A read-only AI for your browser via claude, which helps improve your productivity.
3
stars
8
commits
JavaScript
primary language
Aug 27, 2026
updated
README
PageLens — a read-only AI page explainer
PageLens is a Chrome extension that lets you ask an AI questions about the page you're currently looking at, summarize it, explain it simply, or flag things worth noticing (fees, fine print, deadlines, data collection, etc).
It is strictly read-only. PageLens only reads the visible text of the current tab and sends it to Claude for analysis. It never clicks, types, fills forms, or submits anything on your behalf, unlike most "AI browser agent" extensions, there is no action/automation layer at all, which keeps the trust and risk profile much simpler.
How it works
- Click the PageLens toolbar icon to open the side panel.
- Add your own Anthropic API key in settings (stored locally via
chrome.storage, sent directly from your browser to Anthropic's API — it never passes through any third-party server). - Ask a question, or use a quick action (Summarize / Explain simply / What should I watch for?).
- PageLens reads the current tab's text and headings, sends it with your question to Claude, and shows the answer in the panel.
Install (unpacked, for development)
- Clone or download this repo.
- Open
chrome://extensionsin Chrome. - Turn on Developer mode (top right).
- Click Load unpacked and select this project's folder.
- Pin the PageLens icon and click it to open the side panel.
- Add your Anthropic API key in the ⚙ settings panel.
Project structure
``` manifest.json # MV3 manifest — activeTab, scripting, sidePanel, storage only background.js # Opens the side panel on toolbar click sidepanel.html/css # Side panel UI sidepanel.js # Page reading + Anthropic API calls + chat rendering icons/ # Toolbar icons ```
Permissions, and why each is needed
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
activeTab | Read the current tab only when you actively use the extension |
scripting | Inject a read-only text-extraction function into the page |
sidePanel | Show the chat UI in Chrome's side panel |
storage | Save your API key/model choice locally |
host_permissions: <all_urls> | Allow reading any page you choose to ask about |
No cookies, no webRequest, no ability to modify page content or
navigate — the extension physically cannot take actions on a page, only
read it.
Ideas for extending this
- Highlight-to-ask: right-click a text selection and ask about just that.
- Per-page memory: cache summaries so re-visiting a page is instant.
- Export chat as notes / send to a notes app.
- Support Firefox/Edge via the WebExtensions API (mostly a manifest tweak).
- Streaming responses instead of waiting for the full answer.
License
MIT — do whatever you like with it.
Contributors
8 commits
See what people are saying
Similar repos
Languages
JavaScript
55.2%
CSS
27.5%
HTML
17.3%
A read-only AI for your browser via claude, which helps improve your productivity.
3
stars
8
commits
JavaScript
primary language
Aug 27, 2026
updated
README
PageLens — a read-only AI page explainer
PageLens is a Chrome extension that lets you ask an AI questions about the page you're currently looking at, summarize it, explain it simply, or flag things worth noticing (fees, fine print, deadlines, data collection, etc).
It is strictly read-only. PageLens only reads the visible text of the current tab and sends it to Claude for analysis. It never clicks, types, fills forms, or submits anything on your behalf, unlike most "AI browser agent" extensions, there is no action/automation layer at all, which keeps the trust and risk profile much simpler.
How it works
- Click the PageLens toolbar icon to open the side panel.
- Add your own Anthropic API key in settings (stored locally via
chrome.storage, sent directly from your browser to Anthropic's API — it never passes through any third-party server). - Ask a question, or use a quick action (Summarize / Explain simply / What should I watch for?).
- PageLens reads the current tab's text and headings, sends it with your question to Claude, and shows the answer in the panel.
Install (unpacked, for development)
- Clone or download this repo.
- Open
chrome://extensionsin Chrome. - Turn on Developer mode (top right).
- Click Load unpacked and select this project's folder.
- Pin the PageLens icon and click it to open the side panel.
- Add your Anthropic API key in the ⚙ settings panel.
Project structure
``` manifest.json # MV3 manifest — activeTab, scripting, sidePanel, storage only background.js # Opens the side panel on toolbar click sidepanel.html/css # Side panel UI sidepanel.js # Page reading + Anthropic API calls + chat rendering icons/ # Toolbar icons ```
Permissions, and why each is needed
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
activeTab | Read the current tab only when you actively use the extension |
scripting | Inject a read-only text-extraction function into the page |
sidePanel | Show the chat UI in Chrome's side panel |
storage | Save your API key/model choice locally |
host_permissions: <all_urls> | Allow reading any page you choose to ask about |
No cookies, no webRequest, no ability to modify page content or
navigate — the extension physically cannot take actions on a page, only
read it.
Ideas for extending this
- Highlight-to-ask: right-click a text selection and ask about just that.
- Per-page memory: cache summaries so re-visiting a page is instant.
- Export chat as notes / send to a notes app.
- Support Firefox/Edge via the WebExtensions API (mostly a manifest tweak).
- Streaming responses instead of waiting for the full answer.
License
MIT — do whatever you like with it.
See what people are saying
Similar repos
Contributors
8 commits
Languages
JavaScript
55.2%
CSS
27.5%
HTML
17.3%