while updating several third-party extensions and confirming they continue working correctly.
Upgrading from Joomla 5 to Joomla 6
After switching templates to Joomla-native versions, he demonstrates that Joomla 6 upgrades require disabling the Backwards Compatibility plugin, highlighting an important prerequisite for successful migrations.
Troubleshooting a Broken Joomla Site
Using a second website, Tim intentionally breaks the installation by disabling the compatibility plugin, illustrating how easily upgrade issues can occur during real migrations.
Recovering the Site with Manual Fixes
When AI tools cannot restore the disabled plugin, Tim manually repairs the site through phpMyAdmin and cPanel, clears Joomla caches, and demonstrates practical disaster recovery techniques.
Identifying Extension Compatibility Issues
Further troubleshooting reveals that specific third-party extensions, including Image Effect CK and AcyMailing, contribute to compatibility problems, leading to updates that restore Joomla 6 functionality.
Verifying Joomla 6 Compatibility
Tim updates StageIt, switches template styles to Joomla 6, and confirms the migrated site operates correctly after resolving extension conflicts and compatibility issues.
Exploring Helpful Joomla Administration Tools
The livestream concludes with demonstrations of JW Osman's remote administration extension, an introduction to Adjo Admin Fields, and a workflow for using Claude AI to archive newsletter emails as Joomla articles.
Migration Lessons & Closing Remarks
Tim summarizes the key lessons from migrating to Joomla 6: always back up first, verify extension compatibility, understand the Backwards Compatibility plugin, and be prepared to perform manual recovery steps when automated tools are insufficient before wishing viewers a Happy Canada Day.