Obsidian Google Docs Capture Extension

A browser extension that captures highlighted text from Google Docs and saves it directly to your Obsidian notes repository via GitHub API.

🌟 Why Browser Extension Instead of Bookmarklet?

• 🔒 Better Security: No Content Security Policy issues
• 🦊 Firefox Compatible: Works reliably in all modern browsers
• ⚡ Better Performance: Native browser APIs instead of injected JavaScript
• 🎨 Better UI: Dedicated popup interface with proper styling
• ⚙️ Settings Page: Secure storage for configuration

Features

• 📝 Capture selected text from any Google Doc with one click
• 🔗 Clean, native browser extension interface
• 📅 Automatic meeting note formatting with customizable templates
• 🏷️ Add context like meeting title, attendees, and tags
• 🔄 Direct GitHub API integration with fine-grained token support
• 📋 Markdown formatting optimized for Obsidian
• 🔒 Secure settings storage using browser APIs

Quick Setup

1. Load the extension in your browser (Chrome/Firefox/Edge)
2. Configure GitHub settings in the extension options
3. Select text in Google Docs and click the extension icon
4. Fill in meeting details and save to your Obsidian repository

Installation

Step 1: Load the Extension

Chrome/Edge:

1. Open chrome://extensions/ (or edge://extensions/)
2. Enable "Developer mode"
3. Click "Load unpacked" and select this folder

Firefox:

1. Open about:debugging
2. Click "This Firefox"
3. Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
4. Select the manifest.json file

Note: This extension uses Manifest V3 with event pages for Firefox compatibility and service workers for Chrome/Edge.

Step 2: Configure Settings

1. Click the extension icon and select "Settings"
2. Or right-click the extension icon → "Options"
3. Fill in your GitHub repository details:

Required Settings:

• GitHub Token: Fine-grained personal access token
• Repository Owner: Your GitHub username
• Repository Name: Your Obsidian notes repository

Optional Settings:

• Notes Path: Subfolder for meeting notes (e.g., "Meeting Notes/")
• Template Settings: Customize what gets included in notes
• Default Tags: Tags automatically added to every note

Step 3: Create GitHub Token

1. Go to GitHub Settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens
2. Click "Generate new token"
3. Configure:
   • Repository access: Only select your Obsidian notes repository
   • Permissions:
     • Contents (Write) - to create/update files
     • Metadata (Read) - to access repository info
   • Expiration: 90 days or less (more secure)
4. Copy the token and add it to extension settings

Usage

1. Open any Google Doc
2. Select/highlight the text you want to capture
3. Click the extension icon (📝) in your browser toolbar
4. Fill in the meeting details:
   • Meeting Title (required)
   • Attendees (optional)
   • Tags (optional, defaults to "meeting-notes")
   • Custom filename (optional, auto-generated if empty)
5. Click "Save to Obsidian"

The extension will create a properly formatted Markdown file in your Obsidian repository!

Security Features

Fine-Grained Tokens (Recommended)

• Scope access to only your Obsidian repository
• Minimal permissions (Contents: Write, Metadata: Read)
• Short expiration periods for better security

Secure Storage

• Settings stored using browser's secure storage APIs
• Tokens encrypted at rest by the browser
• No data transmitted to third parties

Privacy

• No analytics or tracking
• All data stays between your browser, GitHub, and Obsidian
• Open source for full transparency

File Structure

├── manifest.json          # Extension manifest (Manifest V3 - All browsers)
├── popup.html             # Extension popup interface
├── popup.js               # Popup logic and GitHub API calls
├── popup.css              # Popup styling
├── options.html           # Settings page
├── options.js             # Settings page logic
├── options.css            # Settings page styling
├── content.js             # Content script for Google Docs
├── content.css            # Content script styles
├── background.js          # Background script
├── icons/                 # Extension icons (16, 32, 48, 128px)
└── README.md              # This file

Legacy Files (Bookmarklet Version)

The following files are kept for reference but are no longer needed:

• bookmarklet.js - Original bookmarklet code
• bookmarklet.min.js - Minified bookmarklet
• config.js - Old configuration file
• demo.html - Bookmarklet demo page
• firefox-test.js - Firefox troubleshooting
• manifest-v2.json - Old Manifest V2 file (no longer needed)

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

1. Enable Developer Mode: Required for Chrome/Edge unpacked extensions
2. Check Console Errors: Look for JavaScript errors in browser developer tools
3. Permissions: Ensure the extension has access to Google Docs when prompted
4. Manifest V3: This extension uses event pages (Firefox) and service workers (Chrome/Edge) for proper cross-browser compatibility

No Text Captured

1. Select text first: Highlight text in Google Docs before clicking the extension
2. Check permissions: Ensure the extension has permission to access Google Docs
3. Refresh the page: Sometimes a page refresh helps with content script loading

GitHub API Errors

1. Test connection: Use the "Test Connection" button in settings
2. Check token permissions: Ensure Contents (Write) and Metadata (Read) are granted
3. Verify repository exists: Double-check repository owner and name
4. Token expiration: Fine-grained tokens expire - check if yours is still valid

Development

To modify or extend this extension:

1. Make changes to the source files
2. Reload the extension in your browser's extension manager
3. Test thoroughly on actual Google Docs pages
4. Check console logs for any JavaScript errors

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and pull requests to improve this tool!