search-with-chatgpt-powered-by-openai-extension/docs/future-issue-proposals.md

Future issue proposals

Drafts for consideration, not filed issues or committed release milestones. Firefox Desktop remains the only target. Suggested order starts with named prompt actions; research tasks can run independently.

1. Add named prompt actions

Priority: High. Type: Enhancement.

The extension currently supports one global prompt template. Let users save several named actions such as Explain, Summarize, Translate, and Rewrite.

Acceptance criteria:

• Create, edit, reorder, and delete actions in settings.
• Choose an action from a compact selection context submenu.
• Preserve the existing template and shortcut behavior during migration.
• Treat templates as text, never executable code; validate limits and handle storage sync quota failures visibly.
• Test placeholder substitution with arbitrary selected text.

2. Add link and page context actions

Priority: Medium. Type: Enhancement.

Selection context already exists. Add explicit actions for a clicked link and the current page, initially passing the URL rather than extracting full text. Sending a URL does not guarantee ChatGPT can access or summarize its contents.

Acceptance criteria:

• Clearly identify whether the action shares selected text, a link, or a page URL.
• Do not include page metadata automatically in existing selection actions.
• Handle restricted pages and unsupported URL schemes gracefully.
• Review URLs containing private query data and update privacy documentation for the new data flow before release.
• Assess permissions against the existing design spec; full-page extraction is a separate proposal requiring explicit scope and permission review.

3. Add a toolbar quick-launch popup

Priority: Medium. Type: Enhancement.

Provide a prompt field, access to named actions, and a link to settings from the toolbar. Reuse the existing URL builder and open-location preferences.

Acceptance criteria:

• Keyboard-accessible prompt entry and launch action.
• Empty input opens a blank chat.
• Named actions appear when available; the popup can ship independently.
• Works in light/dark themes and a narrow popup.
• No automatic page capture; any selection action is explicit.

4. Investigate advanced address-bar commands

Priority: Medium. Type: Research, followed by enhancement if viable.

Investigate an omnibox entry point that reads saved settings and recognizes commands such as !search and !temp. The current search provider uses a static URL and does not read extension preferences.

Acceptance criteria:

• Verify interaction with the installed engine and its user-customized keyword.
• Document any difference between Firefox's search keyword and the extension's manifest-declared omnibox keyword; do not promise runtime keyword editing.
• Specify escaping so users can search for literal command text.
• Preserve ordinary address-bar searches and open-location behavior.
• Keep search/temporary options labeled as hints where not guaranteed.
• Defer !think until model/effort research establishes a working mechanism; adding “think harder” to a prompt is not an effort-setting implementation.
• Do not reintroduce auto-submit; review Appendix B of the existing design spec.

Reference: Mozilla omnibox API.

5. Add settings export and import

Priority: Medium. Type: Enhancement.

Settings already use browser.storage.sync. Add portable JSON backup and restore, including named actions if that feature ships.

Acceptance criteria:

• Export a versioned settings document without account or browsing data.
• Validate file size, schema, field types, and supported versions before writing.
• Preview replacement and require an explicit import action.
• Reject invalid input without changing current settings.
• Handle old versions, unknown fields, and storage failures predictably.
• Do not imply that Firefox-owned engine keywords or shortcuts are backed up.

6. Evaluate Firefox Manifest V3 migration

Priority: Low until a concrete benefit or requirement is identified. Type: Research/maintenance.

Evaluate MV3 separately from user features. The existing options framework, normal launch, temporary-chat hint, and web-search hint do not need to be reimplemented as a bundled milestone. MV3 does not establish model control.

Acceptance criteria:

• Document Firefox-specific benefits, costs, and minimum supported version.
• Audit background lifecycle, script injection, permissions, search provider, options, and packaging against Mozilla's migration guide.
• If proceeding, preserve settings and verify all existing Firefox workflows.
• No Chromium packaging or sibling-repository changes.

Reference: Firefox MV3 migration guide.

7. Investigate optional Firefox Containers integration

Priority: Low. Type: Research.

Explore opening ChatGPT in a user-selected existing container for account separation. Keep integration opt-in and justify any additional permissions.

Acceptance criteria:

• Verify the permission requirements for listing containers and opening tabs in them; the contextualIdentities API documents contextualIdentities and cookies permissions.
• Review the existing permission design before implementation.
• Handle missing/deleted containers, denied permissions, disabled containers, and private browsing without silently switching accounts.
• Determine which entry points can honor the preference; do not promise that the static Firefox search provider can use it.
• Explain that containers separate sessions; they do not make chats temporary.

Reference: Mozilla contextualIdentities API.

8. Research reliable ChatGPT model and thinking-effort selection

Priority: High interest; blocked on evidence of a reliable mechanism. Type: Research, not a promised feature.

User testing did not achieve the requested behavior using the temporary URL probe with prompt, model=gpt-5-6-thinking, hints=search, and thinking_effort=extended. This does not independently establish which fields were ignored. Earlier model URL tests also failed to switch the selected model.

Acceptance criteria:

• Record a reproducible browser test and observable evidence of the actual selected model/effort; a URL parameter or model self-report is insufficient.
• Verify identifiers and distinguish URL prefill from conversation POST data.
• Prefer a documented integration; document maintenance and permission costs before considering page automation or internal endpoints.
• Do not introduce controls claiming success without verified behavior.
• Treat a public-API implementation as a separate product decision, including authentication, billing, privacy, and its different user experience.
• Remove the temporary URL test UI before release once investigation is done.

Shared release constraint: preserve user submission in ChatGPT and the current minimal-permission approach unless a separately reviewed change justifies more.