Extension and PWA

Browser Extension and Mobile App

Browser extension (Chrome / Edge)

A Manifest V3 extension in the repository's extension/ folder. It's not in the Chrome Web Store by design: it talks to your self-hosted instance, so there's nothing for a store to sign.

What it does

• This page in OpenGSC: for any URL of your portfolio: clicks, impressions and average position (28 days), top queries, index status, audit issues for that URL, tracked-keyword positions, and an "open in OpenGSC" link.
• Quick audit computed inside the extension from the tab's DOM: title/description lengths (the app's limits), H1, canonical, robots, hreflang, JSON-LD validity, Open Graph, link count, images without alt. Nothing leaves the browser.
• Send to OpenGSC (context menu or popup):
  • your own URL → priority in the automatic index check (checked on the next scheduler tick, from the free URL Inspection quota);
  • someone else's URL → an Outreach prospect;
  • selected text → opens the Outline Generator with it as the keyword;
  • a selection inside a <table> → downloads a CSV.

Installing

1. Get the folder: clone the repo, or zip it: cd extension && zip -r ../opengsc-extension.zip .
2. Open chrome://extensions (Edge: edge://extensions) → enable Developer mode → Load unpacked → select the extension/ folder.
3. In OpenGSC: Settings → Integrations → Browser extension → Create token. It's separate from the MCP token. Re-issuing it revokes the old one instantly.
4. Right-click the extension icon → Options: your instance URL (https://gsc.example.com) and the token → Save (Chrome asks for permission to that one origin) → Test connection.
5. Copy the extension ID (32 characters, shown on the extension's page) into Settings → Integrations → Browser extension → Allowed extension IDs. Without this the server answers 403 origin_not_allowed. The ID stays stable as long as you load from the same folder.

Privacy and permissions

It only sends what you click: the current URL (and selected text for prospects), plus the token. No browsing history. Permissions are activeTab, contextMenus, storage and scripting, plus an optional host permission for your instance's origin only. The extension can't call anything that costs money. Rate limit: 60 requests per minute per token. A viewer's token can read but can't queue.

Extension UI languages: English and Russian (follows the browser).

Installing OpenGSC as an app (PWA)

OpenGSC installs on phones and desktops as an app, and the dashboard stays readable offline with the last loaded data.

• Android / Chrome / Edge: an Install app button appears on the dashboard or in Settings.
• iPhone / iPad (iOS 16.4+): Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen, then open it from the icon.

HTTPS is required for the service worker and push. On http:// the UI explains why instead of showing buttons.

Offline, only the dashboard summary is cached, and a banner says "No network — data from ". Other API calls are never cached.

Push notifications

A notification channel of its own, so you don't need Telegram.

1. Settings → Notifications → Push notifications → Enable on this device, and allow the browser prompt. On iOS do this from the installed home-screen app.
2. Each device has its own event filter (empty = all): alerts, digest, uptime, indexing, mentions, leads, local pack, trends. Every member's devices receive independently.
3. Send test delivers to all devices in the workspace.
4. Tapping a notification opens the related screen (a site alert opens that site, a lead opens /leads).

VAPID keys are generated automatically on first use and stored in your database. To share keys across instances, set OPENGSC_VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY, OPENGSC_VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY and OPENGSC_VAPID_SUBJECT (generate a pair with npx web-push generate-vapid-keys).

Dead subscriptions (uninstalled app, cleared browser data) are removed automatically.