Chrome Extension

Turn any webpage into a professional podcast in one click. The WackyPod Chrome Extension converts articles, blog posts, and web content into AI-generated podcasts directly from your browser.

Features

• One-click conversion -- Transform any article into a podcast with a single click
• Smart content extraction -- Automatically extracts clean content from web pages using Mozilla Readability
• Multiple durations -- Quick (3 min), Standard (7 min), Deep (15 min), Extended (30 min)
• Voice options -- Single narrator or conversational multi-speaker dialogue
• In-browser playback -- Listen without leaving the extension popup
• Download support -- Save episodes as MP3 files for offline listening
• Account sync -- All episodes sync to your WackyPod account
• Quota tracking -- Monitor your monthly usage in the extension footer

Installation

From source (development)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/aferrarelli/WackyPod.git
cd WackyPod/chrome-extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the extension
npm run build

Then load in Chrome:

1. Navigate to chrome://extensions/
2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top right)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select the chrome-extension/dist folder

From Chrome Web Store

Coming soon.

Usage

Getting started

1. Sign in -- Click the WackyPod extension icon and enter your WackyPod credentials
2. Navigate to content -- Go to any article, blog post, or content page
3. Configure -- Choose duration preset, voice style, and host mode
4. Generate -- Click "Generate Podcast" and wait 2-3 minutes
5. Listen -- Play the podcast in the extension popup or download the MP3

Supported websites

The extension works on most content-rich websites:

• News sites (TechCrunch, The Verge, BBC, etc.)
• Blog platforms (Medium, WordPress, Ghost, Substack)
• Documentation sites
• Academic papers
• Long-form articles

The page must have at least 100 words of content for extraction to work.

Architecture

The extension uses Manifest V3 and consists of four components:

Content Script (extracts page content)
       |
Background Service Worker (API calls, auth, polling)
       |
Popup UI (React, main user interface)
       |
Chrome Storage (tokens, settings)

• Content Script -- Runs on every page, uses Readability.js to extract article content
• Background Worker -- Handles WackyPod API communication, token management, and episode status polling
• Popup UI -- React-based interface for episode creation and playback
• Options Page -- Settings configuration (default preset, voice style, etc.)

Configuration

Default settings can be changed in the extension options page:

Setting	Default	Options
Default preset	standard	quick, standard, deep, extended
Default voice	professional	professional, casual, educational, enthusiastic
Default host mode	single	single, multi
Auto-play	true	true, false
Notifications	true	true, false

Technology stack

• React 18 with TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Webpack bundler
• Chrome Extension Manifest V3
• Mozilla Readability for content extraction

Troubleshooting

"Could not extract content from this page"

• Ensure the page has at least 100 words of content
• Try refreshing the page first
• Some dynamically-loaded content (heavy SPA pages) may not be extractable

"Login failed" or "Not authenticated"

• Verify your credentials at wackypod.com
• Clear extension data: Right-click icon > Options > Clear All Data
• Reinstall the extension

Episode stuck on "Generating..."

• Check your internet connection
• Close and reopen the extension popup
• Check episode status on the web app
• Episodes typically complete in 2-3 minutes

"Monthly quota exceeded"

• Wait until next month (quotas reset on the 1st)
• Upgrade your tier at wackypod.com/pricing

Permissions

The extension requests minimal permissions:

Permission	Purpose
activeTab	Access current page content when you click the extension
storage	Store authentication tokens and settings locally
notifications	Show desktop notifications when podcasts are ready

The extension does not track browsing activity.