Build your own AI-powered Chrome Extension (w/ Latenode + MarkupGo)

Introduction

Creating a Chrome extension can be an exciting project, especially when combined with the power of AI. In this tutorial, we will build a Chrome extension that serves as a knowledge base and website summarizer. The extension will utilize Latenode and MarkupGo for functionality, allowing you to summarize any webpage and save the content in a structured format.

Overview of the Chrome Extension

The Chrome extension is designed to summarize web pages and save summaries to a knowledge base. By installing it and pinning it to the Chrome toolbar, users can easily access summarization capabilities.

Setting Up the Extension

1. Installation: You can find the extension in the Chrome Web Store or create your own by following this guide.
2. Toolbar Icon: The extension appears as an icon on the Chrome toolbar.
3. Summarization Process: When visiting a webpage, click the extension icon to access options like "Summarize Page" and "Summarize and Save."

Extension Features

• Summarize Pages: Fetches key highlights and insights from any website.
• Save Summaries: Integrates with Google Drive and Notion to store summaries and PDFs of the web pages.
• Custom API Support: Users can input their own API keys for LLM (Large Language Model) services, such as OpenAI or Stco.

How It Works

Here’s the flow of how the extension operates:

1. User Setup: Users should configure settings, including their LLM API key and any webhooks they plan to use. This enables flexibility in how the extension communicates with backend services.
2. Page Summarization: Upon clicking the summarize button, the extension retrieves the content of the webpage, strips away the HTML, and uses the provided API to generate a summary.
3. Saving Results: If users choose to save the summary, the extension creates a new page in Notion, uploading any relevant screenshots and saving the PDF to Google Drive.

Tools and Technologies Involved

• Latenode: Used for setting up webhooks and automation processes.
• MarkupGo: API for converting URLs to images and markdown to PDF.
• Notion API: For saving summaries and related documents.
• Chrome SDK: For creating the functionality in the Chrome browser.

Setting Up Latenode as Your Backend

Latenode acts as the backend service that handles requests and automation:

1. Webhook Trigger: Set up the Latenode webhook to accept incoming requests from the Chrome extension.
2. Processing Requests: Latenode processes the request body, validates the API key, and determines the action (summarize page vs. summarize and save).
3. Summarization Logic: Using the LLM API, Latenode summarizes the webpage content.
4. Image and PDF Generation: Using MarkupGo, create and upload images and PDFs of the content to Google Drive.
5. Notion Integration: Create a new page in Notion with relevant metadata such as the source URL, summary, and date.

Conclusion

Building an AI-powered Chrome extension involves connecting various APIs and setting up efficient backend processes. By following the steps in this tutorial, you'll be able to summarize webpages effectively and integrate your findings into your personalized knowledge base.

Keyword

AI, Chrome extension, summarization, Latenode, MarkupGo, API, Notion, Google Drive, knowledge base, webhooks.

FAQ

1. What is a Chrome extension?

   • A Chrome extension is a small software program that customizes the browsing experience by adding various functions to Google Chrome.

2. How does the summarization feature work?

   • The extension strips HTML from a webpage, sends the text to an AI API, and retrieves a concise summary in return.

3. Can I use my own API for summarization?

   • Yes, users can input their own LLM API keys to customize the summarization process.

4. Where are the summaries saved?

   • Summaries can be saved in Notion and PDFs can be uploaded to Google Drive.

5. Is technical knowledge required to build this extension?

   • Some programming knowledge is helpful, as the process involves setting up webhooks and working with APIs.