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Ram kamal Yadav edited this page Jun 22, 2026 · 1 revision

AetherDesk AI Chrome Extension

The AetherDesk AI Chrome Extension connects the browser with the local AetherDesk AI system.

It works as a browser-side client for saving web pages, tracking browser activity, running TrendRadar, capturing selector screenshots, and opening locally generated reports.

This extension uses Chrome Extension Manifest V3 and communicates with the local AetherDesk AI project through an official Native Messaging Host.

Purpose

The Chrome Extension is designed to make AetherDesk AI more useful while researching, browsing, creating content, and analyzing trends.

It allows users to send browser context into the local AetherDesk AI data folders without depending on a cloud backend.

Typical use cases:

  • Save research pages into local AetherDesk data
  • Track time spent on browser pages
  • Run TrendRadar from the current topic or selected text
  • Save readable page text for later analysis
  • Capture visible screenshots of page sections
  • Open the latest generated report directly from Chrome
  • Connect browser activity with productivity and trend intelligence reports

Key Features

The extension can:

  • Save the current browser page into AetherDesk local data
  • Log browser activity duration into activity-data/
  • Run TrendRadar from selected text or the current page topic
  • Show live TrendRadar status: running, completed, or failed
  • Notify the user when TrendRadar finishes
  • Open the latest report when TrendRadar completes
  • Open the latest report or reports folder from Chrome
  • Save current page source and readable page text
  • Capture a visible screenshot of a CSS selector
  • Read local report and activity statistics through the native host

Architecture

Chrome Extension MV3
        │
        ▼
Native Messaging Host
        │
        ▼
AetherDesk AI Local Project
        │
        ├── activity-data/
        ├── social-data/
        ├── screenshots/
        └── reports/

The browser extension does not directly run PowerShell scripts by itself. Instead, it sends safe messages to the registered native host.

The native host then performs local actions such as:

  • saving data files
  • writing browser activity logs
  • triggering TrendRadar
  • checking report status
  • opening reports

Folder Location

The extension folder is:

chrome-extension/

Expected structure:

AetherDeskAI/
│
├── chrome-extension/
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── popup/
│   ├── background/
│   ├── content/
│   └── native-host/
│
├── activity-data/
├── social-data/
├── screenshots/
└── reports/

Install for Development

Step 1: Open Chrome Extensions Page

Open Chrome and visit:

chrome://extensions

Step 2: Enable Developer Mode

Turn on:

Developer mode

Step 3: Load Extension

Click:

Load unpacked

Then select:

chrome-extension/

Step 4: Copy Extension ID

After loading the extension, Chrome will show an extension ID.

Copy that ID.

Example:

abcdefghijklmnopabcdefghijklmnop

Step 5: Register Native Messaging Host

Run this command from the AetherDesk AI project root:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\chrome-extension\native-host\install-native-host.ps1 -ExtensionId YOUR_EXTENSION_ID

Replace YOUR_EXTENSION_ID with the extension ID copied from Chrome.

Native Host Name

The official native host name is:

com.aetherdesk.ai

This name must match between:

  • Chrome extension configuration
  • Native messaging host manifest
  • Registry entry created by the install script

Data Written Locally

The extension writes local data into AetherDesk AI folders.

activity-data/browser-activity-YYYY-MM-DD.jsonl
social-data/browser-saved-pages-YYYY-MM-DD.jsonl
social-data/browser-sources/YYYY-MM-DD/*.html
social-data/browser-sources/YYYY-MM-DD/*.json
screenshots/browser-captures/YYYY-MM-DD/*.png
screenshots/browser-captures/YYYY-MM-DD/*.json
reports/

Browser Activity Logging

The extension can log browser activity duration into:

activity-data/

This helps AetherDesk AI connect browser research time with productivity reporting.

Example saved data may include:

  • page title
  • URL
  • timestamp
  • active duration
  • tab activity status
  • source platform/domain

This data stays local.

Save Current Page

The extension can save the current page into local AetherDesk data.

It can store:

  • page URL
  • page title
  • readable text
  • HTML source
  • metadata
  • timestamp

Saved browser pages can later be used for:

  • research summaries
  • TrendRadar reports
  • knowledge packs
  • content planning
  • social behaviour analysis

Run TrendRadar from Chrome

The extension can run TrendRadar using:

  • selected text
  • current page title
  • current page topic
  • manually entered topic

Example use cases:

Select text: local AI agent
Click: Run TrendRadar

AetherDesk AI will then generate a trend intelligence report and save it under:

reports/

The extension can show live status:

Running
Completed
Failed

When the report is completed, the extension can notify the user and open the latest report.

Open Latest Report

The extension can open:

  • latest generated report
  • reports folder
  • latest TrendRadar report
  • latest saved page data

This makes it easier to use AetherDesk AI without manually browsing local folders.

Selector Screenshot

The extension supports visible screenshot capture using a CSS selector.

Use the Screenshot Selector field with a selector such as:

body
article
#main
.content

Then click:

Capture Selector

The extension will:

  1. Find the selected element
  2. Scroll it into view
  3. Capture the visible tab
  4. Crop the selected visible area
  5. Save the screenshot locally

Output folder:

screenshots/browser-captures/

Selector Screenshot Limitation

Current limitation:

If the selected element is taller or wider than the visible viewport, only the visible area is captured.

Example:

article

If the article is longer than the screen, the extension captures only the visible part.

Future improvement:

Full node stitching with scroll-and-merge capture flow

This can capture a full long article or full webpage section by scrolling and merging multiple screenshots.

Privacy Design

The Chrome Extension is designed for local-first use.

By default:

  • Saved pages stay on the local computer
  • Browser activity logs stay local
  • Screenshots stay local
  • Reports are generated locally
  • Native host writes data into AetherDesk AI folders
  • No cloud database is required

Important:

The extension should only be used by the device owner or with clear consent.

Security Notes

The extension should not be used for:

  • stealing passwords
  • collecting private tokens
  • bypassing website login
  • scraping private accounts
  • monitoring another person without consent
  • capturing sensitive pages without permission

Recommended safe use:

  • research collection
  • personal productivity tracking
  • saving public pages
  • content planning
  • trend analysis
  • local report generation

Uninstall Native Host

To unregister the native messaging host, run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\chrome-extension\native-host\uninstall-native-host.ps1

After uninstalling the native host, the extension will no longer be able to communicate with the local AetherDesk AI system.

Troubleshooting

Extension loaded but native host not working

Check that the extension ID was copied correctly and registered:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\chrome-extension\native-host\install-native-host.ps1 -ExtensionId YOUR_EXTENSION_ID

TrendRadar does not start

Check:

  • AetherDesk AI project path is correct
  • Native host is registered
  • TrendRadar script exists
  • PowerShell execution policy allows local scripts
  • Ollama is running if AI summary is required

Screenshot selector fails

Try simpler selectors:

body
article
main
#main
.content

Also make sure the selected element is visible on the page.

Latest report does not open

Check that reports exist in:

reports/

If no report exists, run a TrendRadar or report module first.

Future Improvements

Planned improvements:

  • Full-page selector screenshot stitching
  • Browser research session recorder
  • Saved page search
  • Better readable text extraction
  • Local knowledge pack creation
  • Chrome side report preview
  • Browser-to-TrendRadar history comparison
  • One-click YouTube/LinkedIn content idea generator
  • Local embedding and vector search over saved pages

Summary

The AetherDesk AI Chrome Extension turns the browser into a local intelligence input layer.

It connects browsing, research, TrendRadar, screenshots, and activity tracking with the AetherDesk AI local reporting system.

This makes AetherDesk AI more useful for creators, developers, researchers, and productivity-focused Windows users.

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