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@DevaanshPathak DevaanshPathak released this 21 Jun 05:35
v1.0.0
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Context Capsule v1.0.0 Install Guide

This guide is written for GitHub release users installing Context Capsule from a release zip or a cloned repository.

Context Capsule supports Chromium-based browsers only: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Brave. Firefox is not part of v1.0.0.

What Gets Installed

Context Capsule has two pieces:

  • A Chromium extension in extension/
  • A local Python native messaging host in host/

install.py registers the Python host with your browser. It does not silently install the browser extension, because Chromium requires users to load unpacked extensions manually unless they are distributed through a browser store or enterprise policy.

After installation, capture is driven from the extension popup:

  1. Select text on a web page, or leave nothing selected to use clipboard fallback.
  2. Click the Context Capsule toolbar icon.
  3. Click Capture Current Page.
  4. Paste the generated markdown block into your AI chat or editor.

Requirements

  • Python 3.9 or newer
  • A Chromium-based browser: Chrome, Edge, or Brave
  • pyperclip, installed from requirements.txt
  • Linux only: xclip or xsel for clipboard access

Download

For a GitHub release:

  1. Download the release source zip or tarball.
  2. Extract it somewhere stable, such as:
    • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ContextCapsule
    • macOS: ~/Applications/context-capsule
    • Linux: ~/.local/share/context-capsule
  3. Open a terminal in the extracted context-capsule folder.

Do not delete or move this folder after running install.py; the native messaging registration points to files inside it.

Windows

Open PowerShell in the extracted project folder:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python install.py
python install.py --doctor

What install.py does on Windows:

  • Writes bin/context_capsule_host.cmd
  • Writes native-hosts/com.context_capsule.host.json
  • Registers the native host under HKCU for Chrome, Edge, and Brave

Load the extension:

  1. Open one of:
    • chrome://extensions
    • edge://extensions
    • brave://extensions
  2. Enable Developer Mode.
  3. Click Load unpacked.
  4. Select the extension/ folder inside the extracted Context Capsule folder.
  5. Pin the Context Capsule toolbar icon if you want quick access.

If python is not found, try:

py -3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
py -3 install.py
py -3 install.py --doctor

macOS

Open Terminal in the extracted project folder:

python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 install.py
python3 install.py --doctor

What install.py does on macOS:

  • Writes bin/context_capsule_host
  • Marks the host launcher executable
  • Writes the native host manifest into the current user's browser config directory for Chrome, Edge, and Brave

Load the extension:

  1. Open one of:
    • chrome://extensions
    • edge://extensions
    • brave://extensions
  2. Enable Developer Mode.
  3. Click Load unpacked.
  4. Select the extension/ folder inside the extracted Context Capsule folder.
  5. Pin the Context Capsule toolbar icon if you want quick access.

If macOS prompts about downloaded files, allow Terminal or your browser to access the extracted folder and rerun python3 install.py --doctor.

Linux

Install a clipboard helper first:

sudo apt install xclip
# or
sudo apt install xsel

Then run from the extracted project folder:

python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 install.py
python3 install.py --doctor

What install.py does on Linux:

  • Writes bin/context_capsule_host
  • Marks the host launcher executable
  • Writes the native host manifest into the current user's browser config directory for Chrome, Edge, and Brave

Load the extension:

  1. Open one of:
    • chrome://extensions
    • edge://extensions
    • brave://extensions
  2. Enable Developer Mode.
  3. Click Load unpacked.
  4. Select the extension/ folder inside the extracted Context Capsule folder.
  5. Pin the Context Capsule toolbar icon if you want quick access.

For non-Debian distributions, install the equivalent xclip or xsel package through your system package manager.

Browser-Specific Install

By default, install.py registers all supported Chromium browsers. To register only one browser:

python install.py --browser chrome
python install.py --browser edge
python install.py --browser brave

Use python3 instead of python on macOS or Linux if that is how Python is installed on your machine.

Verify

Run:

python install.py --doctor

On macOS or Linux, use:

python3 install.py --doctor

Expected result:

  • Supported OS is PASS
  • pyperclip dependency is PASS
  • Clipboard access is PASS
  • Host script launch is PASS
  • Native host manifest or browser registration checks are PASS

The stable extension ID for v1.0.0 is:

oaaidckgoilmkbkclbibiibofjdffkjo

Test Capture

Serve the demo page:

python -m http.server 8765

On macOS or Linux, use python3 if needed:

python3 -m http.server 8765

Open:

http://localhost:8765/demo.html

Then:

  1. Click Select sample text.
  2. Click the Context Capsule toolbar icon.
  3. Click Capture Current Page.
  4. Paste into a text editor.

You should see a markdown block with this page title, URL, timestamp, and selected text.

Common Fixes

  • If the popup says the host is missing, rerun python install.py, restart the browser, and reload the unpacked extension.
  • If clipboard access fails on Linux, install xclip or xsel, then rerun python install.py --doctor.
  • If history is empty, capture once from a normal http:// or https:// page, not a browser settings page.
  • If you move the project folder, rerun python install.py from the new location.

Updating

  1. Download and extract the new release.
  2. Run dependency install again: 
    python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
  3. Run: 
    python install.py
python install.py --doctor
  4. Reload the unpacked extension from the browser extensions page.

Use python3 instead of python on macOS or Linux when needed.

Uninstall

  1. Remove the unpacked extension from chrome://extensions, edge://extensions, or brave://extensions.
  2. Delete the extracted Context Capsule folder.
  3. Remove native messaging registration:
    • Windows: remove HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.context_capsule.host, HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Edge\NativeMessagingHosts\com.context_capsule.host, and HKCU\Software\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\NativeMessagingHosts\com.context_capsule.host.
    • macOS: remove com.context_capsule.host.json from each browser's NativeMessagingHosts folder under ~/Library/Application Support/.
    • Linux: remove com.context_capsule.host.json from each browser's NativeMessagingHosts folder under ~/.config/.

History is stored in data/history.sqlite3 inside the project folder, so deleting the folder removes local history.

Release Maintainer Checklist

Before publishing a v1.0.0 GitHub release:

python -m unittest
python install.py --dry-run
python install.py --doctor

Also verify:

  • extension/manifest.json version is 1.0.0
  • packaging/windows/context-capsule.iss AppVersion is 1.0.0
  • The release notes link to this file: docs/install.md
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