Brosdk Assistant

Chrome side-panel assistant backed by a Rust Native Messaging host.

Read docs/v2-plan.md first for architecture and implementation notes.

Structure

• extension/ - WXT + React Chrome extension.
• native-host/ - Rust Native Messaging host.
• docs/ - planning and handoff notes.

Verify

cd native-host
cargo check
cargo build --release

cd extension
npm install
npm run generate:icons
npm run typecheck
npm run build

Package Windows Release

Use the release packager from the repository root:

python scripts\package_release.py --version 0.1.0

The script runs extension typecheck/build/zip, runs native-host tests, builds the release native host, and writes release assets to .output/release/:

• brosdk-assistant-v0.1.0-windows.zip - Windows install package.
• brosdk-assistant-extension-v0.1.0-chrome.zip - standalone extension zip.

The Windows install package contains only extension/chrome-mv3 for unpacked extension loading. The standalone extension zip is kept as a separate asset to avoid duplicate extension payloads inside the package.

Native Host Install On Windows

1. Build the native host:

cd native-host
cargo build --release

2. Build or run the extension, then load extension/dist/chrome-mv3 or the WXT dev output in chrome://extensions.

3. Copy the loaded extension id.

4. Register the native host for that extension id:

native-host\scripts\install-windows.ps1 -ExtensionId <chrome-extension-id>

The script writes native-host/native-host-manifest.json and registers:

HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.browsersdk.assistant

Reload the extension after registration.

Current Settings

The side panel Settings panel stores these values through the Rust native host:

• browser tools source: MCP Server, Chrome Extension, or Off
• MCP URL, required only when browser tools source is MCP Server
• model API type
• model base URL
• model name
• model API key
• temperature
• workspace folder

On Windows, native-host settings are saved under:

%APPDATA%\BrosdkAssistant\settings.json

Browser tools source controls how the assistant reads or acts on browser pages:

• MCP Server uses the configured MCP URL and is best when a CDP-backed MCP server is running.
• Chrome Extension uses extension APIs and injected scripts, so it can read page text, list tabs, snapshot actionable elements, extract links, navigate, click, and type without CDP.
• Off disables browser page tools while keeping model chat and workspace tools available.

Native Messaging Smoke Test

The Rust host can be tested without Chrome by sending length-prefixed JSON to stdin. The extension background uses the same framing through chrome.runtime.connectNative("com.browsersdk.assistant").