whyEXT

Multi-extension monorepo for cross-browser extensions.

About

whyEXT is a local-first, privacy-first monorepo for browser extensions. Each extension is developed as an independent module under extensions/<name>, with shared build tooling, docs, and release workflow in one repository.

Design goals:

• Ship focused utilities that solve one job well
• Keep permissions minimal and behavior transparent
• Support both Chrome-based browsers and Firefox from the same codebase

Project tracking

• Product context: PRODUCT_CONTEXT.md
• Tech stack decision: TECH_STACK.md
• Roadmap: ROADMAP.md
• Change history: CHANGELOG.md
• Contributing guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Security policy: SECURITY.md
• Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER.md
• License: LICENSE
• Release readiness: RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md

Documentation index

• Main guide: README.md
• Product context: PRODUCT_CONTEXT.md
• Tech stack decision: TECH_STACK.md
• Roadmap: ROADMAP.md
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
• Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Security: SECURITY.md
• Code of Conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
• Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER.md
• License: LICENSE
• Release readiness: RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
• Extension docs: extensions/dark-mode/README.md
• Extension docs: extensions/image-quick-save/README.md
• Extension docs: extensions/youtube-subbar/README.md
• Extension template: extensions/_template/README.md
• Shared package docs: packages/shared/README.md
• PR template: .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
• Issue template (bug): .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md
• Issue template (feature): .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md
• Release notes template: .github/RELEASE_NOTES_TEMPLATE.md

Repository layout

• extensions/<extension-name>/src: source files
• extensions/<extension-name>/dist: build output
• extensions/_template: starter template for new extensions
• packages/shared: common helpers/types for multi-extension reuse
• scripts/build.js: generic builder for Chrome and Firefox

Current extensions:

• extensions/dark-mode: simple per-domain dark mode toggle
• extensions/image-quick-save: hover-to-save images quickly
• extensions/youtube-subbar: enhanced horizontal subscriptions bar for YouTube

Usage

npm run build

Per-extension commands:

npm run build:dark-mode
npm run build:dark-mode:chrome
npm run build:dark-mode:firefox
npm run build:image-quick-save
npm run build:image-quick-save:chrome
npm run build:image-quick-save:firefox
npm run build:youtube-subbar
npm run build:youtube-subbar:chrome
npm run build:youtube-subbar:firefox
npm run typecheck
npm run test

Scaffold a new extension:

npm run scaffold:extension -- my-extension

Load in Chrome / Brave / Edge

1. Open chrome://extensions
2. Enable Developer mode
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select one extension folder:
   • extensions/dark-mode/dist/chrome
   • extensions/image-quick-save/dist/chrome
   • extensions/youtube-subbar/dist/chrome

Load in Firefox

1. Open about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox
2. Click "Load Temporary Add-on..."
3. Select one extension manifest:
   • extensions/dark-mode/dist/firefox/manifest.json
   • extensions/image-quick-save/dist/firefox/manifest.json
   • extensions/youtube-subbar/dist/firefox/manifest.json

Notes

• This repo is optimized for local-first development.
• End users install only the specific extension folder they need.
• Each extension can later be published independently to stores.