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Browser extension

Save web images or videos into a Serpent library with context-menu saving and drag-and-drop saving. Supports Chrome / Edge (Chromium) and Firefox.

Media is downloaded by the browser (with cookies and the page Referer) and uploaded to the local Serpent app, bypassing most hotlink protections. Keep Serpent running with a library open — the extension connects to 127.0.0.1 only; there is no remote server.

Installation​

The extension is not on a browser store yet; install it manually. All install files are downloaded from the extension releases page — pick the file for your browser.

Chrome / Edge​

  1. Download serpent-extension-<version>.zip from the releases page and extract it to a fixed folder (e.g. Documents/Serpent-extension). The folder must directly contain manifest.json.
  2. Open chrome://extensions (Edge: edge://extensions) and enable Developer mode (top-right).
  3. Click “Load unpacked” and select the extracted folder.

Firefox​

  1. Download serpent-extension-firefox-<version>-signed.xpi from the releases page.
  2. Open about:addons → gear icon → “Install Add-on From File…” → select the downloaded .xpi.
  3. The extension stays installed across Firefox restarts, like a store install.

Updating​

  • Chrome / Edge: download the new zip from the releases page, extract over the old folder, then click Refresh on the extension card in chrome://extensions (or remove and reload).
  • Firefox: download the new .xpi from the releases page and repeat the install steps; it replaces the old version.

Usage​

  1. Start Serpent and open a library.
  2. The extension toolbar icon turns colored when connected and stays gray when not.
  3. Context-menu save: right-click an image or video on a web page → “Save to Serpent” → choose a target folder (recent saves/browses → separator → root → top-level folders; subfolders expand level by level).
  4. Drag-and-drop save: drag an image and a tree-shaped save menu opens — hover › on a folder with children to enter its level, ‹ to go back, release outside the panel or press Esc to cancel.
  5. A “Saving to Serpent” bubble shows progress on the page.

Options page​

Right-click the extension icon → Options to toggle:

  • Notifications (system notification for save results)
  • Focus Serpent after saving
  • Reveal the saved asset in the library
  • The drag-and-drop tree menu on web images/videos

Troubleshooting​

“Cannot connect to Serpent”

Make sure Serpent is running with a library open. Gray icon = disconnected; colored = connected.

“forbidden origin” (403) when saving

Older extension builds hit this (the server only allowed Chrome extension origins). Update to 0.1.1 or newer — Firefox’s moz-extension:// origins are now accepted.

The saved image is not visible in the library

Check the “Reveal in library” option in the extension options page, and confirm the target folder you chose.

Firefox says “This add-on could not be installed because it appears to be corrupt” / “not verified”

You installed an unsigned zip. Use the -signed.xpi file from the releases page.

Does the extension access all websites? Is it safe?

The extension requests “access to all websites” — required to save images/videos from any page. It only connects to the local Serpent app (127.0.0.1, fixed ports) and never sends data to remote servers. The code is open source (MIT).

Privacy​

  • The extension does not collect or upload any personal data.
  • Saves are initiated by you; media files are uploaded directly to your local Serpent app.
  • The only stored record (recently used folders) lives in the browser’s local storage.