reins

← reins.tech

Install without the store

The npm package carries a full copy of the reins extension. If you cannot (or would rather not) install from the Chrome Web Store, one command stages it for Chrome's Load unpacked. No repo checkout, no build, no reins allow.

Install

$ npm i -g @karnstack/reins$ reins extension
  1. reins extension copies the bundled extension to ~/.reins/extension and prints these same steps.
  2. Open chrome://extensions (or brave://extensions, dia://extensions, and so on).
  3. Enable Developer mode, top right.
  4. Click Load unpacked and select ~/.reins/extension.
  5. Run reins status. The extension finds the daemon and connects on its own.

There is no reins allow step: the sideload build pins a public key in its manifest, so its extension ID is identical on every machine and ships in the CLI's built-in allowlist.

Updating

Sideloaded extensions do not auto-update. After upgrading the CLI, re-stage it and reload:

$ reins extension --reload

That is the same as clicking Reload on the reins card in chrome://extensions, which also works. The path never changes, so Chrome keeps the registration. --reload only works for unpacked builds; a Chrome Web Store install updates itself.

Caveats

  • Chrome shows its usual developer-mode reminders for unpacked extensions on some platforms. That comes with sideloading. The store build does not show them.
  • A sideloaded and a store-installed reins can coexist, but run one at a time. Disable the other in chrome://extensions, so two connections do not both drive your tabs.
  • Working from a source checkout instead? That flow uses a per-machine dev ID and reins allow. See RUNNING.md on GitHub.

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