SE AI Extension Cleaner

The cleanup tool every Joomla site needs

Over time, every Joomla site accumulates clutter. Extensions get installed, tested, and forgotten. Uninstallers leave database tables behind. Upgrade migrations break file structures. SE Extension Cleaner finds all of it, explains what it is, and helps you remove it safely.

Intelligent scanning across five categories

SE Extension Cleaner runs five targeted scans, each using a weighted scoring system to determine whether an item is actively in use, likely unused, or safe to remove.

Components are scored against four criteria: frontend menu items, database content, module references, and enabled state. A component with no menu items, empty tables, and a disabled state scores near zero — a clear candidate for removal. One with active menu items and thousands of database rows scores high and is flagged as in use.

Modules are checked for publish state, page assignments, template position validity, and whether the parent extension is still installed. An unpublished module assigned to a position that doesn't exist in your active template is almost certainly unused. A module whose parent extension has been uninstalled is flagged as orphaned.

Plugins are evaluated on enabled state, file integrity, and parent component relationships. The scanner identifies integration plugins that belong to extensions you've already removed — a common source of clutter after cleanup.

Orphaned tables are database tables that don't match any installed extension. The scanner identifies probable owners using a curated map of 100+ popular Joomla extensions (AcyMailing, Akeeba, HikaShop, Kunena, SP Page Builder, VirtueMart, and many more), cross-referenced with your action log and orphaned schema entries.

Broken files catches extensions registered in the database but with missing or incomplete files on disk. The scanner distinguishes between critical issues (entire directory missing), structural warnings (missing service provider), and harmless manifest mismatches common after Joomla 4/5 upgrades. Smart notes explain deprecated core extensions removed in Joomla 4 and 5, third-party packaging issues, and orphaned integration plugins.

AI-powered analysis — optional, advisory, and multi-provider

New in v2.1.0, you can connect an AI provider to get plain-English explanations of any scan result. Click the Analyse button next to any item and the AI will tell you what it is, whether it's safe to remove, and what risks to watch for.

Four providers are supported: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini. Choose the one you prefer, paste your API key, and test the connection from the dashboard.

For orphaned tables, the AI receives the full column structure — column names, data types, and key information — giving it enough context to identify extensions that the prefix map might miss and to distinguish transient cache tables from important data.

AI is entirely optional. The extension works fully without it. When no AI provider is configured, the Analyse buttons appear greyed out and disabled. No data is sent anywhere until you explicitly click Analyse.

AI responses are cached for seven days to keep API costs minimal. The cache invalidates automatically when scan data changes.

Safety first — always

SE Extension Cleaner never takes action without your explicit confirmation. Every destructive operation (disable, drop table, force uninstall) presents a confirmation dialog explaining exactly what will happen.

Safe Mode, enabled by default, automatically creates an SQL backup before every destructive action. Backups can be downloaded, restored, or deleted from the Backups page. You set the retention limit — from 5 to 200 backup files.

The recommended workflow is always: scan, review, disable, test, then uninstall. The extension encourages this by offering disable as the primary action and keeping uninstall in Joomla's Extension Manager where it belongs.

Safelist, action log, and audit reports

Mark any item as safe to exclude it from future scans. This keeps your scan results focused on items that actually need attention, without losing track of what you've already reviewed.

Every action taken through the extension is recorded in the Action Log with the date, user, action type, extension name, and success/failure status. The log appears on the dashboard and has its own dedicated view.

Generate a comprehensive PDF Site Audit Report covering all five scan types with status badges, detailed breakdowns, and your action history. Individual scan categories can also be exported as CSV files for analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.

Built for Joomla 4, 5 and 6

SE Extension Cleaner is a native Joomla 5/6 component using the modern namespace-based architecture, service providers, and MVC structure. It requires PHP 8.1 or later. The admin interface uses Joomla's standard Bootstrap styling with custom CSS for status badges, progress bars, and AI result panels — no frontend libraries or dependencies.

Requirements

• Joomla 4x, 5.x or 6.x
• PHP 8.1 or later
• MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
• cURL enabled (required for AI analysis and license validation)