Scroll

An automatic scrolling reader extension for comfortable reading of long web pages.

Original Demo: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yrnv9xuo6u7ycfl/Screen%20Recording%202020-05-05%20at%2010.06.51%20PM.mov?dl=0

Features

• Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+Y (or Cmd+Shift+Y on Mac) to instantly activate/deactivate the reader
• Automatic scrolling: Click to start/pause smooth auto-scrolling
• Manual control: Use mouse wheel to scroll manually through content
• Speed toggle: Press spacebar to switch between normal and 3x speed
• Page dividers: Visual separation between pages for easier reading
• Cross-browser support: Works on both Firefox and Chrome-based browsers

Browser Compatibility

Firefox

• Rendering: Uses browser.tabs.captureVisibleTab() API
• Status: ✅ Fully supported (Firefox 109+)

Chrome/Chromium-based browsers

• Rendering: Uses chrome.tabs.captureVisibleTab() API
• Status: ✅ Fully supported

Note: A single unified manifest.json now works for both Firefox and Chrome-based browsers.

Installation

Firefox

1. Open Firefox and navigate to about:debugging
2. Click "This Firefox" in the left sidebar
3. Click "Load Temporary Add-on..."
4. Navigate to the extension folder and select manifest.json
5. The Scroll icon should appear in your toolbar

Chrome/Edge/Brave/Opera

1. Open your browser and navigate to:

   • Chrome: chrome://extensions/
   • Edge: edge://extensions/
   • Brave: brave://extensions/
   • Opera: opera://extensions/

2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner)

3. Click "Load unpacked"

4. Select the extension folder

5. The Scroll icon should appear in your toolbar

Usage

1. Navigate to any web page with long content
2. Activate the reader using either:
   • Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+Y (or Cmd+Shift+Y on Mac) for instant activation
   • Extension icon: Click the Scroll icon in your browser toolbar
3. The reader will capture the page content and start automatic scrolling
4. Controls:
   • Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+Y (or Cmd+Shift+Y) to toggle on/off
   • Click canvas: Pause/resume automatic scrolling
   • Mouse wheel: Manually scroll up or down
   • Spacebar: Toggle between normal and 3x speed

Keyboard Shortcut

The default keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+Y (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+Y (Mac). This can be customized in your browser's extension settings:

• Chrome/Edge/Brave: Navigate to chrome://extensions/shortcuts (or equivalent for your browser)
• Firefox: Navigate to about:addons, click the gear icon, then "Manage Extension Shortcuts"

How It Works

Scroll transforms any web page into a comfortable reading experience by creating a visual "reading surface" that auto-scrolls through your content.

Core Concept

When activated, the extension:

1. Captures the page content as a series of viewport screenshots
2. Creates a reading canvas that overlays the original page
3. Progressively displays content with smooth auto-scrolling
4. Adds visual page breaks between each viewport section for easier reading
5. Maintains your position so you can resume normal browsing when deactivated

Think of it as a teleprompter for web pages - content flows upward at a steady pace while you read comfortably without manual scrolling.

User Experience

The reading flow is designed to be:

• Hands-free: Automatic scrolling eliminates the need for constant mouse/trackpad interaction
• Adjustable: Speed can be toggled on-the-fly with spacebar
• Interruptible: Click to pause, mouse wheel to manually navigate
• Non-destructive: Original page remains untouched; simply deactivate to return to normal browsing

Architecture

The extension consists of three main components:

• Background Service: Coordinates communication between components and handles screenshot capture requests
• Content Script: Manages the reading canvas, user interactions, and content rendering
• Popup Interface: Provides status feedback and control for activating/deactivating the reader

Cross-Browser Support

Scroll works on both Firefox and Chrome-based browsers using a unified Manifest V3 configuration. The extension uses browser-native screenshot APIs and requires no external dependencies or libraries. Chrome ignores Firefox-specific settings (like browser_specific_settings), while modern Firefox (109+) now supports the same service_worker background script format as Chrome, allowing us to use a single manifest.json for both browsers.

License

Original extension created for Firefox. Updated for cross-browser compatibility.

Changelog

v.0.3

• Same as v0.2, just want to upload clean artifact to AMO (previous included some unnecessary files in it)

v0.2 (2025)

• Migrated to Manifest V3
• Added cross-browser support (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera)
• Enhanced reading experience with improved rendering
• Modernized to use native browser APIs
• Added configurable keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+Y / Cmd+Shift+Y) for instant activation
• Status and progress shown in extension popup UI
• Improved error handling for content script injection

v0.1 (2020)

• Initial Firefox-only release
• Basic automatic scrolling functionality