TransFrog

A focused browser extension for translating web pages and YouTube captions with your own models.

TransFrog is a streamlined fork of Read Frog. It keeps the two translation workflows we care about, removes the surrounding learning-product suite, and does not require a TransFrog-hosted backend.

Features

• Full-page translation with bilingual and translation-only display modes.
• YouTube caption translation for videos that already provide captions.
• User-configured AI and translation providers.
• OpenAI-compatible custom endpoints and local/self-hosted models such as Ollama.
• Context-aware translation using page or video metadata.
• Custom prompts, translation styles, site rules, and request controls.
• Local browser configuration with no TransFrog account or cloud service.

Proudly focused

TransFrog is deliberately smaller than a general language-learning or AI-assistant extension.

Workflow	Included	Intentionally excluded
Web pages	Full-page translation, bilingual mode, site rules	Selection tools, floating overlays, input translation
Video	YouTube caption translation	Speech recognition, dubbing, video editing
Models	Official providers, custom endpoints, local models	Bundled paid backend or mandatory hosted API
Product surface	Popup and focused settings	Accounts, Notebase, Translation Hub, statistics, onboarding
Browser services	Local storage and translation cache	Telemetry, cloud backup, TTS, side panel

Privacy and model access

TransFrog has no project-hosted account or translation backend. Translation requests are sent directly to the provider endpoint configured by the user. API keys and settings remain in the browser profile. The privacy and retention policy of the selected provider still applies.

Build and install

Requirements: Node.js 22.22 or newer and Corepack.

corepack enable
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm package:chrome

The package command creates:

• .output/chrome-mv3 — unpacked Chrome/Edge extension;
• .output/transfrog-<version>-chrome.zip — distributable archive.

To install the unpacked build:

1. Open chrome://extensions or edge://extensions.
2. Enable developer mode.
3. Select Load unpacked.
4. Choose .output/chrome-mv3.

After rebuilding, return to the extensions page and reload TransFrog.

macOS: Dia and Safari

Build both macOS browser packages with:

pnpm package:macos

For Dia, open chrome://extensions, enable developer mode, choose Load unpacked, and select .output/chrome-mv3. Dia uses the same Manifest V3 package as Chrome.

For a temporary Safari installation without Xcode:

1. Open Safari Settings, enable Show features for web developers under Advanced.
2. Under Developer, enable Allow unsigned extensions.
3. Click Add Temporary Extension and select .output/transfrog-<version>-safari.zip.

If Safari reports that an app or service is interfering with clicking, quit apps that use Accessibility or Screen Recording permissions before trying again. Typeless triggered this protection during our macOS test. After the extension is added, those apps can be reopened. See Apple's troubleshooting guidance for the underlying Safari security feature.

Safari removes a temporary extension after 24 hours or when Safari quits. To generate a native macOS container for regular use, install the full Xcode application and run:

pnpm generate:safari:project

This creates an Xcode project under .output/safari-xcode and prints its exact path. Open the project in Xcode, select a development team when available, then build and run the TransFrog macOS scheme once. Enable TransFrog under Safari Settings > Extensions and grant access to the websites you want to translate.

GitHub Actions packaging

The Package browser extensions workflow provides a manual, artifact-only build:

1. Enable GitHub Actions for the repository.
2. Open Actions > Package browser extensions.
3. Choose Run workflow and select the branch to package.
4. Download the transfrog-browser-packages-<run number> artifact.

The artifact contains Chrome/Dia, Edge, Firefox, and Safari ZIP packages, plus the Firefox source archive. The workflow has read-only repository permissions, does not run automatically on pushes, and does not publish a GitHub Release. It also does not produce a signed Safari app; native Safari distribution still requires Xcode and an Apple signing identity.

Development

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm type-check
SKIP_FREE_API=true pnpm test
pnpm build

On PowerShell, set $env:SKIP_FREE_API="true" before running the test command.

Project policy

TransFrog does not automatically merge every upstream Read Frog change. Provider, browser compatibility, security, page-translation, and subtitle fixes should be reviewed and cherry-picked intentionally. Internal read-frog-* storage keys and CSS identifiers are retained where changing them would break existing local configurations or page rules.

License and attribution

TransFrog is a modified version of Read Frog. Thanks to the Read Frog authors and contributors for the original work.

This project is distributed under the GNU General Public License version 3. See LICENSE for the full license text. TransFrog preserves the GPLv3 terms, keeps the modified source available under the same license, and clearly identifies itself as an independent fork so issues in this project are not attributed to the upstream maintainers.