Getting Started

Install

RepoLens runs in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and other Chromium browsers. It has no build step and needs no account.

From the Chrome Web Store

RepoLens isn't on the Chrome Web Store yet. Until it is, use the release zip below — it's the same package that will be uploaded to the store.

From the release zip (recommended)

Download repolens-v<version>.zip from the latest release and unzip it into a folder you'll keep. (No release listed yet? Use From source — it's the same code.)
Open chrome://extensions.
Turn on Developer mode (top right).
Click Load unpacked and select the unzipped folder.

Chrome shows the permissions RepoLens asks for when you load it: access to the repo sites it reads, the AI providers you might connect, localhost for local models, and notifications. It does not ask to read your browsing history — see Privacy for exactly what is sent where.

Pin the RepoLens icon from the puzzle-piece menu so it's one click away. Settings open automatically on first install.

From source

Download the source or git clone the repo, then Load unpacked the project folder. The repo root is a working extension; the extra developer files are ignored by Chrome.

Updating: replace the folder with the new release (or git pull), then press the reload icon on the RepoLens card in chrome://extensions. Your library and settings stay in the browser profile, so they survive the update.

Connect a model

The first scan needs one AI provider. Open Options (RepoLens opens it for you if nothing is connected) and pick any one:

Sign in with a subscription: Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, or OpenRouter.
Paste an API key from any supported provider. Gemini and OpenRouter have free tiers.
Run a local model with Ollama — no key, no bill. Start Ollama with OLLAMA_ORIGINS=chrome-extension://* so it accepts requests from the extension, pull llama3.2:3b, and enable Ollama (Local) in Options.

See Models for every provider and per-part routing.

Your first scan

Open any repo page — e.g. a project on github.com.
Click the RepoLens icon.
A loading tab opens immediately, then RepoLens fetches the repo and asks your model. When the scan finishes, it lands on the Verdict — fit call, bottom line, measured facts, structured risks, learning path, and the top things worth noting.

You can also right-click any repo link and choose Scan with RepoLens, or paste a list into Library → Batch.

Want it your way? Options → Appearance has 21 themes (light, dark, Mono Ink, Liquid Glass, DESIGN.md-inspired themes, and more), and Voice changes the writing tone of the analysis — it's text, not audio, anywhere from blunt-and-technical to friendly-and-plain.

Develop

For contributors — if you just want to use RepoLens, you're done after the steps above.

npm ci
npm test           # the unit suite
npm run verify     # tests, lint, HTML, format, release checks, and the store zip

Pure ES modules, no bundler. Edit a file, reload the extension at chrome://extensions, scan again. npm run package writes the store upload to dist/.