Installation & first run

Cordy for Chrome is not on the Chrome Web Store yet. While the store listing is being prepared, you install Cordy as an unpacked (developer) build or from a self-distributed package. This page covers the whole first-run flow: loading the extension, pinning it, granting the access it needs, and connecting a model.

Requirements

• Google Chrome 142 or newer (or a Chromium browser such as Microsoft Edge on an equivalent version). Cordy declares a minimum Chrome version of 142 and will refuse to install on older builds rather than break at runtime. Check your version at chrome://settings/help.
• A provider API key if you want to use a cloud model — or nothing at all if you plan to run local, on-device models.
• Roughly 30 MB of disk space for the unpacked extension.

Get the build

You'll receive Cordy in one of two forms:

• A folder containing a manifest.json (an already-unpacked build), or
• A .zip archive — unzip it first into a folder you won't delete or move. Chrome loads an unpacked extension from its folder on disk, so if you later move or remove that folder, the extension breaks.

If you are building from source, run the project's build and use the generated .output/chrome-mv3 folder as the unpacked extension.

Load it into Chrome

1. Open chrome://extensions (type it into the address bar, or go to ⋮ menu → Extensions → Manage extensions).
2. Turn on Developer mode with the toggle in the top-right corner.
3. Click Load unpacked.
4. Select the folder that contains manifest.json (the unzipped folder, or .output/chrome-mv3).
5. Cordy appears in your extensions list as Cordy — AI Assistant & Tools.

If Chrome reports a manifest or version error, you are almost always on a Chrome older than 142 — update Chrome and try again.

No "read all your data" warning

You'll notice the install prompt is unusually quiet: there is no "read and change all your data on all websites" warning. That's deliberate. Cordy requests only a small set of always-on permissions at install time (side panel, storage, tabs, and the machinery for tab management). Access to page content, history, and bookmarks is optional and requested later, from a button you click — never silently at install. See Privacy & permissions for the full breakdown.

Pin Cordy to the toolbar

1. Click the Extensions puzzle-piece icon in the Chrome toolbar.
2. Find Cordy in the list and click the pin icon next to it.

The Cordy icon now stays visible. Clicking it toggles the side panel.

Open the side panel

Click the pinned Cordy icon, or use the shortcut:

Platform	Shortcut
Windows / Linux	Ctrl + Shift + Y
macOS	Cmd + Shift + Y

The side panel docks to the right of the current window. You can also open Cordy as a full browser tab from the side panel header if you want more room.

Grant site access (first use)

Chat and most panel features work immediately. But the in-page features need permission to run on the websites you visit. This covers:

• the floating text-selection menu (translate / explain / summarize / read aloud),
• in-page translate, explain, and summarize results,
• page read-aloud,
• the on-page command palette, and
• reading the current page's content into chat.

To enable them, open Settings → General → In-Page Features and click Enable, then approve Chrome's permission prompt. (You can also trigger this from the "Unlock in-page AI features" card that appears in the side panel.) Once granted, Cordy registers its in-page script and the features light up immediately — no page reload needed.

You can revoke this access at any time from the same setting. Turning it off stops Cordy running on pages; chat and other panel features are unaffected.

After an upgrade: because site access is an optional, per-install grant, a major upgrade can reset it. If in-page features stop working after Cordy updates, re-enable them once in Settings → General → In-Page Features.

Optional permissions, requested on demand

A few features ask for their own Chrome permission the first time you use them, and not before:

• History — when you first open the browsing-history view or @-mention history.
• Bookmarks — when you first open the AI bookmark manager or sync bookmarks.
• Site-data cleanup — when the AI or command palette first clears cache/cookies for a site.

Each is requested from a visible button, and each can be declined. Declining simply disables that feature until you grant it.

Connect a model

The last step is telling Cordy which AI to use.

1. Open Settings → AI Config → API Providers.
2. Choose a provider (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, xAI, Vercel AI Gateway, or Volcengine Ark), and paste in your own API key. Optionally set a custom Base URL, or add a custom OpenAI-compatible provider.
3. Switch to AI Config → Scenario Model Routing and pick a Chat Model.

Full details, including where to get each provider's key, are on Providers & models. To skip cloud providers entirely, set up local, on-device AI instead.

The first cloud message triggers a one-time privacy consent dialog — accept it once to continue.

Customize keyboard shortcuts

Cordy's global shortcuts (toggle side panel, open command palette, collect tabs, open the extension menu) are managed by Chrome. To change them, open chrome://extensions/shortcuts, or use Settings → Shortcuts → Customize in Chrome. See the FAQ for the full shortcut list.

Uninstalling

Right-click the Cordy icon and choose Remove from Chrome, or remove it from chrome://extensions. Because everything is stored locally, removing the extension deletes its on-device data. To keep your conversations and bookmarks, export them first from Settings → Data Management → Backup Data.

Next steps

• Getting started — the five-minute tour.
• Chat — the side-panel chat in depth.
• Privacy & permissions — what each permission does and how to revoke it.