Error messages · Chrome extension
Service worker registration failed. Status code: 15
What you see
Service worker registration failed. Status code: 15
Why it happens
Chrome couldn’t start the extension’s background file. Usually the file named in "service_worker" is missing or misnamed, or the code stops with an error as soon as it runs, for example because it uses window, document or chrome.browserAction, which don’t exist in a Manifest V3 service worker.
The fix
- rightsocket does this Checks that every file the manifest names was in what you pasted, and lists the missing ones.
- rightsocket does this Renames chrome.browserAction and other Manifest V2 calls so the worker doesn’t stop on its first line.
- You do this If it still fails, click Errors on the extension’s card in chrome://extensions and paste that message here.
What changed, and when
- 24 July 2025, Chrome: Chrome 138: Manifest V2 extensions disabled for all users on all channels, with no option to turn them back on. Chrome 139 then removed the enterprise policy that kept them working.
Sources
- Stack Overflow: "Service worker registration failed. Status code: 15"
- Chrome for Developers: Update your code (Manifest V3 API changes)
Other chrome extension errors
- Manifest version 2 is deprecated
- Manifest is not valid JSON
- Could not load icon specified in the manifest
- Refused to execute inline script (Content Security Policy)
- chrome.browserAction is undefined (Manifest V3)
- 'browser_action' requires manifest version of 2 or lower
- 'webRequestBlocking' requires manifest version of 2 or lower
- Permission is unknown or URL pattern is malformed
- Invalid value for 'web_accessible_resources[0]'