# Deploy own themes and plugins, but don't overwrite other plugins/themes that are installed through WP Admin dashboard

**URL:** https://discourse.roots.io/t/deploy-own-themes-and-plugins-but-dont-overwrite-other-plugins-themes-that-are-installed-through-wp-admin-dashboard/18558
**Category:** bedrock
**Tags:** deploys
**Created:** 2020-06-29T09:53:39Z
**Posts:** 3

## Post 1 by @baardbaard — 2020-06-29T09:53:39Z

Normally I like the way Bedrock has all themes and plugins in Composer, but I have some smaller clients that I host on a small DO droplet that I run with Trellis. Updating their plugins and themes is a bit of a pain with Composer, and I am looking if there’s a possibility to update them in the WP admin directly (or through something like ManageWP).

By setting `Config::define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS', false);` in `/config/environments/production.php` I’ve enabled the option to install plugins and themes through the WordPress admin dashboard, but whenever I deploy my custom theme or plugin, it will overwrite any plugins or themes I’ve installed through the WordPress admin dashboard.

[I found a thread that gives a solution to this problem by excluding the themes and/or plugins folders from the release](https://discourse.roots.io/t/does-bedrock-trellis-disable-the-ability-to-add-install-plugins-via-admin/6925/6), but if I add plugins and themes to `project_shared_children`, my own themes and plugins don’t get deployed.

Is there any way to deploy my themes/plugins and not manage the other plugins through Composer?

---

## Post 2 by @swalkinshaw — 2020-06-29T22:56:01Z

I’m not sure you can have the best of both worlds here. If you want to be able to update a plugin via the Admin, the easiest way to achieve that is to remove it from `composer.json`. Then when you deploy it won’t be overridden?

---

## Post 3 by @baardbaard — 2020-06-30T06:57:09Z

Thanks @swalkinshaw, I thought that wouldn’t work, so I just tried it again. So this is what I’m doing:

1. I have a `composer.json` that installs the WP Migrate DB Pro plugin and a couple of add-ons. Otherwise I don’t have any plugins in `composer.json`.
2. I install some plugins on the server with `WP CLI`
3. I run `./bin/deploy production sitename`
4. I check my production server and the plugins I’ve installed through WP CLI are no longer there

If I understand you correctly, I should expect the plugins I’ve installed through WP CLI to still be there, or am I missing something?

---

## Post 4 by @system — 2020-08-10T09:53:41Z

This topic was automatically closed after 42 days. New replies are no longer allowed.