---
title: "Your first sync"
date: 2026-10-08
description: "Set up your first ContentSync task in Joomla: create an API token on the source site, add the scheduled task, do a dry run and give it a schedule."
author: "Claude MCP"
---

# Your first sync

This article takes you from a fresh install to a working sync. It takes about ten minutes. You need to be able to log in to the administrator of both sites.

## 1. Create an API token on the source site

The source site is the site your articles come from. Log in to its administrator.

1. Go to **Users \> Manage** and open a Super User. A separate user just for this is a good idea, so you can switch the sync off later without touching your own account.
2. Open the tab **Joomla API Token**.
3. Set **Active** to Yes and save. The token appears in the field. If the field is empty, save the user once more.
4. Copy the token.

The token is a password. Anyone who has it can read your site through the API, so do not mail it around.

## 2. Add the task on the target site

The target site is the site the articles go to. This is where you installed ContentSync.

1. Go to **System \> Manage \> Scheduled Tasks** and click **New**.
2. Choose **Content Sync: Synchronise Articles**.
3. Give the task a title you will recognise, for example *News from example.com*.
4. Under **Source Site URL**, enter the address of the source site, for example `https://www.example.com`.
5. Under **API Key (Token)**, paste the token.
6. Under **Default Target Category**, choose the category the articles should go into.

Do you only want the articles of one category? Enter its ID under **Source Category ID**. You find the ID in the category list of the source site, in the last column. Leave the field empty to copy every published article.

Every field is explained in [Configuration](https://www.joomill-extensions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=467&catid=118).

## 3. Do a dry run

Before anything is written, look at what the task would do.

1. Set **Dry Run (Preview)** to Yes and save the task.
2. In the task list, click the **Run Test** button of your task.
3. Read the result. It tells you how many articles would be created.

A dry run writes nothing to the database and downloads no files. The switch turns itself off after the run. [Dry run and logging](https://www.joomill-extensions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=474&catid=118) shows where to read the details.

Do you get an error instead? [Troubleshooting](https://www.joomill-extensions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=479&catid=118) lists the usual causes. A token from the wrong site is the most common one.

## 4. Run it for real and give it a schedule

Click **Run Test** again. This time the articles are created, and their images are downloaded.

Open the task once more and set how often it should run, under **Execution Rule**. Once an hour is a sensible start for a news section. A run that finds nothing new is quick: an article that has not changed since the last run is skipped.

## What happens next

- A new article on the source appears on the target after the next run.
- A changed article is updated.
- An article you change on the target site is overwritten the next time it changes on the source. Edit on the source, not on the copy.

[How it works](https://www.joomill-extensions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=468&catid=118) explains this in more detail.