Gmail AI Assistant Extension

This Chrome extension enhances your Gmail experience by integrating an AI assistant directly into the compose window.

Features

• AI Write Button: Adds a '✨' button to the Gmail compose toolbar.
• AI Panel: Clicking the button opens a draggable panel next to your compose window.
• AI Interaction:
  • Type prompts into the panel's text area.
  • Click "Generate" (or use Ctrl+Enter) to get AI-generated text.
  • Supports follow-up instructions (maintains conversation history per compose window).
  • Generated text replaces the content of the email body.
• Configuration:
  • Set your AI provider API Key.
  • Choose your AI provider (currently supports OpenAI-compatible APIs like Google Gemini, Anthropic, Deepseek, Openrouter, etc. via specific endpoints).
  • Select the specific AI model.
  • Define a custom system prompt for personalized AI behavior.
  • Settings are accessed via the extension icon in the Chrome toolbar.
• Modern UI: Simple, clean panel design.

Setup & Installation

For Users:

1. Install from Chrome Web Store: For a quick and easy setup, visit the Gmail AI Assistant extension on the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome". This method allows you to install the extension directly without building from source.
2. Configure: After installation, click the extension's icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the options page. Enter your API key and configure other settings as needed.

For Developers:

1. Clone or Download: Get the extension code from the repository.
2. Install Dependencies: Navigate to the gmail-ai-extension directory in your terminal and run:

   npm install

3. Build the Extension: Run the build command:

   npm run build

   This will create the necessary bundled files in the gmail-ai-extension/dist directory.
4. Load into Chrome:
   • Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/.
   • Enable "Developer mode" using the toggle switch in the top-right corner.
   • Click the "Load unpacked" button.
   • Select the gmail-ai-extension/dist directory.
5. Configure: Click the extension's icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the options page. Enter your API key and configure other settings as needed.

Usage

1. Open Gmail and start composing a new email or reply.
2. Click the '✨' button in the compose toolbar.
3. The AI panel will appear. Enter your prompt and click "Generate" or press Ctrl+Enter.
4. The generated text will appear in your email body.
5. You can continue the conversation by typing follow-up prompts in the panel.
6. Use the "Clear History" button in the panel to start a fresh conversation for that specific email.
7. Drag the panel header to reposition it.
8. Close the panel using the 'X' button or by pressing the Escape key.

Development

• Bundler: Webpack
• Manifest: Version 3
• Main Components:
  • src/background.js: Handles API calls, settings management, and message passing.
  • src/content.js: Injects the button/panel into Gmail, handles UI interactions.
  • src/options.js / public/options.html: Manages the settings page.
  • public/manifest.json: Extension configuration.
  • public/styles.css: Styling for injected elements.