Focus Reader

Focus Reader is a small Firefox, Chrome, and Chromium extension that turns an HTTPS article into a calm, one-item-at-a-time reader. Article text stays in the extension and is not saved or sent to a server.

Install from Firefox Add-ons

1. Open the Focus Reader page on Firefox Add-ons.
2. Choose Add to Firefox.
3. Confirm the install.

The store link will be added here when Mozilla publishes the first listed release.

Install for local use

1. Open about:debugging in Firefox.
2. Choose This Firefox.
3. Choose Load Temporary Add-on.
4. Select manifest.json from this folder.

Use

1. Open an HTTPS article.
2. Click the Focus Reader toolbar button, press Ctrl+Shift+F, or right-click the page and choose Open in Focus Reader.
3. Use J, K, the arrow keys, the mouse wheel, or swipe to move.
4. Use Full text to see the extracted article on one page.
5. Press Escape or choose Exit to return to the page.

Focus Reader shows an error for browser pages, PDF files, HTTP pages, feeds without a clear article, and pages where it cannot find enough article text. If Firefox blocks an overlay on a built-in page, the error opens in a small extension tab instead.

Firefox 140 or newer is required on desktop. Firefox 142 or newer is required on Android.

On Firefox for Android, open the browser menu, choose Extensions, then choose Focus Reader.

Privacy and permissions

1. activeTab gives the extension short-lived access only to the page on which you use the shortcut or menu command.
2. menus adds the Open in Focus Reader page menu item.
3. Extracted text and reading progress live only in memory for the open reader session.
4. The extension does not keep article text, URLs, history, or reading progress.

Develop and test

1. Install dependencies with npm install.
2. Run extraction tests with npm test.
3. The vendored Readability.js comes from Mozilla Readability 0.6.0. See vendor/README.md and vendor/READABILITY-LICENSE.md.

Install in Chrome or Chromium

1. Run ./package-chrome.sh.
2. Open chrome://extensions.
3. Enable Developer mode.
4. Choose Load unpacked.
5. Select the unpacked folder printed by the script in chrome-artifacts/.

Chrome 102 or newer is required. An unpacked extension is for local use and is not signed.

Package for the Chrome Web Store

1. Run ./package-chrome.sh.
2. Upload the versioned -chrome.zip file from chrome-artifacts/ to the Chrome Web Store developer dashboard.
3. Google reviews, signs, and serves the extension. Later releases use a new ZIP uploaded to the same listing.

The package contains only the runtime files, icons, and Readability licence. It does not contain tests, signing keys, or Firefox release files.

Install a signed release in Firefox

1. Open the project's Releases page on GitHub.
2. Open the latest release.
3. Download the attached .xpi file.
4. Open about:addons in Firefox.
5. Click the gear icon and choose Install Add-on From File....
6. Select the downloaded .xpi.

Only install an .xpi attached to an official project release. The file is signed by Mozilla, so Firefox permits a permanent install.

Sign a release

1. Install Mozilla's extension tool: npm install --global web-ext.
2. Create Mozilla Add-ons API credentials at https://addons.mozilla.org/developers/.
3. Copy .env.sign.example to .env.sign and add your AMO keys.
4. Run ./sign-unlisted.sh.
5. Find the signed .xpi in web-ext-artifacts/.
6. Attach that .xpi to the matching GitHub Release.

The signing script submits the extension as an unlisted add-on. Mozilla signs it for direct install, but does not publish it in the add-on store.

Publish to Firefox Add-ons

1. Create Mozilla Add-ons API credentials at https://addons.mozilla.org/developers/.
2. Copy .env.sign.example to .env.sign and add your AMO keys.
3. Update the version in manifest.json, manifest.chrome.json, package.json, and package-lock.json.
4. Update amo-metadata.json when the listing or reviewer notes change.
5. Run ./sign-listed.sh.
6. Check the submission in the Mozilla Add-ons Developer Hub.

The listed package contains only runtime files and licenses. Mozilla reviews, signs, hosts, and updates the extension.

License

Focus Reader is available under the MIT License. The vendored Mozilla Readability library remains under the Apache License 2.0; see vendor/READABILITY-LICENSE.md.