Extension Development Guide

Extension Development Guide

Build privacy-respecting browser extensions for Macro.

Diagram 1

Extension Philosophy

Macro discourages extensions (they expand attack surface), but supports limited extension API for essential tools.

Guidelines

• Most features should integrate via Web3 API, not extensions

• Extensions undergo privacy review

• Minimal permissions required

• Open source preferred

Supported APIs

Macro supports Chromium Extension API v3.

Manifest V3 Only

Macro only supports Manifest V3 (MV2 deprecated).

{
  "manifest_version": 3,
  "name": "My Privacy Extension",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "permissions": ["storage"],
  "host_permissions": ["https://api.example.com/*"]
}

Available APIs

• chrome.storage (local storage only, no sync)

• chrome.tabs (limited)

• chrome.windows (limited)

• chrome.scripting (content scripts)

• Service workers

Restricted APIs

• chrome.webRequest (limited to declarative net request)

• chrome.cookies (requires explicit permission)

• chrome.history (blocked)

• chrome.browsingData (blocked)

Privacy Requirements

All extensions must:

No Telemetry

• No analytics

• No tracking

• No external data transmission without explicit user consent

Minimal Permissions

• Request only necessary permissions

• Explain why each permission is needed

• Use optional permissions when possible

Profile Isolation

• Respect Privacy Profile boundaries

• Don't correlate data across profiles

• Store data per-profile when possible

Testing

Load Unpacked Extension

1. Open Macro

2. Go to macro://extensions

3. Enable "Developer mode"

4. Click "Load unpacked"

5. Select your extension directory

Test in Different Profiles

• Load extension in Work profile

• Switch to Degen profile

• Verify data isolation

• Check permission scoping

Submission

To list extension in Macro directory:

1. Open source your code (GitHub)

2. Submit for privacy review

3. Provide detailed permission justification

4. Pass security audit

Review criteria:

• No telemetry

• Minimal permissions

• Profile-aware

• Open source

• Clear privacy policy

Best Practices

• Use Web3 API instead of extensions when possible

• Store sensitive data in user's wallet, not extension storage

• Respect Macro's privacy principles

• Provide clear opt-in for any external requests

• Document all permissions in README

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Build privacy-respecting tools.