v2.2.1

A fix release: local models (Ollama and LM Studio) now work out of the box, plus security and documentation clean-up.

Fixed

• Ollama works without extra setup. On a default Ollama install, summaries, chat and Ask the forum failed with "Forbidden": Ollama rejects requests that carry a browser extension's origin. DiscourseCopilot now removes that header from its own requests to localhost, 127.0.0.1 and any local model server you allowed. Requests from websites are untouched, so pages still can't reach your Ollama. You no longer need OLLAMA_ORIGINS.

Changed

• New permission: declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess. It is what lets the extension adjust that one header. It adds no install warning and only applies to hosts the extension can already reach.
• Security: a development-only tool chain with known vulnerabilities was removed (it never shipped in the extension). Dependency audits are clean, and the AI SDK, Vite and other packages got minor updates.
• Docs: the README now explains the privacy-first design (no analytics, no tracking, no servers of our own) and the Chrome Web Store review delay.

Install

• Chrome Web Store (recommended): Add DiscourseCopilot to Chrome. Store updates appear only after Google's review, which can take from a few hours to several days.
• From this release: download the zip below, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Load unpacked. Disable the store copy first if you have it, so the two don't conflict.

Full changelog: CHANGELOG.md · compare v2.2.0...v2.2.1

v2.2.0

The biggest update since launch: Ask the forum is now an agent that researches step by step and shows its work.

Highlights

• Ask the forum, rebuilt as an agent. It decides what to do one step at a time (search the forum, list the latest topics, read a topic, check your saved summaries), and you can watch and open every step. The answer streams in with numbered [S#] sources linking to the topics it read.
• Follow-up questions under an answer continue the same research on the same forum.
• Picks up where it left off. A run is saved after every step and resumes after a browser restart, or after you log in or allow forum access.
• Live model list. After you enter an API key (or a local server address), the setup card and Settings show the models your provider offers today and pre-select a recommended one. Your saved model is never changed; Settings warns if the provider has retired it.
• Hide the in-page button: Settings → Forum access → Show the DiscourseCopilot button on forum pages.
• Undo for deletes: deleting a saved summary or answer can be undone for 8 seconds (Undo, or Ctrl/⌘+Z).

Changed

• Settings → Ask the forum now sets the agent's budget: Quick (6 steps, 3 topics read), Balanced (15 / 8), Thorough (25 / 14) or Custom. Earlier custom limits are converted automatically.
• Summaries and chat say so when only part of a long topic was read.
• Reset all settings asks for confirmation on the page instead of a browser pop-up.
• New default models for every provider. Anthropic now defaults to Claude Sonnet 5, because Haiku 4.5 retires after October 15.

Fixed

• A deleted Ask the forum answer could reappear as an empty panel.

Under the hood

Upgraded to AI SDK 7, Vite 8 and marked 18; the code is split into smaller modules with an import-layering test; new automated UI tests (light and dark) and Biome linting run in CI.

Note: very small local models may struggle to follow the agent's step format. Summaries and chat work fine with them.

Install

• Chrome Web Store (recommended): Add DiscourseCopilot to Chrome. Store updates appear only after Google's review, which can take from a few hours to several days.
• From this release: download the zip below, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Load unpacked. Disable the store copy first if you have it, so the two don't conflict.

Full changelog: CHANGELOG.md · compare v2.1.1...v2.2.0

v2.1.1

A maintenance release with no changes to the extension itself since 2.1.0. It was the first version published through the new automated release pipeline.

Changed

• Each tagged release is now built, tested and uploaded to the Chrome Web Store automatically, signed in to Google Cloud without any stored keys.
• The README now installs from the Chrome Web Store, with this zip as the alternative.

Install

• Chrome Web Store (recommended): Add DiscourseCopilot to Chrome. Store updates appear only after Google's review, which can take from a few hours to several days.
• From this release: download the zip below, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Load unpacked. Disable the store copy first if you have it, so the two don't conflict.

Full changelog: CHANGELOG.md · compare v2.1.0...v2.1.1

v2.1.0

DiscourseCopilot now asks for access one forum at a time instead of to every website.

Highlights

• No more "read and change all your data on all websites". At install, the extension can only reach the AI provider APIs and your own computer (for local models). The first time you use a Discourse forum, the side panel asks you to Allow access to that forum only.
• Clear guidance in the side panel for every kind of page: page not checked yet, not a Discourse forum, allow access to this forum (with the steps for Chrome's prompt), and forum home. If the AI provider isn't set up yet either, a short two-step checklist shows what to do first.
• Settings → Forum access lists every forum you allowed, with Remove access. Your saved summaries and answers are kept.

Upgrading from 2.0

Forums you used with 2.0 need one click on Allow access the next time you open them.

Changed

• New activeTab and scripting permissions let the side panel check a page for Discourse after you click the toolbar icon, and run the in-page button only on allowed forums.
• Background work checks forum access and explains how to allow it; Ask the forum waits for access and continues once it's granted.

Install

• Chrome Web Store (recommended): Add DiscourseCopilot to Chrome. Store updates appear only after Google's review, which can take from a few hours to several days.
• From this release: download the zip below, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Load unpacked. Disable the store copy first if you have it, so the two don't conflict.

Full changelog: CHANGELOG.md · compare v2.0.0...v2.1.0

v2.0.0

First public release of DiscourseCopilot, an AI side panel for Discourse forums. It grew out of a summarizer built for a single forum and now works with forums built on Discourse in general.

What you get

• Topic summaries: the original post, how people responded, and the key takeaways, including very long topics.
• Follow-up chat about the topic you're reading.
• Ask the forum: searches the forum, reads the best matches and answers with numbered, clickable sources.
• Bring your own AI: OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, xAI, DeepSeek, or a local Ollama or LM Studio server.
• Works in the background. Activity keeps your summaries, chats and answers, grouped by forum, and Keep saves the ones you want.
• Settings for response language, custom instructions, research depth, pages read per topic, chat context, history retention and favorite models.
• Light and dark mode. No accounts, no analytics: your keys and history stay in your browser.

Note: this version asks for access to all websites. 2.1.0 and later ask one forum at a time, so please use the latest release instead.

Install

Download the zip below, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode and click Load unpacked. Or get the latest version from the Chrome Web Store.

Full changelog: CHANGELOG.md