mdbase

mdbase Reader

Browser extension

Save the page you are reading, with highlights and notes, from Chrome's side panel.

Capture and highlight

Save from the web with the extension1:02

Save a sample article and several highlighted passages from Chrome's side panel, then open the saved copy in Reader. Silent recording with on-screen captions and sample data.

Text description of the recording
  1. A fictional article, The marginalia problem, is open in Chrome. Reader's side panel identifies the page and the destination sample collection.
  2. Text is selected on the page. A comment is typed in the panel and a colour is chosen to save the page and highlight.
  3. The saved passage is highlighted on the live page. Further selections are saved in other colours and appear in Saved highlights.
  4. Selecting a saved highlight finds it on the page. Open in Reader opens the source's readable saved copy.
  5. Reader shows the same highlights and comments on the saved copy, with a Markdown file for each annotation.

Download MP4

Install

Install mdbase Reader from the Chrome Web Storein Chrome 123 or newer. Store-installed copies receive Chrome's automatic updates. Pin Reader from Chrome's extensions menu so its button is easy to reach.

If you used an unpacked development copy, disable it to avoid duplicate capture actions. The store copy has its own identity and needs a fresh Connect approval; settings and grants do not migrate automatically.

If you have an unpacked development build, open chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode and choose Load unpacked. Select the folder containing manifest.json. Unpacked copies need manual updates; use the store version for ordinary reading.

The extension saves the page you are viewing in your browser. Because it reads the page you already have open, it works for pages that Reader's own capture service cannot fetch, such as articles behind a sign-in.

Connect a collection

Open the extension and choose Connect. It opens an mdbase Connect approval for a collection, like any other app. Choose the destination collection. The extension remembers it for next time.

Save a page

Click the toolbar button or press Alt Shift S. Reader opens in Chrome's side panel for that tab. Check the title, add tags and a note if you like, then choose Save page orSave PDF. Opening the panel or changing collections does not save a page. Once saved, Open in Reader takes you to the source.

  • For an article, Reader extracts the main text and saves a readable copy, plus an archive of the page without any form values you typed.
  • For a PDF open in Chrome's viewer, it saves the PDF. The file is downloaded from the page itself, so your own access applies.

If the page is already in the collection, the panel finds the existing source instead of creating a duplicate. Addresses are compared without tracking parameters, www., AMP variants or trailing slashes.

Highlight as you read

The panel stays open while you read. Each new text selection appears in it, so you can highlight several passages in a row. Add a comment or tags if you like, then choose a colour to save the passage. CtrlEnter (⌘ Enter on a Mac) also saves the selected passage, or the unsaved page if no passage is selected. You can also press Alt Shift H, or right-click and choose Save highlight to mdbase Reader or Add a note in mdbase Reader.

Highlights are anchored to the saved copy of the page. When a passage appears more than once, Reader uses the occurrence whose surrounding text matches best, and only if one clearly does. Otherwise the highlight is not saved, and your note stays in the panel so you can try again.

Unsaved capture drafts are kept per tab and page for the browser session, so closing the side panel does not discard them. They are not collection backups. For PDF highlighting, save the file and chooseOpen in Reader to highlight.

Citation details

When a page carries a DOI or scholarly metadata, the panel shows the citation it will store. With a DOI, the citation comes from the DOI registry, and only the DOI is sent. Otherwise it comes from the page's own metadata tags.

Mark pages you have saved

Settings → Mark pages I've saved is off by default. When you turn it on, the extension asks for permission to read the pages you visit. It then checks each HTTPS page against your collection, shows a badge with a highlight count or a saved-page check mark, and displays saved highlights. Opening the side panel can also show highlights for that page. Turning saved-page marking off removes its optional HTTPS permission.

Permissions

  • Without Mark pages I've saved, the extension can only read a page when you open the panel on it.
  • Its only permanent site access is the mdbase Connect API, which it uses to reach your collection. That access cannot read the pages you browse.
  • Its access to your collection comes from the Connect approval, which you can revoke in Connect.
  • See the extension privacy policy for capture data, permissions and third-party lookups.