Contributing to AI Chat Exporter

May 6, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to AI Chat Exporter! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing.

Table of Contents

Code of Conduct

  • Be respectful and inclusive
  • Provide constructive feedback
  • Focus on what is best for the community
  • Show empathy towards other community members

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js >= 16.0.0
  • npm >= 8.0.0
  • Git
  • A Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave, etc.) or Firefox

Setup Development Environment

# Fork and clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/ai-chat-exporter.git
cd ai-chat-exporter

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Load extension in browser
# Chrome: Navigate to chrome://extensions/, enable Developer Mode, click "Load unpacked"
# Firefox: Navigate to about:debugging, click "Load Temporary Add-on"

Development Workflow

Project Structure

src/
├── popup/          # Extension popup UI
├── content/        # Content scripts (message handlers)
├── scrapers/       # Platform-specific scrapers
├── utils/          # Shared utilities
└── lib/            # Third-party libraries

Making Changes

  1. Create a new branch for your feature/fix:

    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

  2. Make your changes following our coding standards

  3. Test your changes thoroughly

  4. Commit with a descriptive message:

    git commit -m "feat: add support for Platform X"

Commit Message Format

We follow the Conventional Commits specification:

  • feat: - New feature
  • fix: - Bug fix
  • docs: - Documentation changes
  • style: - Code style changes (formatting, etc.)
  • refactor: - Code refactoring
  • test: - Adding or updating tests
  • chore: - Maintenance tasks

Coding Standards

JavaScript Style Guide

  • Use ES6+ features
  • Use const and let, never var
  • Use arrow functions when appropriate
  • Add JSDoc comments for functions
  • Follow the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle
  • Keep functions small and focused

Example:

/**
 * Extract messages from chat container
 * @param {Element} container - The chat container element
 * @returns {Array<Object>} Array of message objects
 */
function extractMessages(container) {
  const messages = [];
  // Implementation
  return messages;
}

File Organization

  • Shared utilities → src/utils/utils.js
  • Platform scrapers → src/scrapers/platform-name-scraper.js
  • Content scripts → src/content/
  • UI components → src/popup/

Naming Conventions

  • Files: kebab-case (gemini-scraper.js)
  • Functions: camelCase (extractMessages)
  • Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE (MAX_RETRIES)
  • Classes: PascalCase (MessageExtractor)

Adding New Scrapers

To add support for a new AI platform:

1. Create a New Scraper File

Create src/scrapers/platform-name-scraper.js:

/**
 * Platform Name Scraper
 * Specialized scraper for Platform Name
 */

async function scrapePlatformName() {
  try {
    console.log("[PlatformName-Scraper] Starting scrape");

    // Wait for main container
    const container = await waitForElement(".chat-container");

    // Extract messages
    const messages = extractMessages(container);

    return {
      success: true,
      messages,
      count: messages.length,
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      url: location.href,
      platform: "Platform Name",
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("[PlatformName-Scraper] Error:", error);
    return {
      success: false,
      error: error.message,
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      url: location.href,
    };
  }
}

// Export globally
if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
  window.scrapePlatformName = scrapePlatformName;
}

2. Update the Router

Add platform detection in src/scrapers/scraper-router.js:

const PLATFORM_CONFIG = {
  // ... existing platforms

  PLATFORM_NAME: {
    pattern: /^https:\/\/platform\.com\/chat\//,
    scraper: 'platform-name',
    name: 'Platform Name',
  },
};

Add scraper function mapping:

function getScraperFunction() {
  const platform = detectPlatform();

  switch (platform.scraper) {
    // ... existing cases

    case 'platform-name':
      if (typeof scrapePlatformName !== 'undefined') {
        return scrapePlatformName;
      }
      return scrapeGeneric;
  }
}

3. Update Manifest

Add your scraper to manifest.json:

{
  "content_scripts": [{
    "js": [
      "src/lib/browser-polyfill.js",
      "src/utils/utils.js",
      "src/scrapers/platform-name-scraper.js",
      "src/scrapers/scraper-router.js",
      // ... other scripts
    ]
  }]
}

4. Document Your Scraper

Create documentation in docs/PLATFORM_NAME_SCRAPER_GUIDE.md explaining:

  • How the scraper works
  • Platform-specific challenges
  • Selectors used
  • Known limitations

Testing

Manual Testing Checklist

  • Extension loads without errors
  • Platform detection works correctly
  • Messages are extracted completely
  • Images/media are captured
  • JSON export works
  • Markdown export works
  • PDF export works
  • Works across different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

Testing Your Scraper

  1. Navigate to the target platform
  2. Open browser DevTools → Console
  3. Click the extension icon
  4. Click "Export Current Page"
  5. Verify:
    • All messages extracted
    • Media captured correctly
    • No console errors
    • Export formats work

Submitting Changes

Pull Request Process

  1. Update the README.md with details of changes if needed
  2. Update documentation in docs/ if needed
  3. Ensure all tests pass
  4. Update the version number in manifest.json (following SemVer)

Pull Request Template

## Description
Brief description of changes

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Breaking change
- [ ] Documentation update

## Testing
- [ ] Tested in Chrome
- [ ] Tested in Firefox
- [ ] Tested in Edge

## Screenshots (if applicable)
Add screenshots here

## Checklist
- [ ] Code follows style guidelines
- [ ] Self-reviewed code
- [ ] Commented complex code
- [ ] Updated documentation
- [ ] No new warnings

Getting Help

Resources

Thank you for contributing to AI Chat Exporter!