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Permissions

Why BrowserShell needs each Chrome permission — required transparency for Web Store reviewers and users.

BrowserShell requests permissions to expose browser capabilities as shell commands. No permission is used for background tracking or data exfiltration.

Tip
Chrome Web Store reviewers: see the complete Q&A for every permission — Chrome Web Store permissions.

Host permissions

<all_urls>

WhyThe Quake-style overlay must appear on any page. Page commands (links, click, fill, read) inject scripts into the active tab.
Triggered byPressing ` to open overlay; running any page/* command
Not used forSilent modification, tracking, or data upload

API permissions

tabs + activeTab

List, switch, pin, discard, and navigate tabs.

Commands: tabs, tab, go, open, reload, back, forward, close, title, pin, unpin, discard, domain, mute, find

sessions

Restore closed windows and tabs.

Commands: recent, session, global hotkey X, workspace load

bookmarks

Read and modify bookmarks.

Commands: bookmarks, bookmark

history

Search and delete browsing history.

Commands: history, forget (optional history component)

downloads

List, open, and reveal downloaded files.

Commands: downloads

cookies

Read cookies for inspection and deletion.

Commands: cookies, siteinfo, forget

browsingData

Clear cache, storage, and site data.

Commands: forget, siteinfo

contentSettings

Inspect per-site permission settings.

Commands: permissions

management

List and manage installed extensions.

Commands: extensions

scripting

Inject scripts for DOM interaction on the active tab.

Commands: links, link, inputs, input, click, fill, press, pick, read, shot, images, image, meta, seek, scroll, zoom, volume, audible, tech, reqs, frames, viewport, jsonld, perf, and related dev commands

storage

Persist configuration, aliases, history, transcript, notes, and audit log locally.

Commands: config, alias, export, source, and all commands (history persistence)

notifications

Show desktop notifications.

Commands: notify

system.display

Read monitor work areas for accurate window positioning.

Commands: layout, split, window position, workspace (geometry restore)

Data storage

All stored data remains in chrome.storage.local on your device. See Privacy Policy.

Minimizing risk

  • Use forget --dry-run before destructive privacy commands
  • Review siteinfo before clearing site data
  • Build from source and inspect dist/manifest.json if auditing
  • Uninstall the extension to revoke all permissions