Common questions about installing, using and your data. Not installed yet? Run the three steps in the guide first.
Chrome will ask to "read and change all your data on all websites". That permission is unavoidable for a clipper — to read the passage the moment you select it, the extension has to be able to reach page content. All it does is inject a floating bar when a page loads: no background scraping, and page content never leaves your machine. Section 1 of the Permissions & network page has the full account.
Chrome updates store builds automatically, usually within hours of a release. Nothing to download, no reload button to press.
Export a JSON from the library while you are at it. Same before changing devices, switching browser profiles or clearing browser data — only the JSON export is a full backup, trash records and local images included.
Never update by uninstall → reinstall. Uninstalling can take your local clips down with it.
Refresh the page first. The extension injects when a page loads, so tabs opened before the install get nothing. If a refresh does not help, check that Gray Hole is not disabled in chrome://extensions, and that the page is not a chrome:// internal page — extensions cannot inject there.
Three usual causes: it is not desktop Chrome (mobile and tablet builds cannot load extensions at all), Chrome is older than 116, or your network cannot reach the Web Store. Check your version at chrome://version first, then try again.
The image server blocks cross-origin reads, or the link has expired. Gray Hole first tries the original file (without your login cookie), then the on-page copy the browser is allowed to read; if neither works it is marked honestly as "link only" or "not backed up" — it never pretends it saved. For the image itself, retry on the original page.
Export a JSON from the library on the old machine (only the JSON export is a full backup — trash records and local images included) and import it on the new one. Or register an account and let cloud sync align your devices — sync is optional; everything works without it.
Yes. The store build is unminified source — submitting readable code is a listing requirement, and Google reviewed every permission it asks for. After installing, open the install directory from chrome://extensions and read it yourself. But Gray Hole is not an open-source project: readable is not the same as redistributable. Modifying it for your own use is fine; publishing a modified version or building a paid service on it needs prior written permission — Section 3 of the Terms of Service.
The account and sync database is in the western US (Oregon) — enabling cloud sync means your email and clip mirror are stored on US servers. If you do not want data leaving your region, do not register an account; without one, every feature runs entirely on your machine. See Section 3 of the Privacy Policy.
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