docs(browser): add permissions guide and improve documentation

- Create comprehensive PERMISSIONS.md explaining all permissions - Document empty host_permissions array and privacy benefits - Add session cookie security best practices to BrowserExtension.md - Clarify future use case for content script message handler - Improve error message clarity for JSON parsing failures Co-authored-by: christianlouis <361235+christianlouis@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-02-12 03:11:33 +00:00
parent 142c19ef50
commit 0a3fe11f66
4 changed files with 158 additions and 5 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# Browser Extension Permissions
+
+This document explains the permissions requested by the DocuElevate browser extension.
+
+## Requested Permissions
+
+The extension requests the following permissions in `manifest.json`:
+
+### activeTab
+- **Purpose**: Get the URL of the currently active tab
+- **Usage**: When you click the extension icon, it reads the current tab's URL to display in the popup
+- **Privacy**: Only accesses the active tab when you explicitly open the popup
+- **Alternative**: Without this, the extension couldn't show you which file you're sending
+
+### storage
+- **Purpose**: Save your configuration (server URL and session cookie)
+- **Usage**: Stores your DocuElevate server URL and optional session cookie locally
+- **Privacy**: All data stays on your device; nothing is sent to third parties
+- **Alternative**: Without this, you'd need to reconfigure the extension every time
+
+### contextMenus
+- **Purpose**: Add "Send to DocuElevate" to the right-click menu
+- **Usage**: Creates a context menu item for quick access
+- **Privacy**: No data access; only adds a menu item
+- **Alternative**: Without this, you'd only have the toolbar icon
+
+### notifications
+- **Purpose**: Show success/error notifications
+- **Usage**: Displays browser notifications when files are sent successfully or errors occur
+- **Privacy**: Only shows notifications based on your actions
+- **Alternative**: Without this, you wouldn't get feedback from context menu actions
+
+## No Host Permissions
+
+The extension has an **empty `host_permissions` array** (`[]`).
+
+### Why Empty?
+
+- **Privacy-First**: The extension doesn't request blanket access to all websites
+- **User-Controlled**: You configure the DocuElevate server URL, not us
+- **Minimal Permissions**: Only accesses the server you explicitly configure
+- **Dynamic Access**: API requests are made from popup/background scripts, not from web pages
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. You configure your DocuElevate server URL in the extension
+2. The extension stores this URL in local storage
+3. When you send a file, the extension makes a direct API request to your configured server
+4. No need for static host permissions because the extension doesn't inject scripts or modify web pages
+
+### Comparison to Other Extensions
+
+Many similar extensions request:
+- ❌ `"<all_urls>"` or `"*://*/*"` - Access to all websites
+- ❌ `"http://*/*"` and `"https://*/*"` - Access to all HTTP/HTTPS sites
+
+DocuElevate requests:
+- ✅ `[]` - No blanket host permissions
+- ✅ Only access to your configured server (via fetch API)
+
+## Permission Justification
+
+| Permission | Required? | Justification |
+|------------|-----------|---------------|
+| activeTab | ✅ Yes | Must read current tab URL to send files |
+| storage | ✅ Yes | Must save configuration to function |
+| contextMenus | ⚠️ Optional | Nice to have for quick access |
+| notifications | ⚠️ Optional | Nice to have for feedback |
+
+## Security Benefits
+
+1. **No Web Page Access**: Extension can't read or modify content on websites you visit
+2. **No Browsing History**: Extension doesn't track your browsing
+3. **No Cross-Site Access**: Extension only talks to your configured server
+4. **User-Controlled**: All communication is initiated by you
+5. **Transparent**: All code is visible in the extension folder
+
+## How to Verify Permissions
+
+### Chrome/Edge
+
+1. Go to `chrome://extensions/` or `edge://extensions/`
+2. Find "DocuElevate - Send to Document Processor"
+3. Click "Details"
+4. Review "Permissions" section
+
+### Firefox
+
+1. Go to `about:addons`
+2. Find "DocuElevate - Send to Document Processor"
+3. Click on the extension name
+4. View "Permissions" tab
+
+## Reducing Permissions Further
+
+If you want even fewer permissions:
+
+1. **Remove contextMenus**: Delete the `contextMenus` permission from `manifest.json`
+   - Trade-off: Lose right-click menu option
+   - You'd only have the toolbar icon
+
+2. **Remove notifications**: Delete the `notifications` permission
+   - Trade-off: No success/error notifications
+   - You'd only see status in the popup
+
+3. **Remove content script**: Delete the `content_scripts` section
+   - Trade-off: None (it's not actively used currently)
+   - Reduces extension footprint slightly
+
+## Privacy Statement
+
+The DocuElevate browser extension:
+
+- ✅ Does NOT collect any personal data
+- ✅ Does NOT track your browsing history
+- ✅ Does NOT send data to third parties
+- ✅ Does NOT modify web page content
+- ✅ Does NOT inject ads or tracking scripts
+- ✅ Only communicates with YOUR configured DocuElevate server
+- ✅ Stores configuration locally on your device only
+
+## Questions?
+
+If you have concerns about permissions or privacy, please:
+
+- Review the source code in the `browser-extension` folder
+- Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/christianlouis/DocuElevate/issues)
+- Check the [Browser Extension Guide](../docs/BrowserExtension.md)
+
+---
+
+Last updated: 2024
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ sendFileBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
            try {
                const result = await response.json();
                errorMessage = result.detail || errorMessage;
-            } catch (e) {
+            } catch (jsonError) {
+                // Server returned non-JSON error response
                errorMessage = `HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`;
            }
            showStatus(`Error: ${errorMessage}`, 'error');
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 // Content script for DocuElevate browser extension

-// This script runs on all web pages to detect file URLs
-// and enable communication between page content and the extension
+// This script runs on all web pages to enable communication
+// between page content and the extension

-// Listen for messages from the popup (reserved for future use)
+// Message handler reserved for future functionality
+// Future use case: Extract additional page metadata or interact with page content
+// Currently not used - can be removed if not needed
 chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {
    if (message.type === 'GET_PAGE_INFO') {
        // Return information about the current page
@@ -302,13 +302,31 @@ To debug the extension:

 Possible future improvements:

- OAuth2 authentication instead of session cookies
+- **OAuth2 authentication** instead of session cookies
+  - Current session cookie approach has limitations:
+    - Session cookies expire and need manual refresh
+    - Users must manually copy cookie from browser DevTools
+    - No automatic token refresh mechanism
+  - OAuth2 would provide:
+    - Automatic token refresh
+    - Better security with short-lived access tokens
+    - Easier user experience (login flow instead of cookie copying)
 - File preview before sending
 - Batch processing multiple URLs
 - Progress indication for large files
 - History of sent files
 - Custom processing options (OCR language, metadata fields, etc.)

+### Session Cookie Security Best Practices
+
+For users of the current implementation:
+
+1. **Keep session cookies secure**: Never share your session cookie value
+2. **Refresh regularly**: Session cookies expire; update the extension when you log in again
+3. **Use HTTPS**: Always use HTTPS for your DocuElevate server
+4. **Clear on logout**: Remove the session cookie from extension when logging out
+5. **Private browsing**: Session cookies from private/incognito windows have shorter lifetimes
+
 ## Related Documentation

 - [DocuElevate API Documentation](./API.md)