ArcSolve Extension Site Access and Permissions

Effective Date: March 28, 2026

ArcSolve Chrome Extension uses website access permissions to read and analyze web content that the user asks ArcSolve to process, to support AI workflows that may span multiple pages, and to keep the side panel in sync with the current active tab while the panel is open. This document explains what the extension does, when it reads website content, and why website access is required.

1. Purpose of This Document

This document explains how ArcSolve uses website access permissions and answers the following questions:

What features ArcSolve provides
When ArcSolve reads web pages
Why access across websites is required
Why some requested links may be opened in a background tab

2. What ArcSolve Does

ArcSolve Extension is a web content capture and analysis bridge for ArcSolve. It provides the following features:

Analyze the current web page and identify its structure, text, and resources
Copy the current page or extract only the content the user selects
Capture and copy a selected rectangular area of the visible page
Open and analyze PDF pages
Read YouTube pages and general web pages for AI-assisted workflows
Read the current page, user-provided links, and additional task-related pages that ArcSolve AI needs in order to answer, compare, or complete a requested workflow
Open and analyze user-requested links
Fulfill parsing actions initiated from ArcSolve web features or ArcSolve AI while the user is using ArcSolve
Let users work with AI in the side panel while using web content

ArcSolve is not a passive note panel. It is a browser-side reader that can inspect user-requested pages and links, and in some workflows more than one page, so that web content can be used inside ArcSolve.

3. When ArcSolve Reads Website Content

ArcSolve reads website content when the user or an ArcSolve feature requests it, and it may automatically inspect the current active tab while the side panel is open. Common examples include:

The user opens the side panel on a supported webpage
The user changes the active tab while the side panel is open
The active tab finishes loading while the side panel is open
The user clicks Copy Page
The user clicks Select to extract a specific element
The user clicks Capture to copy a selected rectangular area
The user opens or analyzes a PDF
The user adds a link or asks AI to read a requested page
The user asks AI to compare multiple pages, research a topic, or complete a workflow across links
ArcSolve AI determines that it needs to inspect another page or YouTube resource to complete the requested task
ArcSolve web features initiate parsing through the extension while the user is using ArcSolve

ArcSolve does not analyze every page the user visits at all times. Full page analysis is limited to the currently active tab while the side panel is open. Separate from that active-tab sync behavior, user-requested AI and parsing workflows may read multiple pages or links when the task requires it. The extension does inject a lightweight content script on all pages to detect whether the current page contains a PDF. This detection performs only local DOM inspection and does not read page text, transmit data, or trigger analysis. If a PDF is detected, a small floating button appears so the user can open the PDF viewer directly.

The primary reason ArcSolve still requires website access across domains is that user-requested links and task-related pages may belong to arbitrary sites, and ArcSolve must read the actual content of those pages to fulfill its core analysis and AI workflow features.

4. Why Website Access Is Required

ArcSolve must be able to read not only the current tab, but also the actual content of requested links and other task-related pages. Because those pages may belong to arbitrary websites, the extension requires website access permissions.

These permissions are used for the following features:

Feature	Why Website Access Is Required
Current page analysis	To read the current tab's structure, text, and resources
Page copy	To extract current page content and copy it to the clipboard
Selection extract	To read the DOM element the user selected
Rect capture	To temporarily capture the visible area of the current tab and copy the selected region as an image
PDF analysis	To identify and extract PDF content from the current page or a requested link
YouTube and web page reading	To let AI respond based on the actual content of the current page, a user-provided URL, or another page needed for the requested workflow
Link analysis and task execution	To read and analyze the actual content of a user-requested URL, compare pages, reuse matching open tabs, or open a background tab when needed

ArcSolve uses website access permissions to deliver these core content analysis and clipping features. A lightweight content script runs on all pages to detect PDF content locally, but full page analysis code is injected only when needed by a requested action or while the side panel is open.

5. Why Access Across Websites Is Required

ArcSolve is not limited to a single website. Users may work with articles, documentation, PDFs, YouTube pages, and requested links across many domains.

The extension supports the following behaviors:

Analyzing the current page
Reading links that are not currently visible in the active tab
Letting AI complete workflows that span the current page, user-provided URLs, and additional pages the workflow requires
Handling parsing requests sent from the ArcSolve web app
Reusing an existing tab when the requested page is already open
Opening a requested link in a background tab when needed

Because these features are not limited to a small, fixed set of domains, ArcSolve requires website access across user-requested sites.

6. Background Tab Parsing

Some features require ArcSolve to read the content of a link or page that the user is not currently viewing. In those cases, ArcSolve may open the requested link in a background tab and extract its content.

Background tab parsing is used to:

Read the actual content of a user-requested link
Read the actual content of another page needed to complete a requested AI workflow
Avoid interrupting the user's current tab whenever possible
Reuse an existing tab if the requested page is already open, and open a new tab only when necessary
Compare the requested URL against currently open tabs so ArcSolve can reuse a matching tab instead of creating a redundant background tab

This behavior may be used as part of link analysis, URL-based AI tools, YouTube page reading, page comparison, research workflows, or general web page reading.

7. Integration With the ArcSolve Web App and ArcSolve AI

ArcSolve Extension is not limited to its own side panel UI. It can also act as the browser-side component that fulfills parsing actions initiated from ArcSolve web features or ArcSolve AI while the user is using ArcSolve.

Examples include:

A user requests link parsing from the ArcSolve web app
ArcSolve AI needs to read the content of the current page, a user-provided page, or a YouTube link
ArcSolve AI decides it needs to inspect an additional page or transcript to complete a user-requested task
ArcSolve needs access to the actual page content available in the browser context

In these cases, the extension only accepts requests from ArcSolve web pages on allowed ArcSolve origins (currently https://arcsolve.ai/* and https://www.arcsolve.ai/*) in top-level browsing contexts and reads web content by reusing an existing tab or using background tab parsing when necessary.

8. Permissions Used by the Extension

ArcSolve Extension uses the following permissions:

Permission	Purpose
`host_permissions` (`<all_urls>`)	To read and analyze web pages, PDFs, YouTube pages, user-requested links, and other task-related pages across arbitrary domains
`activeTab`	To act on the user's current active page and support user-requested visible-tab capture workflows
`scripting`	To run a lightweight PDF detection script on all pages and to inject additional scripts when analysis, clipping, parsing, or PDF features need them
`webNavigation`	To keep active-tab analysis in sync as the current page loads, navigates, or changes state while the side panel is open
`clipboardWrite`	To copy page content or selected content to the clipboard
`storage`	To store minimal local preferences such as theme, side panel state, and a short-lived session summary cache
`sidePanel`	To provide the ArcSolve interface in the browser side panel

ArcSolve does not use these permissions for advertising or background tracking. It uses them to fulfill active-tab side panel analysis, multi-page AI workflows, and other user-requested web analysis features.

Although the extension declares broad site access in its manifest, users can still use Chrome's site access controls to narrow where the extension runs.

9. What ArcSolve Does Not Do Automatically

ArcSolve does not operate in the following ways:

It does not continuously crawl every page the user visits regardless of UI state
It does not continue active-tab analysis after the side panel is closed
It does not automatically save every web page to the user's ArcSolve account
It does not persistently save arbitrary pages without a user-requested action
It does not automate button clicks, form submissions, or purchases
It does not use user content to train AI models

A single user-requested AI or parsing workflow may still involve more than one page when that is needed to complete the task.

10. User Controls

Users can control ArcSolve Extension in the following ways:

Disable or remove the extension in Chrome
Use Chrome's extension site access controls to change access scope
Open or close the side panel to start or stop active-tab automatic analysis
Run copy, extraction, save, and other features only when they choose to do so

11. Related Documents

For more information about privacy, data handling, and terms, see:

12. Summary

ArcSolve Extension reads and analyzes web pages, YouTube pages, PDFs, user-requested links, and other task-related pages needed to complete requested workflows. A lightweight content script runs on all pages to detect PDF content locally; this detection does not read page text or transmit data. While the side panel is open, the extension may automatically analyze the currently active tab so the panel stays in sync with the visible page. Separate from that active-tab sync behavior, AI or web-app-initiated workflows may read multiple pages and may reuse an existing tab or briefly open a background tab when needed. Website access permissions are required because these pages may belong to arbitrary domains. ArcSolve is not designed to continuously collect every page at all times or to automate browser actions.

For questions about this document, contact privacy@arcsolve.ai.