Extension Create (WXT & Plasmo)

Auto-scaffold a Chrome extension project. Do NOT just explain — execute the workflow.

Workflow (Execute This)

Step 1: Gather requirements from user

Ask the user to confirm:

1. Extension name (kebab-case, e.g. my-tab-manager)
2. Short description (1 sentence)
3. UI framework: React / Vue / Svelte / Vanilla (default: React)
4. Features needed (pick from list below):
   • Popup UI
   • Content script (modify pages)
   • Background service worker
   • Side panel
   • Options page
   • Context menu
   • Tab management / Storage / Active tab only

Step 2: Pick scaffolder based on framework choice

Framework	Recommended Scaffolder	Why
React	Plasmo or WXT	Plasmo has CSUI, quickstarts
Vue	WXT	First-class Vue support
Svelte	WXT	First-class Svelte support
Vanilla TS	WXT	Lightest setup

Step 3: Scaffold

WXT — multi-framework, file-based entrypoints:

npx wxt@latest init <name> --template <react|vue|svelte|vanilla>
cd <name> && pnpm install

Plasmo — React-first, auto-manifest, rich quickstarts:

# Basic React
npm create plasmo --with-src
# With Tailwind CSS
npm create plasmo -- --with-tailwindcss
# With specific template (see https://docs.plasmo.com/quickstarts)
npm create plasmo -- --with-redux

Quickstarts: https://docs.plasmo.com/quickstarts Full docs: https://docs.plasmo.com/

Step 3: Configure based on features

WXT: Edit wxt.config.ts with permissions and manifest fields. Plasmo: Edit package.json manifest section or plasmo.config.ts. Plasmo auto-generates manifest from code.

Step 4: Create entrypoints

Create files in entrypoints/ based on chosen features (see below).

Step 5: Verify setup

WXT: pnpm dev / pnpm build / pnpm zip Plasmo: pnpm dev / pnpm build / pnpm package (creates zip in build/)

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Entrypoints Quick Reference

Feature	WXT	Plasmo
Popup	entrypoints/popup/index.html + main.tsx	src/popup.tsx
Background	entrypoints/background.ts	src/background.ts
Content script	entrypoints/content.ts	src/contents/main.tsx
Options page	entrypoints/options/index.html	src/options.tsx
Side panel	entrypoints/sidepanel/index.html	src/sidepanel.tsx
Tab page	N/A	src/tabs/settings.tsx

---

wxt.config.ts Template

import { defineConfig } from 'wxt';

export default defineConfig({
  extensionApi: 'chrome',
  modules: ['@wxt-dev/module-react'],  // or vue/svelte
  manifest: {
    name: 'My Extension',
    description: 'What it does',
    permissions: ['storage', 'activeTab'],
    host_permissions: ['<all_urls>'],
    action: { default_popup: 'popup.html' },
  },
});

---

Extension Type → Entrypoints Map

Type	Entrypoints	Permissions
Popup tool	popup	activeTab
Page modifier	content, background	activeTab or host_permissions
Side panel assistant	sidepanel, background	sidePanel, storage
Tab manager	popup, background	tabs, storage
Context menu	background	contextMenus, activeTab

---

Post-Scaffold Checklist

• pnpm install completed
• Config has correct permissions (WXT: wxt.config.ts / Plasmo: package.json)
• Entrypoints created for chosen features
• pnpm dev loads extension without errors
• Load unpacked: WXT → .output/chrome-mv3-dev / Plasmo → build/chrome-mv3-dev

---

References

• references/wxt-scaffold-guide.md — CLI options, project structure, config
• references/wxt-entrypoints.md — All entrypoint types, naming, manifest generation
• references/extension-templates.md — Ready-to-use patterns per extension type
• references/chrome-samples-reference.md — Google's official samples by category

Related Skills

• extension-manifest — Generate/validate manifest.json
• extension-dev — Dev workflow, hot reload, debugging
• extension-publish — Store submission