diff --git a/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue b/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
index 67c9afd..edf143a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
           <label>PC types (comma)<input v-model="entryForm.PCTypes" placeholder="* or gea-shopfloor-cmm,..." /></label>
           <label>Target hostnames (comma)<input v-model="entryForm.TargetHostnames" /></label>
           <label>Target machine numbers (comma)<input v-model="entryForm.TargetMachineNumbers" /></label>
-          <label>CMM version gate<input v-model="entryForm._CmmVersion" placeholder="2016 / 2019 / 2026" /></label>
+          <label v-if="isCmmScope">CMM version gate<input v-model="entryForm._CmmVersion" placeholder="2016 / 2019 / 2026" /></label>
 
           <label>Wait timeout (sec)<input type="number" v-model.number="entryForm.WaitTimeoutSec" /></label>
           <label>Log file<input v-model="entryForm.LogFile" /></label>
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@
 </template>
 
 <script setup>
-import { ref } from 'vue'
+import { ref, computed } from 'vue'
 import api from '../../api'
 
 const ENTRY_TYPES = ['MSI', 'EXE', 'CMD', 'BAT', 'PS1', 'INF', 'File', 'Registry']
@@ -285,6 +285,9 @@ const INUSE_BEHAVIORS = ['Defer', 'CloseAndReopen', 'ForceClose', 'ScheduleForRe
 const scopes = ref([])
 const selectedId = ref(null)
 const detail = ref(null)
+// The CMM version gate (_CmmVersion) only applies to CMM scopes; hide it
+// elsewhere so a printer/common entry form is not cluttered with an irrelevant field.
+const isCmmScope = computed(() => /cmm/i.test(detail.value?.scopename || ''))
 const error = ref('')
 const notice = ref('')
 const shareRoot = ref('')
diff --git a/plugins/geenforce/plugin.py b/plugins/geenforce/plugin.py
index 633e782..e90a6ec 100644
--- a/plugins/geenforce/plugin.py
+++ b/plugins/geenforce/plugin.py
@@ -178,6 +178,27 @@ class GeEnforcePlugin(BasePlugin):
                 db.session.commit()
                 click.echo(f"Published {scopename}/{phase} as v{version}.")
 
+        @geenforce_cli.command('seed-applications')
+        @click.option('--shareroot', required=True)
+        @click.option('--preinstall', default=None)
+        def seed_applications_cmd(shareroot, preinstall):
+            """Track the apps the manifests install in the core Applications catalog."""
+            from flask import current_app
+            from .importer import discover_share, load_manifest_file
+            from .service import seed_applications_from_manifests
+
+            with current_app.app_context():
+                sources = list(discover_share(shareroot))
+                if preinstall:
+                    sources.append(('preinstall', 'preinstall',
+                                    load_manifest_file(preinstall)))
+                result = seed_applications_from_manifests(sources)
+                db.session.commit()
+                click.echo(f"Applications: {len(result['created'])} created, "
+                           f"{len(result['existing'])} already tracked.")
+                for name in result['created']:
+                    click.echo(f"  + {name}")
+
         @geenforce_cli.command('export-share')
         @click.argument('scopename')
         @click.option('--shareroot', required=True)
diff --git a/plugins/geenforce/service.py b/plugins/geenforce/service.py
index 590fdee..b7f552c 100644
--- a/plugins/geenforce/service.py
+++ b/plugins/geenforce/service.py
@@ -94,6 +94,45 @@ def rollback_scope(scopename, phase, versionnumber):
     return versionnumber
 
 
+# Entry types that install actual applications (vs File/Registry/PS1/INF config).
+INSTALLER_TYPES = {'MSI', 'EXE', 'CMD', 'BAT'}
+
+
+def seed_applications_from_manifests(manifests):
+    """Populate the core Applications catalog from what the manifests install.
+
+    For every installer entry (MSI/EXE/CMD/BAT) across the given manifests,
+    create an Application (idempotent, deduped by appname) so shopdb tracks the
+    apps GE-Enforce deploys. `manifests` is a list of (scopename, phase, dict).
+    Returns {'created': [...], 'existing': [...]} (uncommitted).
+    """
+    from shopdb.api import Application
+
+    created, existing, seen = [], [], set()
+    for _scopename, _phase, manifest in manifests:
+        for entry in manifest.get('Applications', []):
+            if entry.get('Type') not in INSTALLER_TYPES:
+                continue
+            name = (entry.get('Name') or '').strip()
+            if not name or name.lower() in seen:
+                continue
+            seen.add(name.lower())
+            if Application.query.filter(Application.appname.ilike(name)).first():
+                existing.append(name)
+                continue
+            description = None
+            comment = entry.get('_comment')
+            if comment:
+                description = comment.split('.')[0].strip()[:255]
+            db.session.add(Application(
+                appname=name[:100],
+                appdescription=description,
+                installpath=(entry.get('Installer') or '')[:255] or None,
+                isinstallable=True))
+            created.append(name)
+    return {'created': created, 'existing': existing}
+
+
 def record_enforcement_report(payload):
     """Record one PC's enforcement cycle (observed state). Upserts the latest
     report per (hostname, scopename, phase) and keeps prior ones as history.
diff --git a/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_seed_apps.py b/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_seed_apps.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e1b9580
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_seed_apps.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""GE-Enforce seeds the core Applications catalog from what the manifests install.
+
+Only installer entries (MSI/EXE/CMD/BAT) become Applications; File/Registry/PS1/
+INF config entries do not. Idempotent + deduped by appname.
+"""
+
+from plugins.geenforce import service
+from shopdb.core.models import Application
+
+
+MANIFEST = {
+    'Version': '2.6',
+    'Applications': [
+        {'Name': 'eDNC', 'Type': 'MSI', 'Installer': 'apps/edns.msi',
+         '_comment': 'eDNC (Universal Data Collection). Bundles NTLARS.'},
+        {'Name': 'UDC', 'Type': 'EXE', 'Installer': 'apps/udc.exe'},
+        {'Name': 'Config drop', 'Type': 'File', 'Source': 'configs/x.json',
+         'Destination': 'C:\\x.json'},
+        {'Name': 'Firewall rule', 'Type': 'PS1', 'Script': 'scripts/fw.ps1'},
+        {'Name': 'FMS host pin', 'Type': 'Registry', 'RegPath': 'HKLM:\\x',
+         'RegName': 'y', 'RegValue': 1, 'RegType': 'DWord'},
+    ],
+}
+
+
+def test_seed_only_installer_apps(db):
+    result = service.seed_applications_from_manifests(
+        [('gea-shopfloor-collections', 'runtime', MANIFEST)])
+    service.db.session.commit()
+    assert set(result['created']) == {'eDNC', 'UDC'}
+    names = {a.appname for a in Application.query.all()}
+    assert 'eDNC' in names and 'UDC' in names
+    # config / script / registry entries are not applications
+    assert 'Config drop' not in names
+    assert 'Firewall rule' not in names
+    assert 'FMS host pin' not in names
+    edns = Application.query.filter_by(appname='eDNC').first()
+    assert edns.isinstallable is True
+    assert edns.installpath == 'apps/edns.msi'
+    assert edns.appdescription.startswith('eDNC (Universal Data Collection)')
+
+
+def test_seed_is_idempotent_and_deduped(db):
+    manifests = [('a', 'runtime', MANIFEST), ('b', 'runtime', MANIFEST)]
+    first = service.seed_applications_from_manifests(manifests)
+    service.db.session.commit()
+    # deduped across the two manifests: 2 created, not 4
+    assert len(first['created']) == 2
+    # re-run: nothing new, both already tracked
+    second = service.seed_applications_from_manifests(manifests)
+    service.db.session.commit()
+    assert second['created'] == []
+    assert set(second['existing']) == {'eDNC', 'UDC'}
+    assert Application.query.filter(Application.appname.in_(['eDNC', 'UDC'])).count() == 2